Beavers host BSU on Senior Day
February 18, 2016 | Wrestling
Beavers host Broncos in Border War
2/18/2016
Oregon State Athletic Communications
Corvallis, Ore. – The Oregon State wrestling team concludes its regular season on Sunday with the annual Border War dual against Boise State. Match time is 11 a.m. at Gill Coliseum.
It's the 50th edition of the interstate rivalry, which dates back to 1975. The 24th-ranked Beavers (10-6, 2-2 Pac-12) lead the series 31-17-1 and have won three straight over the unranked Broncos (3-8, 1-3), dating back to an 18-17 loss on Nov. 24, 2013.
The Beavers are 5-1 in their last six duals and 6-2 in their last eight, while the Broncos have dropped seven duals in a row. But the rivalry aspect makes the Broncos a dangerous opponent, regardless of record.
“It will be a tuneup for the Pac-12 championships,” OSU coach Jim Zalesky said. “Pac-12 seedings are still up for grabs. There will be some good matchups,” especially in the middle weights, “and we have to be ready for them.”
It's also Senior Day and the Beavers will honor 165-pounder Seth Thomas (pictured) before the match. A graduated senior in BioHealth Sciences from Myrtle Creek who hopes to attend medical school, Thomas was an NCAA qualifier and the Pac-12 runner-up at 165 pounds in 2015.
Thomas also earned first-team Pac-12 and National Wrestling Coaches Association all-academic honors in 2015, and has been nominated for Pac-12 all-academic honors this season. A three-year letterman, He is 17-8 this season, with six pins. He graduated from Roseburg High School and is the son of Andrea and Michael Thomas.
“Seth has meant a lot to our program,” Zalesky said. “He's a good leader on the mat, and is a great student who is going to be a doctor someday, he's going to medical school next year.
“He does all the right things and is the perfect example of a student/athlete. He started his freshman year, went through some struggles his sophomore year and then bounced back last year and this year.
“He's been our team leader. He's an in-state kid who sets a great example on and off the mat.”
The Pacific-12 Conference meet is Feb. 27 at Arizona State. The Beavers are four-time defending champions; tickets for the event are now available at the ASU website, thesundevils.com.
For more information on the Oregon State wrestling team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OSU_Wrestling or by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateWrestling.
Sunday's projected starting lineups:
Boise State at Oregon State
125: Rami Haddadin (10-8) vs. (7) Ronnie Bresser (25-6)
133: Carson Kuhn (2-1) vs. Joey Palmer (22-9)
141: Jake Velarde (9-16)/Josh Newberg (10-13) vs. Jack Hathaway (13-12)
149: (15) Geordan Martinez (25-5) vs. Joey Delgado (20-10)
157: Chris Castillo (16-9) vs. Abraham Rodriguez (13-13)
165: Taylor West (14-14) vs. Seth Thomas (17-8)
174: Austin Dewey (17-13) vs. Tyler Chay (10-15)
184: Zach Coffman (2-7) vs. Corey Griego (21-9)
197: Kadyn Del Toro (0-4) vs. Cody Crawford (15-13)
HWT.: Gabriel Gonzalez (0-3)/Harley DiLulo (6-13) vs. Amarveer Dhesi (23-3)
