Mac Court Welcomes Pac-10 Wrestling Champs
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EUGENE ? The University of Oregon wrestling team opens the postseason this week and proudly welcomes back the Pacific-10 Conference Championships to McArthur Court for the fourth time ever and first time since 2001.
UO (10-13, 1-9) seeks its fifth upper division finish under 10th-year head coach Chuck Kearney with his Ducks scoring a runner-up finish in ’02 and a third-place effort in ’05.
The Ducks have three entries ranked top four in this week’s final league rankings ? redshirt freshman Charlie Alexander (285, third), redshirt junior Ryan Dunn (133, fourth) and redshirt sophomore Kyle Bounds (157, fourth) ? and another ranked fifth, sophomore Zack Frazier (165).
In last year’s event, the young UO squad placed eighth, while in-state rival Oregon State won with 105 points, over Cal State Bakersfield (second, 105), UC Davis (third, 96 1/2) and Cal Poly (84).
After this weekend’s league finale, the top three finishers from the 10 weight classes (30) and eight more wild cards will earn bids to the NCAA Championships, March 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo. More meet information is available at the www.ncaasports.com website.
RECENT DUCK ACTION
Two Sundays ago in Corvallis (2/17), UO suffered a hard fought 22-13 loss at Gill Coliseum and counted wins at 125, 133, 157 and 165 pounds. At 125, redshirt senior Joey Lucas got the Ducks on the scoreboard with his 6-1 victory over Jake Gonzalez, redshirt junior Ryan Dunn (133) added a major decision over Clifton Ivanoff, 18-8, redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Kyle Bounds, won 12-6 over Dan Brascetta, and sophomore Zack Frazier earned revenge over Keegan Davis with a 7-4 win and avenged a 14-4 loss in December to the same opponent who was ranked one spot higher in that week’s league rankings at fifth.
The previous Wednesday (2/13), the Ducks scored a 33-10 victory at Portland State’s Stott Gymnasium. UO won five of the eight matches it wrestled and added wins by forfeit at the two lowest weight classes (125 and 133 pounds). Redshirt freshman heavyweight Charlie Alexander staked his second win by fall this year (2:24) for his team-leading 22nd win. Frazier scored his third technical fall of the year with his 20-5 triumph at 165- the third time this season that he scored +20 points. Redshirt senior Elliott Tracy posted his first major decision of the campaign by a 22-8 margin, and other Duck winners included redshirt sophomore Kyle Bounds (157, 12-7) and redshirt junior Shaun Dee (197, 10-6 OT). Their wins gave them their eighth and 12th wins of the season, respectively.
DUCK SEASON STAT LEADERS
Closing the fourth month of the season, seven Duck individuals have 10 or more wins ? Alexander (285, 22-7), Lee (174 pounds, 20-11), Dunn (133, 20-6), Frazier (165, 18-12), redshirt freshman Brett Gray (141, 13-3), sophomore Brysen French (184, 11-5) and redshirt junior Shaun Dee (197, 12-19). Frazier notched his team-leading third pin of the season in late January vs. ASU’s Preston Pruett in 3:32, and Alexander, Gray and Dee each have two pins. Dunn is the current career wins leader (57) on the youthful Duck roster, and is followed by Lucas (second, 45), Lee (third, 38) and French (fourth, 30). In mid-February, Dunn scored one of the Ducks' highlights of the season with a 5-3 win over returning NCAA runner-up and then-No. 1 ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State at Mac Court in a dual vs. the Cowboys. A link to complete season statistics is in the STATISTICS dropdown menu at the top of the www.GoDucks.com wrestling page.
DUCK CAREER RECORDS
Joey Lucas, RSr., 125-133, Hillsboro, Ore., (45-54)
Beau Malia, RJr., 125, Billings, Mont. (25-28)
Ryan Dunn, RJr., 133, Estacada, Ore. (57-24)
Brett Gray, RFr. , Catoosa, Okla, 141-149 (16-7)
Cody Moulton, RJr., Redmond, Ore., 141-149 (7-15)
Duke Wasteney, RSo., Portland, Ore. 149 (0-1)
Jeremy McLaughlin, RJr., Central Point, Ore., 149-157 (25-47)
Elliott Tracy, RSr., 149-157, Eugene, Ore., (22-31)
Kyle Bounds, RSo., 157, Vancouver, Wash. (27-29)
Bryan Cantrell, Jr., 165, Hillsboro, Ore. (15-19)
Zack Frazier, So., 165, Gresham, Ore. (30-29)
Ron Lee, RSo., 174, Central Point, Ore. (38-29)
Brysen French, So., 184, Hillsboro, Ore. (30-25)
Marcus Myers, Sr., 184, Beaverton, Ore. (0-5)
Shaun Dee, RJr., 197, Beaverton, Ore. (22-31)
Chris Robertson, So., 285, Central Point, Ore. (8-23)
Charlie Alexander, RFr., 285, Central Point, Ore. (22-8)
PICKS OF THE PAC-10
In the most recent eighth edition of the Pacific-10 Conference wrestling rankings, three Ducks were ranked top four in their weight classes ? Alexander (285, third), Dunn (133, fourth) and Bounds (157, fourth).
Frazier (165) followed in fifth, and two others ranked sixth - redshirt senior Joey Lucas (125) and redshirt sophomore Ron Lee (174). Other Ducks in the rankings included Moulton (141, eighth), Tracy (149, eighth), Dee (197, eighth) and Myers (184, 10th).
MEET PREVIEW
This year’s conference team championship is up for grabs, with five teams owning +.500 leagues dual marks - No. 24 Cal State Fullerton (8-1), Boise State (7-1), Oregon State (7-3), Cal State Bakersfield (6-3) and Stanford (6-3). Other league teams and their conference marks follow: Cal Poly (4-4), Arizona State (3-4), UC Davis (2-7), Oregon (1-8) and Portland State (0-9).
On the individual front, Cal Poly senior Chad Mendes (141) is top-ranked nationally this week by Intermat Wrestling and is undefeated this season (32-0).
Boise State sports three top seeds - junior Tyler Sherfey (157), sophomore Nate Lee (174) and freshman Kirk Smith (184), and the latter stands ninth nationally. Bronco freshman Adam Hall (149) and sophomore Kurt Swartz (165) both rank second in the league and 11th and 16th nationally, respectively, and Tyler Sherfey (157) ranks third in the Pac-10 and 12th nationally.
Cal State Fullerton has two top-ranked seeds - junior T.J. Dillashaw (133) and senior Morgan Atkinson (149) - that are ranked 15th and 10th nationally, respectively ? while Titan senior Ian Murphy (184) is ranked second in the league and 11th nationally.
Arizona State features two top-ranked seniors in the league - Patrick Pitsch (165) and Jason Trulson (197) ? and freshman Brent Chriswell (184) who stands third in the league and 14th nationally.
Stanford redshirt senior Tanner Gardner ranks first at 125 pounds and is 35-1 this season. Ranked sixth nationally, he has staked 17 pins, four technical falls, six major decisions, and a 17-0 dual record. The Cardinal’s Josh Zupancic stands second at 157 (and 10th nationally).
2007 PAC-10 REWIND
The Ducks were led last year at the Bakersfield-hosted event by then-senior Justin Pearch who was the Pac-10 runner-up at 141 pounds (2-1) and three other current Ducks placed top five - McLaughlin (149, fifth, 1-2), Lee (174, fifth, 4-1) and French (184, fifth, 3-2). Other Ducks that competed included Dunn (125, 1-2), Lucas (133, 1-2), Bounds (157, 0-2), Jake McCoy (165, 0-2), Chris Robertson (197, 0-2) and graduated senior Chris Dearmon (285, 1-2).
2001 FLASHBACK
In the Pac-10’s last trip to Eugene in ?01, the Ducks placed fourth with 103 1/2 points behind Arizona State (first, 123 1/2), Boise State (second, 110 1/2) and Oregon State (third, 109 1/2). Doug Lee (184), older brother of current Duck Ron Lee, won the 184-pound crown, and six others placed top-four - current volunteer coach Tony Overstake (149, fourth), Shaun Williams (125, fourth), Brian Watson (133, second), Eugene Harris (157, fourth), Luke Larwin (165, fourth) and Chael Sonnen (197, second). OSU’s Eric Jorgensen (157) was tabbed Wrestler of the Meet, ASU’s Lee Roy Smith was tabbed Coach of the Year, ASU’s Eric Larkin (141) earned Wrestler of the Year honors and Jed Pennell of Oregon State was accorded the Newcomer of the Year award.
RECENT PAC-10 TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Oregon State won its conference-leading 14th title in 2007, and its first in 13 years at Bakersfield, Calif., last year. Only two other teams have won titles since ’00 - Arizona State (2001, `03, `05, `06) and Boise State (2000, `02, `04). The Broncos and Ducks are tied for the third-most conference championships with three apiece. Cal State Fullerton enters as the only nationally ranked Pac-10 team (No. 24) and seeks its first championship after it posted a 13-5 dual record in the regular season.
PAC-10 CRED
Sophomore Brysen French (184) is UO’s highest returning placer from the 2007 Pac-10 Championships with his fourth-place finish. Others that placed top six included McLaughlin (149, fifth), Lee (174, fifth) and Lucas (133, sixth). Two other Duck returnees also competed in the event last year ? Bounds (157) and Robertson (197) ? but did not place. Lee went on to compete in the 2007 NCAA Championships ? an impressive feat considering his leg was broken several weeks before the league finale. Then-senior Justin Pearch (141) also competed in the collegiate finale last year after a runner-up Pac-10 finish.
MORE INFORMATION
More information on the Pacific-10 Conference is available at the www.Pac-10.org website.
ON A ROLL
Before late December’s Reno Tournament of Champions stop, Alexander had won 11 straight matches in his first collegiate season, and other next-best current winning streaks overall belonged to Gray (8) and French (6) although neither has wrestled since December. In current dual-only action, Lee had won 10 in a row before a loss at Boise State in late January to the Pac-10’s top-ranked wrestler in that class, Nate Lee, while Dunn had won nine in a row before losing twice last weekend. Among active wrestlers, the longest current winning streak belongs to Ryan Dunn (3).
DUCK SEASON OUTLOOK
The Oregon wrestling program welcomed back 10 letterwinners in 2007-08, seven of which competed in the 2007 Pac-10 Championships. Lee capped an impressive stretch run last spring when he overcame a broken leg in the final months to still score fifth in the Pac-10 Championships and earn an NCAA Championships invitation. Other Duck returnees that placed top six in the Bakersfield, Calif., event included French (fourth, 184), McLaughlin (fifth, 149) and Lucas (sixth, 133), and other entries included Dunn (133) and Bounds (157) and Robertson (197).
HEAD COACH CHUCK KEARNEY
The Ducks are under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Chuck Kearney who owns the second-longest tenure in school history behind his mentor Ron Finley who guided UO for 28 years. A former Pac-10 champion and All-American for UO at 177 pounds, Kearney has guided Ducks to one NCAA individual title and five All-America honors among their 28 NCAA bids, along with eight Pac-10 individual titles. UO squads posted a runner-up Pac-10 team finish in 2002 and a third-place effort in ?05, and his squads have scored four top-30 NCAA finishes, and two more top-40 placings.
DUCK WRESTLING HISTORY
In its 55th year of existence, Oregon’s lengthy wrestling tradition dates back to its first season in 1953-54. The Ducks have been guided by only six head coaches ? Bill Hammer (1954-58), Mike Reuter (1959-64), Ed Jones (1965), Art Keith (1966-70), Ron Finley (1971-98) and Chuck Kearney (1999-). Finley helped put Oregon in the national spotlight with nine top-two league finishes in a stretch from 1975-89, including UO’s first conference title in ’75, and additional victories in ’81 and ’82. Those two seasons, Finley was tabbed the conference coach of the year, and UO’s Jeff Stuebing (167) and Bill Nugent (142) claimed Pac-10 wrestlers of the year laurels. Altogether in Finley’s 28 years as head coach, UO finished top three in the conference 14 times and lower than fifth only twice. His Duck individuals combined for 22 All-America awards and 44 conference titles. In 1984, the same year Finley guided the U.S. Olympic team to the silver medal as head coach, his heavyweight pupil Greg Gibson also claimed Olympic silver and was joined on the Olympic team by Stuebing (163).
MAT TOWN OF THE WEST
Eugene has unquestionably positioned itself as a capital for West Coast wrestling this season. Earlier this year, 4,380 people roared in approval for the nation’s top collegiate wrestlers at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic in November. Eight duals against league rivals and various non-conference opponents, including 34-time national champion Oklahoma State, preceded the Pac-10 Championships.
GET YOUR PAC-10 TIX
Ticket prices for the Pacific-10 Conference Wrestling Championships follow:
All-Session (Sunday ? 2 sessions & Monday ? 2 sessions)
- Reserved: $40 + $3.50 fee
- Adult General Admission (GA): $30 + $3.50 fee
- Child/Senior Citizen GA: $20 + $2.00 fee
- Student GA: $20 + $2.00 fee (with valid college ID)
Single-session tickets for each of the two sessions of Sunday and Monday follow:
Single Session Prices
Session 1 OR 2 ? Sunday, March 2
- Reserved: $13 +$1.00 ticket fee
- Adult General Admission (GA): $13 + $1.00 ticket fee
- Child/Senior GA: $10 + $.50 per ticket fee
- Student GA: $7 + $.50 ticket fee (with valid college ID)
Session 3 OR 4 ? Monday, March 3
- Reserved: $18 +$1.50 ticket fee
- Adult General Admission (GA): $13 + $1.50 ticket fee
- Child/Senior GA: $10 + $1.00 per ticket fee
- Student GA: $10 + $1.00 ticket fee (with valid college ID)
RECENT DUAL RESULTS
Oregon 33, Portland State 10
Stott Gymnasium, Portland, Ore., February 13, 2008
125: Joey Lucas (UO) wins by forfeit, UO 27-10
133: Ryan Dunn wins (UO) by forfeit, UO 33-10
*141: Greg Einerson (PSU) dec. over Duke Wastaney, 6-1, PSU 3-0
149: Elliot Tracy (UO) maj. dec. over Alan Dickey (PSU), 22-8, UO 4-3
157: Kyle Bounds (UO) dec. over Stven Dailey (PSU), 12-7, UO 7-3
165: Zack Frazier (UO) tech. fall over Jordan Toney, 20-5, UO 12-3
174: Dale Seley (PSU) dec. over Ron Lee (OU), 5-3, UO 12-6
184: Jacob Antoine (PSU) maj. dec. over Marcus Meyers (UO), 12-2, UO 12-10
197: Shaun Dee (UO) dec. over Jake Schneider (PSU), 10-6 (OT), UO 15-10
285: Charlie Alexander (UO) pinned Zack Smith (PSU), 2:24, UO 21-10
Oregon State 22, Oregon 13
Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore., Sun., February 17, 2008
125 ? Joey Lucas, ORE, decision over Jake Gonzales, OSU, 6-1
133 ? Ryan Dunn, ORE, major decision over Clifton Ivanoff, OSU, 18-8
141 ? Heinrich Barnes, OSU, decision over Cody Moulton, ORE, 9-5
149 ? Kyle Larson, OSU, decision over Elliott Tracy, ORE, 12-6
157 ? Kyle Bounds, ORE, decision over Dan Brascetta, OSU, 12-5
165 ? Zack Frazier, ORE, decision over Keegan Davis, OSU, 7-4
174 ? Chris Platt, OSU, fall over Ron Lee, ORE, 4:16
184 ? Neal Beaudry, OSU, major decision over Marcus Meyers, ORE, 16-5
197 ? Kyle Bressler, OSU, decision over Shaun Dee, ORE, 5-3
285 ? Travis Gardner, OSU, decision over Charlie Alexander, ORE, 5-2
OREGON PAC-10 WRESTLING HISTORY
PAC-10 TEAM CHAMPIONS
1975, 81, 982
PAC-10 RUNNER-UP FINISHES
1956, 57, 58, 64, 66, 74, 76, 77, 80, 88, 89, 2002
PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR
Ron Finley - 1975, 82
DUCK CONFERENCE RESULTS
Pacific Coast Conference
1955 4th
1956 2nd
1957 2nd
1958 2nd
1959 4th
1960 6th
1961 4th
1962 8th
1963 4th
1964 2nd
Athletic Association of Western Universities
1965 4th
1966 2nd
1967 6th
1968 4th
1969 4th
Pacific-8 Conference
1971 4th
1972 4th
1973 3rd
1975 1st
1976 2nd
1977 2nd
1978 4th
Pacific-10 Conference
1979 4th
1980 2nd
1980 1st
1981 1st
1982 1st
1983 3rd
1984 5th
1986 5th
1987 7th
1988 3rd
1989 2nd
1990 3rd
1991 3rd
1992 4th
1993 6th
1994 4th
1995 4th
1996 4th
1997 4th
1998 3rd
1999 6th
2000 5th
2001 4th
2002 2nd
2003 5th
2004 9th
2005 3rd
2006 8th
2007 8th
CONFERENCE INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
Pacific Coast Champions
1955
Dave Newland (140)
1956
Roy Schlesser (157)
George Krupica (157)
1957
Lee Allen (137)
1958
George Krupica (157)
1961
Gary Stensland (Hwt.)
1963
Bob Keeney (177)
1964
Bob Keeney (177)
Bob Mitchell (167)
Charlie Warren (126)
Athletic Association of Western Universities
1965
Doug Robertson (130)
Bob Mitchell (157)
1966
Doug Robertson (123)
Curt Scott (130)
1967
Curt Scott (130)
Pacific-8 Conference Champions
1968
John Miller (115)
Tim Wilmarth (191)
1970
John Miller (118)
Gary West (167)
1971
Dale Seavey (167)
1972
Brent Merrill (134)
Mark Purkey (167)
1973
Duane Stutzman (167)
1975
Joe Sade (126)
Dean Dixon (142)
Kevin Kramer (158)
Duane Stutzman (167)
Wes Hines (190)
Greg Gibson (Hwt.)
1976
Joe Sade (126)
Buck Davis (177)
Bob Bragg (190)
1977
Susumu Hagihara (126)
Bob Bragg (190)
Pac-10 Conference Champions
1980
Scott Bliss (150)
Jeff Stuebing (167)
Don Brown (177)
1981
Mike Erb (118)
Bill Nugent (142)
Jeff Stuebing (167)*
Ryan Kelly (190)
1982
Mike Erb (118)
Bill Nugent (142)
Dan Cook (Hwt.)
1983
Mike Erb (118)
Rick O'Shea (150)
1985
Glenn Jarrett (126)
1986
Mike Harter (177)
1988
Chuck Kearney (177)
1989
Dan Vidlak (118)*
Glenn Jarrett (134)
Eric Messner (167)
1991
Dan Vidlak (118)
1992
Dan Vidlak (118)*
1994
Cory Sonnen (142)
1995
Scott Norton (150)
1996
Scott Norton (150)
1997
Jeremy Ensrud (134)
Scott Norton (150)
1998
Jeremy Ensrud (134)
Sean Morgan (158)
1999
Doug Lee (184)
2002
Shaun Williams (125)
Tony Overstake (157)
Eugene Harris (165)
2004
Joey Bracamonte (165)
Shane Webster (184)
Scott Barker (197)
2006
Shane Webster (184)
*Outstanding Wrestler of Tournament
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