Wrestlers Compete In First Round Of Nationals
March 16, 2000
ST LOUIS, Mo.- Oregon State wrestlers went scoreless in the first round of the NCAA Division I National Championships at the Kiel Center in St. Louis Thursday.
All six Beaver wrestlers dropped their first match of today's afternoon session.
Oregon State's sixth-seeded 157-pounder Eric Jorgensen, was upset in overtime, 8-6, by Dennis Papadatos of Hofstra. Jorgensen was in control leading most of the first two periods, but was taken down in the final minute of the third period. Down 6-4, Jorgensen escaped and two minutes of riding time gained him a regulation tie at 6-6. Although Jorgensen was the early aggressor in the overtime, Papadatos gained the advantage and a takedown 34 seconds into sudden death. He will face Neil Posmer of Marquette, in Thursday evening's wrestlebacks.
Nathan Navarro was dominated by the top seed at 125 pounds, Iowa's Jody Strittmatter. Navarro, now 19-13 on the year, managed only a first period escape as Strittmatter won, 10-1, including 3:52 in riding time. Navarro will face Alexis Rivera of Northern Illinois in Thursday evening's wrestlebacks.
At 133 pounds, Ben Richards was defeated by fifth-seeded Roman Fleszar of Hofstra, 6-1. Fleszar, the East Coast Conference champion, grabbed a 4-1 first period lead and added an escape and riding time for the 6-1 final margin. Richards will take on Livio DiRubbo of Brown in Thursday evening's wrestlebacks.
Central Michigan's seventh-seeded 141-pounder Chris Marshall controlled freshman Shane Cunanan throughout their first round match. Cunanan could not earn an offensive point in the 19-8 defeat. He will face Ralph Lopez of Fresno State in Thursday evening's wrestlebacks.
The Beavers' 174-pound sophomore Nathan Coy was leading 1-0 against unseeded Joseph Tucceri of Cornell late in the second period when Tucceri flipped Coy and secured the pin with only three seconds to go in the period.
Sophomore heavyweight Jason Cooley, the seventh-seed, was pinned by Dave Anderton of Oklahoma State at the 28 second mark of their match. Cooley's loss snapped his personal five-match winning streak and dropped his record to 24-7. He will match up against tenth-seeded Sean Hage of West Virginia in Thursday evening's wrestlebacks.
TEAM LEADERS (after the first session on Thursday, March 16)
| 1. Iowa State | 20.50 |
| 2. Oklahoma State | 20.00 |
| 3. Iowa | 18.50 |
| 4. Illinois | 16.50 |
| 5. Minnesota | 16.00 |
OREGON STATE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
(Seeds in parenthesis)
NATHAN NAVARRO (19-13), 125, lost to top-seed Jody Strittmatter of Iowa,
10-1, Next: Alexis Rivera of Northern Illinois.
BEN RICHARDS (16-12), 133, lost to fifth-seeded Roman Fleszar of Hofstra, 6-1, Next: Livio DiRubbo of Brown.
SHANE CUNANAN (14-15), 141, lost to seventh-seeded Chris Marshall of Central Michigan, 19-8, Next: Ralph Lopez of Fresno State
ERIC JORGENSEN (28-5), 157, sixth-seeded, lost to Dennis Papadatos of Hofstra, 8-6, at :34 in overtime, Next: Neil Posmer of Marquette, Griff Powell, Illinois.
NATHAN COY (20-12), 174, pinned by Joseph Tucceri of Cornell at 4:57, Next: Nathan Rickman of James Madison.
JASON COOLEY (24-6), HWT, seventh-seeded, pinned by Dave Anderton of Oklahoma State at :28, Next: tenth-seeded Sean Hage of West Virginia.
