Beavers Set For NCAA Championships
March 12, 2000
THURSDAY, MARCH 16-SATURDAY, MARCH 18
No. 25 Oregon State at NCAA Championships,
Kiel Center, St. Louis, Mo. (host: Missouri)
Session I (Thursday, 9 a.m. PST): Championship preliminaries
Session II (Thursday, 4:30 p.m. PST): Championship preliminaries, wrestlebacks
Session III (Friday, 9 a.m. PST): Championship quarterfinals, wrestlebacks
Session IV (Friday, 4:30 p.m. PST): Championship semifinals, wrestlebacks
Session V (Saturday, 9 a.m. PST): Seventh-place finals, fifth-place finals, third-place finals
Session VI (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. PST): Championship finals
It's time.
Oregon State will put itself to the biggest test of the wrestling season this weekend when the Beavers (10-7 overall, 6-3 Pacific-10) take six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. With a young lineup, OSU's aim is to improve on last season's tie for 20th place at the national meet.
Oregon State's NCAA qualifiers are junior 133-pounder Ben Richards, junior 157-pounder Eric Jorgensen, sophomore 125-pounder Nathan Navarro, sophomore 174-pounder Nathan Coy, sophomore heavyweight Jason Cooley and freshman 141-pounder Shane Cunanan.
"We're looking at possibly two seeded wrestlers with Eric Jorgensen and Jason Cooley, they've been ranked among the top eight in various rankings throughout the season," OSU head coach Joe Wells said. "But everybody on the team - all six that are going to the national tournament - have beaten nationally-ranked wrestlers or have been nationally ranked. They're all capable of being in that All-America category" by placing in the top eight at their weight.
Richards and Jorgensen will be competing in their third NCAA Championships, while Navarro is making his second trip. Cunanan, Coy and Cooley are all first-time NCAA qualifiers.
"We have three new people to the national tournament, but they were all three finalists in the Pac-10," Wells said. "Then we have three who have been there before, and know what it's all about. We need to go out and make the most of our opportunity. I really feel that these six guys are capable of wrestling anybody in any one of the weight classes that we're contesting."
The Beavers, ranked 25th in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association poll of the season, need to wrestle aggressively to improve on their 1999 national finish.
"If there's anybody who is going to have a problem, it's those guys coming in seeded one or two who struggle in the first rounds of the national tournament," Wells said. "You would think that they would relax and go with the flow, but it looks like that No. 1 guy has a target on him and no one has any respect for them, they go after them.
"You just have to loosen up and relax, get plenty of rest and just go out and have a great time and wrestle all seven minutes. If we do that, we're going to be successful with each individual and we're going to surprise some folks as a team."
Navarro was ranked as high as 14th nationally this season and placed fourth in the Pacific-10. At last season's NCAA Championships, he went 1-2.
"He just has to finish his shots," Wells said. "If Nathan finishes 50 percent of his shots, he's hard to beat. He just needs to manage the match - ride `em when he needs to ride `em, take them out of the period."
Richards, who was in the national rankings at No. 16 early in the season, placed third in the Pacific-10. He went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships last season and, as a freshman, he threatened to earn All-America honors.
"Ben needs to not spend any time underneath," Wells said. "He needs to attack on top, if he attacks on top the way he's capable, he's devastating. He can't roll around on the mat - he's got to get right back on his feet and get the takedown. If he gets two or three takedowns on somebody, he's going to put points on the board."
Cunanan has come on strong the second half of the season, placing second in the Pacific-10 Championships.
"Shane just has to keep after it," Wells said. "He has to relax, but at the same time be intense and keep attacking. He has to vary his attack and move from side to side. He has to have excellent head placement before he ever ties up with anybody ... he's going to wear them all out.
"Shane is capable of surprising anybody. I think anybody who might have had a really good match against him early in the season is going to be very surprised to see an entirely different animal that they're facing now. I know there's a couple of kids in the Pac-10 that don't want to face him who are pretty highly seeded."
Jorgensen, who was ranked as high as fourth nationally at 157 pounds this winter, placed second in the Pacific-10. He went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships last season and both his losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers.
"Eric just has to go after people," Wells said. "If he goes after people - if he's offensive and gets it in his head that he's going out there to major (decision) them or pin them or put them on their back - that's what he needs to do."
Coy also had a strong finish to the season and placed second in the Pacific-10 Championships.
"Nathan Coy has the right frame of mind," Wells said. "He needs to change his offense - he needs not to get stiff and tie up, to not block and get into a contest of strength but a contest of movement. He's got to get a lot of movement, a lot of attacks - to open up and go to both sides of the body. If he does that, he's going to be very effective."
Cooley was ranked as high as seventh in the nation this season at heavyweight. He won the Pacific-10 title in his first year in that meet.
"Jason just needs to open up and shoot against these heavyweights," Wells said. "There are two types of heavyweights - ones who shoot and ones who don't, and 90 percent of them are ones who don't. Jason is a shooter. He's going to be great, and he can be great right now. He doesn't need to wait.
"I know Jason thinks he didn't wrestle very well at the Pac-10s and he still won, so he's really anxious to go to the national tournament and wrestle well and get after some people He's going to be dangerous. He's the guy who, if I were a heavyweight, I wouldn't want to draw in the tournament, no matter where he's seeded or whether he's seeded."
Execute the plan, and OSU could put together a tournament to remember.
"I'm real excited about our opportunities," Wells said. "Hopefully, we go out and make the most of those and we relax and open up and enjoy being there."
OREGON STATE IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS: Last season, Oregon State tied for 20th place at the NCAA Championships in State College, Pa. The Beavers had 1 wrestler earn All-America honors, as senior heavyweight Mat Orndorff placed fourth to cap his collegiate career. OSU scored 22.5 points in the 1999 NCAA meet. Five other Oregon State wrestlers qualified for the meet - senior 149-pounder Oscar Wood, junior 174-pounder Clint Wilson, sophomore 133-pounder Ben Richards, sophomore 157-pounder Eric Jorgensen and freshman 125-pounder Nathan Navarro.
OSU has placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships in 4 of the last 6 years, finishing fourth in 1994, second in 1995, eighth in 1996 and tying for ninth in 1998. The Beavers have placed in the top 20 in 6 of the last 7 years.
Oregon State's highest finishes at the NCAA Championships were second place in 1973 and 1995. The Beavers also placed third in 1969 and 1970.
Since first being represented at the NCAA Championships in 1952, OSU has placed in the top 5 on 9 occasions, in the top 10 on 18 occasions and in the top 20 on 30 occasions. The Beavers won a national team title prior to the beginning of the NCAA Championships, earning the Amateur Athletic Union championship in 1926.
Individually, Oregon State has had 12 national championships, won by 8 different wrestlers. The latest national champ from OSU was Les Gutches, who won 177-pound titles in 1995 and 1996. Oregon State has had wrestlers earn All-America honors 79 times.
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore 184-pounder Isaac Weber was lost for the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee during practice the week of Jan. 23. Junior 133-pounder Ben Richards returned to the lineup Feb. 18 against Oregon after missing almost a month due to back spasms.
LAST COMPETITION: Oregon State finished third in the Pacific-10 Championships, which were held Feb. 26-27 at Cal-Davis. The 25th-ranked Beavers trailed winner No. 19 Boise State and No. 13 Arizona State in the team standings but edged No. 14 Cal State-Bakersfield.
OSU sophomore heavyweight Jason Cooley earned the conference title in his weight class, beating Boise State's Bart Johnson 3-2 in the championship match. Cooley was the No. 1 seed at heavyweight.
Oregon State junior 157-pounder Eric Jorgensen placed second in the meet, falling to top seed Larry Quisel of Boise State 3-1 in the final. Jorgensen had been seeded second.
The Beavers had a pair of No. 4 seeds reach the finals, as both freshman 141-pounder Shane Cunanan and sophomore 174-pounder Nathan Coy advanced. Cunanan beat top-seeded David Douglass of Arizona State 8-5 in the semifinals before falling to Jonathan Archuleta of Cal State-Bakersfield 4-2 in the finals. Coy also knocked off a No. 1 seed in the semifinals, beating Andy Varner of CSUB 8-7 before losing to Jason Webster of Cal State-Fullerton 10-9 in the finals.
Also placing for the Beavers were junior Ben Richards, third at 133 pounds, sophomore Nathan Navarro, fourth at 125 pounds, senior Clint Wilson, sixth at 184 pounds, and freshman Jason Lovell, sixth at 197 pounds.
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH JOE WELLS: Joe Wells is in his eighth season as Oregon State's head coach. Wells, who had been an assistant at Iowa and Michigan for 17 seasons, owns a 91-53-1 career dual meet record at OSU.
The Beavers were Pacific-10 Conference champions under Wells in 1994 and he has twice been named the conference's Coach of the Year. OSU has finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships four times in Wells' seven years, tying for ninth place in 1998 and placing eighth in 1996, second in 1995 and fourth in 1994.
Under Wells, OSU has had two national champions, 15 All-Americans and 15 conference champions.
Wells was named the ASICS Oregon Wrestling Classic's Man of the Year for 1998 for his contributions to wrestling in the state.
Wells, who has coached numerous World Teams for the United States, is a 1972 Iowa graduate. He was a two-time placer at the Big Ten meet and the 1976 U.S. Wrestling Federation freestyle champ.
OREGON STATE SECOND IN ALL-TIME DUAL MEET WINS: OSU rates as one of the best dual meet teams in collegiate wrestling history. The Beavers were second in all-time dual meet wins among Division I schools and fourth in all-time dual meet winning percentage going into the 1999-2000 season. OSU currently has an all-time dual meet record of 825-246-24 and a .764 winning percentage.
OREGON STATE'S DUAL MEET SCHEDULE: OSU faced one of the nation's toughest dual meet schedules. The Beavers met 6 teams in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association poll: No. 1 Iowa, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Arizona State, No. 14 Cal State-Bakersfield and No. 19 Boise State.
OREGON STATE'S WIN STREAK: Oregon State won 7 straight dual meets from Jan. 8-Jan. 29. That was the Beavers' longest dual meet win streak since taking 13 in a row over the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, in that run, OSU won its last 3 meets of the 1993 season and its first 10 of the 1994 season.
OREGON STATE WRESTLING HOMECOMING: Oregon State celebrated its annual Beaver Wrestling Homecoming on Feb. 18, and the current OSU squad treated the school's former wrestlers to a 27-12 win over Oregon. Oregon State won 4 of the first 5 matches en route to winning 7 of the evening's 10 weight classes as the Beavers swept the season's Civil War series.
A special guest at this year's Beaver Wrestling Homecoming was Vivian Reed, the widow of former Oregon State wrestler and coach Robin Reed. Reed was named the greatest wrestler of the first half of the 20th Century by Amateur Wrestling News, he won the gold medal at 135 pounds in the 1924 Summer Olympics and coached Oregon State to the 1926 Amateur Athletic Union national championship.
The crowd of 2,246 was Oregon State's biggest for a home dual in over a decade. Included in the gathering were 35 former Beaver wrestlers, during their careers, they accounted for 32 conference titles, 20 All-America finishes and 5 national championships.
BEAVERS WITH TEAM BONUS POINTS: Oregon State tracks how well wrestlers earn team bonus points - that is, extra points for wins by major decision, technical fall, pin, injury default or forfeit. Here are the numbers for the postseason lineup through the Pacific-10 Championships:
Eric Jorgensen, jr. (157) 63% (20 of 32) Nathan Coy, so. (174) 35% (11 of 31) Jason Cooley, so. (HWT) 33% (10 of 30) Ben Richards, jr. (133) 26% (7 of 27) Nathan Navarro, fr. (125) 23% (7 of 31) Clint Wilson, sr. (184) 22% (5 of 23) Shane Cunanan, fr. (141) 18% (5 of 28) Jason Lovell, fr. (197) 8% (1 of 13) Andy Frey, so. (149) 8% (2 of 26) Jake Huffman, fr. (165) 5% (1 of 20)
JORGENSEN IN ALL-STAR MEET: Oregon State's Eric Jorgensen competed in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. The meet, which matches 2 of the nation's top wrestlers at each weight, was held Feb. 7 at Michigan State.
Jorgensen, ranked fourth nationally at the time of the meet, lost a 7-6 decision to third-ranked Brian Snyder of Nebraska. Jorgensen tied the match 6-6 with an escape and a takedown near the end of the second period, but Snyder managed an escape with 1:28 left in the match for the decisive point.
This was the second straight season that an Oregon State wrestler was in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Last year, Beaver 149-pounder Oscar Wood was selected for the competition.
OREGON STATE IN GILL COLISEUM: Oregon State's Gill Coliseum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter. The 10,400-seat arena opened in the winter of 1949-50.
OSU moved its home wrestling meets into Gill Coliseum in 1956-57, when Dale Thomas became head coach. Since then, the arena has hosted conference championship meets 13 times and it was the site of the NCAA Championships in 1961 and 1980.
In 44 seasons in Gill Coliseum, the Beavers have a home dual meet record of 339-60-6 for a winning percentage of .844. Oregon State was 4-2 at home this season.
OREGON STATE ATTENDANCE: Oregon State kept the fans coming in 1999-2000. During its 6 home dates this season, OSU averaged just over 905 fans per home dual. The crowd of 2,246 for the Feb. 18 meet against Oregon was the largest in over a decade, and the 1,217 for the Dec. 17 meet against Oklahoma State was the seventh-largest of the past decade.
OSU's largest home crowds of the past 10 years:
2,246 Feb. 18, 2000 Oregon State 27, Oregon 12 2,219 Jan. 16, 1999 Oregon State 20, Oregon 19 2,195 Feb. 14, 1992 Oregon State 29, Oregon 14 1,883 Jan. 16, 1998 Oregon State 29, Oregon 13 1,753 Feb. 6, 1999 Oregon State 23, Arizona State 19 1,564 Feb. 3, 1995 Oregon State 29, Oregon 9 1,407 Jan. 2, 1998 Oklahoma State 25, Oregon State 14 1,217 Dec. 17, 1999 Oklahoma State 29, Oregon State 6 1,136 Dec. 13, 1998 Minnesota 26, Oregon State 12
BEAVERS ON TELEVISION: OSU's 27-12 win over Oregon at Gill Coliseum on Feb. 18 was shown via tape delay by Fox Sports Net. Oregon State's 31-8 loss to Iowa State on Jan. 8 at the Texas Duals was shown via tape-delay on Iowa Public Television.
OREGON STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Here's where the Beavers' NCAA qualifiers have ranked nationally this season:
TEAM Amateur Wrestling News / InterMat Preseaso NR Preseason NR National Wrestling Coaches Association Dec. 1 NR (received votes) Dec. 8 23rd Dec. 15 20th Jan. 5 22nd Jan. 12 21st Jan. 19 21st Jan. 26 21st Feb. 2 22nd Feb. 9 22nd Feb. 16 25th Feb. 23 25th March 1 (final) 25th NATHAN NAVARRO, 125 Amateur Wrestling News / InterMat Preseason 14th Preseason 19th Nov. 17 18th Nov. 24 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 8 19th Dec. 8 NR Dec. 15 17th Dec. 15 19th Dec. 20 18th Jan. 5 17th Jan. 5 19th Jan. 12 20th Jan. 12 NR Jan. 19 NR Jan. 19 NR Jan. 26 NR Jan. 26 NR Feb. 2 NR Feb. 2 NR Feb. 9 NR Feb. 9 NR Feb. 16 NR Feb. 16 19th Feb. 23 19th Feb. 23 19th Mar. 1 18th Mar. 1 20th Mar. 8 16th Mar. 8 18th BEN RICHARDS, 133 Amateur Wrestling News / InterMat Preseason NR Preseason 20th Nov. 17 19th Nov. 24 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 8 NR Dec. 8 NR Dec. 15 19th Dec. 15 20th Dec. 20 19th Jan. 5 17th Jan. 5 18th Jan. 12 17th Jan. 12 16th Jan. 19 18th Jan. 19 NR Jan. 26 NR Jan. 26 NR Feb. 2 NR Feb. 2 NR Feb. 9 NR Feb. 9 NR Feb. 16 NR Feb. 16 NR Feb. 23 NR Feb. 23 NR Mar. 1 NR Mar. 1 NR Mar. 8 NR Mar. 8 NR ERIC JORGENSEN, 157 Amateur Wrestling News / InterMat Preseason 12th Preseason 6th Nov. 17 6th Nov. 24 11th Dec. 1 8th Dec. 1 9th Dec. 8 5th Dec. 8 8th Dec. 15 5th Dec. 15 8th Dec. 20 5th Jan. 5 5th Jan. 5 7th Jan. 12 4th Jan. 12 4th Jan. 19 4th Jan. 19 4th Jan. 26 4th Jan. 26 4th Feb. 2 4th Feb. 2 4th Feb. 9 4th Feb. 9 4th Feb. 16 4th Feb. 16 6th Feb. 23 4th Feb. 23 6th Mar. 1 5th Mar. 1 7th Mar. 8 5th Mar. 8 6th JASON COOLEY, HWT Amateur Wrestling News / InterMat Preseason NR Preseason NR Nov. 17 NR Nov. 24 14th Dec. 1 18th Dec. 1 12th Dec. 8 10th Dec. 8 9th Dec. 15 10th Dec. 15 8th Dec. 20 7th Jan. 5 7th Jan. 5 7th Jan. 12 8th Jan. 12 7th Jan. 19 9th Jan. 19 7th Jan. 26 8th Jan. 26 8th Feb. 2 9th Feb. 2 8th Feb. 9 8th Feb. 9 8th Feb. 16 10th Feb. 16 14th Feb. 23 12th Feb. 23 14th Mar. 1 12th Mar. 1 14th Mar. 8 9th Mar. 8 8th
OREGON STATE IN THE PACIFIC-10 RANKINGS: Here's where the Beavers' NCAA qualifiers ranked in the conference this season:
TEAM Preseason 4th Dec. 15 3rd Jan. 19 3rd Jan. 26 3rd Feb. 2 3rd Feb. 9 3rd Feb. 16 4th Feb. 23 4th INDIVIDUALS NATHAN NAVARRO, 125 Preseason 4th Dec. 15 4th Jan. 19 4th Jan. 26 3rd Feb. 2 2nd Feb. 9 2nd Feb. 16 2nd Feb. 23 2nd Seeded 2nd BEN RICHARDS, 133 Preseason 2nd Dec. 15 2nd Jan. 19 3rd Jan. 26 3rd Feb. 2 3rd Feb. 9 3rd Feb. 16 NR Feb. 23 2nd Seeded 4th SHANE CUNANAN, 141 Preseason NR Dec. 15 NR Jan. 19 NR Jan. 26 NR Feb. 2 3rd Feb. 9 3rd Feb. 16 4th Feb. 23 4th Seeded 4th ERIC JORGENSEN, 157 Preseason 2nd Dec. 15 2nd Jan. 19 2nd Jan. 26 1st Feb. 2 1st Feb. 9 1st Feb. 16 2nd Feb. 23 2nd Seeded 2nd NATHAN COY, 174 Preseason NR Dec. 15 NR Jan. 19 NR Jan. 26 NR Feb. 2 4th Feb. 9 4th Feb. 16 4th Feb. 23 4th Seeded 4th JASON COOLEY, HWT Preseason 2nd Dec. 15 2nd Jan. 19 2nd Jan. 26 1st Feb. 2 1st Feb. 9 1st Feb. 16 1st Feb. 23 1st Seeded 1st
NATHAN NAVARRO, 125 POUNDS: Freshman Nathan Navarro (Ontario, Ore./Ontario HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded second, placed fourth at 125 pounds, going 2-2 with 0 pins, dec. over T.J. Hill, Cal State-Fullerton, 12-7 in championship quarterfinals, pinned by K.C. Rock Boise State, 2:40 in championship semifinals, dec. over Jaime Garza, Cal Poly, 5-2 in wrestleback semifinals, dec. by T.J. Hill, Cal State-Fullerton, 14-11 in third-place final ... in the rankings, March 8, No. 16 by AWN, No. 18 by IM ... career, 43-30 with 7 pins, team bonus points in 29 percent of matches (21 of 73) ... this season, 19-12 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 23 percent of matches (7 of 31) ... 6 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers ... has won 10 of last 13 matches and 12 of last 18 ... season summary, dec. over Jason Harless, Oregon, 10-3 in dual meet Feb. 18 to avenge earlier Civil War loss ... dec. by No. 8 Michael Kawamura, Arizona State, 6-2 in dual meet Feb. 6 ... returned to 125 pounds Jan. 28 for dual meet at Stanford ... moved up to 133 pounds Jan. 23 for dual meet vs. Simon Fraser ... at Texas Duals on Jan. 8, went 1-2 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 13 Matt Azevedo, Iowa State, 6-0, dec. by No. 3 Jody Strittmatter, Iowa, 14-3 ... dec. by No. 16 Jeff Ragan, Oklahoma State, 6-3 in dual meet Dec. 17 ... dec. by No. 5 Moses Delfin, Cal State-Bakersfield, 3-2 in dual meet Dec. 10 ... at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 3-4, placed seventh, went 4-2 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 18 Angelo Zegarelli, West Virginia, 4-3 in wrestlebacks, forfeit over No. 13 K.C. Rock, Boise State, in seventh-place final ... at St. Louis Open on Nov. 20, went 2-2 with 2 pins.
BEN RICHARDS, 133 POUNDS: Sophomore Ben Richards (Salem, Ore./South Salem HS) is in his third season in the OSU lineup ... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded fourth, placed third at 133 pounds, going 3-1, major dec. over John Fasana, Portland State, 11-1 in championship quarterfinals, dec. by No. 10 Zach Zimmerer, Stanford, 7-3 in championshp semifinals, tech. fall over Arturo Anaya, Arizona State, 6:16 in wrestleback semifinals, dec. over Alberto Garza, Cal Poly, 6-5 in third-place final ... career, 47-38 with 7 pins, team bonus points in 28 percent of matches (24 of 85)... this season, 16-11 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 26 percent of matches (7 of 27) ... 8 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers, also has 2 wins over nationally-ranked wrestlers ... has won 4 of last 5 matches ... season summary, pin over Adam Marino, Oregon, 2:30 in Civil War dual meet Feb. 18 ... back spasms kept him out of lineup from Jan. 23 until Feb. 18 ... dec. by No. 7 Paris Ruiz, Fresno State, 8-7 in dual meet Jan. 22 ... dec. by No. 15 Brian Watson, Oregon, 4-2 in dual meet Jan. 14 ... at Texas Duals on Jan. 8, went 1-2 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 2 Cody Sanderson, Iowa State, 10-4, pinned by No. 1 Eric Juergens, Iowa, 6:52 ... major dec. over No. 3 (NAIA) Justin Thurman, Southern Oregon, 16-2 in dual meet Dec. 18 ... dec. by No. 7 Charles Walker, Oklahoma State, 8-6 Dec. 17 ... at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 3-4, placed sixth, went 4-3 with 0 pins, including dec. over No. 16 Brett Lawrence, Minnesota, 3-2 in second round, dec. by No. 4 Joe Warren, Michigan, 7-3 in quarterfinals, dec. by No. 10 Charles Walker, Oklahoma State, 8-2 in wrestlebacks, dec. by No. 16 Brett Lawrence, Minnesota, 2-1 in fifth-place final. ... at St. Louis Open on Nov. 20, placed fourth, went 4-2 with 1 pin, including pin over No. 11 Bobby Hanson, Tennessee-Chattanooga, 5:41.
SHANE CUNANAN, 141 POUNDS: Freshman Shane Cunanan (Spokane, Wash./Central Valley HS) returns to the OSU lineup ... was in the lineup last season until a mid-December knee injury forced him to redshirt ... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded fourth, placed second at 141 pounds, going 2-1 with 1 pin, pinned Josh Stenberg, Cal-Davis, 2:56 in championship quarterfinals, dec. over No. 14 David Douglass, Arizona State, 8-5 in championship semifinals, dec. by Jonathan Archuleta, Cal State-Bakersfield, 4-2 in championship final ... career, 14-20 with 4 pins, team bonus points in 12 percent of matches (4 of 34) ... this season, 14-14 with 4 pins, team bonus points in 18 percent of matches (5 of 28) ... 8 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers ... has won 9 of last 13 matches ... season summary, dec. over David Watson, Oregon, 6-1 in dual meet Feb. 18 gave him season sweep in Civil War series ... dec. by No. 15 Aaron Holker, Brigham Young, 5-1 in dual meet Feb. 12 ... dec. by No. 12 David Douglas, Arizona State, 9-4 in dual meet Feb. 6 ... dec. over David Watson, Oregon, 6-2 in dual meet Jan. 14 helped OSU to Civil War win ... at Texas Duals on Jan. 8, went 0-3, major dec. by No. 14 Sonny Marchette, Iowa State, 15-6, tech. fall by No. 1 Doug Schwab, Iowa, 23-7, pinned by No. 5 Scott Schatzman, Northwestern, 4:45 ... major dec. by No. 4 Jamil Kelly, Oklahoma State, 17-7 in dual meet Dec. 17 ... major dec. by No. 15 Jonathan Archuleta, Cal State-Bakersfield, 16-2 in dual meet Dec. 10 ... at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 3-4, went 2-2 with 0 pins, included dec. by No. 17 Jonathan Archuleta, Cal State-Bakersfield, 7-5 in first round ... dec. over J.T. Horner, Portland State, 14-6 in dual meet Nov. 28 for first varsity win ... at Southern Oregon Open on Nov. 20, went 2-2 with 1 pin.
ERIC JORGENSEN, 157 POUNDS: Junior Eric Jorgensen (La Grande, Ore./La Grande HS) is in his third season in the OSU lineup ... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded second, placed second at 157 pounds, going 2-1 with 1 pin, pinned Ron Holyoak, Portland State, 2:35 in championship quarterfinals, dec. Warren McPherson, Stanford, 6-1 in championship semifinals, dec. by No. 6 Larry Quisel, Boise State, 3-1 in championship final ... in the rankings, March 8, No. 5 by AWN, No. 6 by IM ... career, 77-34 with 11 pins, team bonus points in 41 percent of matches (45 of 111) ... this season, 28-4 with 5 pins, team bonus points in 63 percent of matches (20 of 32) ... 3 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers ... season summary, major dec. over Derek Smith, Oregon, 13-0 in Civil War dual meet Feb. 18 ... dec. by No. 7 Larry Quisel, Boise State, 5-4 in dual meet Feb. 13 ... dec. by No. 3 Brian Snyder, Nebraska, 7-6 in NWCA All-Star Classic Feb. 7 ... 24-match win streak from Nov. 19-Feb. 6, during streak, earned team bonus points in 17 matches and defeated 6 nationally-ranked wrestlers ... major dec. over No. 19 Eugene Harris, Oregon, 8-0 in dual meet Jan. 14 broke tie to send OSU on its way to Civil War win ... at Texas Duals on Jan. 8, went 3-0, including major dec. over No. 13 Cole Sanderson, Iowa State, 13-3 ... dec. over No. 16 Shane Roller, Oklahoma State, 9-7 in dual meet Dec. 17 ... dec. over No. 13 Nathan Vasquez, Cal State-Bakersfield, 4-2 in dual meet Dec. 10 ... at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 3-4, placed first, went 5-0 with 0 pins, scored team bonus points in 4 of 5 matches, including dec. over No. 15 Tim Cornish, Fresno State, 5-4 in quarterfinals, major dec. over No. 10 Cory Wallman, Wisconsin, 13-3 in championship final ... at St. Louis Open on Nov. 20, placed third, went 5-1 with 2 pins.
NATHAN COY, 174 POUNDS: Sophomore Nathan Coy (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup after wrestling at 165 pounds as a freshman ... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded fourth, placed second at 174 pounds, going 2-1 with 0 pins, major dec. over Martin Cook, Cal-Davis, 10-1 in championship quarterfinals, dec. over No. 9 Andy Varner, Cal State-Bakersfield, 8-7 in championship semifinals, dec. by Jason Webster, Cal State-Fullerton, 10-9 in championship final ... career, 27-24 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 24 percent of matches (12 of 51) ... this season, 20-11 with 0 pins, team bonus points in 35 percent of matches (11 of 31) ... 5 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers ... has won 8 of last 10 matches and 12 of last 17 matches ... season summary, major dec. over Jesse Culp, Oregon, 14-4 in dual meet Feb. 18 gave him season sweep in Civil War series ... dec. by No. 5 (NAIA) Per-Lars Blomgren, Simon Fraser, 5-2 in dual meet Jan. 23 ... at Texas Duals on Jan. 8, went 2-1 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 5 Mark Bybee, Northwestern, 9-6 ... dec. by No. 12 Andy Varner, Cal State-Bakersfield, 13-7 in dual meet Dec. 10 ... at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 3-4, placed seventh, went 5-2 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 1 Otto Olson, Michigan, 8-3 in quarterfinals, forfeit over No. 5 Kole Clauson, Wisconsin, in wrestlebacks, dec. by No. 14 Andy Varner, Cal State-Bakersfield, 4-1 in wrestlebacks ... at St. Louis Open on Nov. 20, went 2-2 with 0 pins, including dec. by No. 5 Byron Tucker, Oklahoma, 8-4.
JASON COOLEY, HEAVYWEIGHT: Sophomore Jason Cooley (Anchorage, Alaska/Robert Service HS) is in his first season in OSU lineup ... Pacific-10 Championships, seeded first, placed first, going 3-0 with 1 pin, pinned Brandon Arsenault, Cal-Davis, 2:06 in championship quarterfinals, dec. over Eric Webb, Oregon, 4-2 (OT) in championship quarterfinals, dec. over Bart Johnson, Boise State, 3-2 in championship final ... in the rankings, March 8, No. 9 by AWN, No. 8 by IM ... career, 29-8 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 35 percent of matches (13 of 37) ... this season, 24-6 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 33 percent of matches (10 of 30) ... 3 losses were to nationally-ranked wrestlers ... has won 13 of last 14 match
