OSU Wrestler Advances In NCAA's
March 17, 2000
ST LOUIS, Mo.- Oregon State 125-pound sophomore Nathan Navarro has advanced in the consolation bracket with a pair of third session victories at the NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships at the Kiel Center in St. Louis Friday.
Four OSU wrestlers were eliminated in their Friday morning matches, but Navarro is now one win away from All-America honors. He will face Ruben DeLeon of Cal State Bakersfield tonight.
Going into the Friday night session, Oregon State has 11 points. Iowa State leads the competition with 56 points followed by defending champion Iowa at 49 and last year's runner-up Minnesota with 48. Attendance will set a new record by the end of the six sessions as over 90,000 tickets have already been sold.
Nathan Navarro advanced in consolations with a pair of third session victories. He opened his day with a 9-6 win over Jose Leon of Boston University and then decisioned A.J. Grant of Michigan, 8-5. Navarro led most of the way in both matches, He had a takedown in each of the three rounds in both contests and collected an extra point in each with riding time totalling almost five minutes. He faces Ruben DeLeon of Cal-State Bakersfield in the next round of consolation action.
Beaver head coach Joe Wells said, "Nathan's one match away (from assuring himself All-America honors. He came prepared today and did a job. He knows what's at stake and he needs to maintain that tonight."
At 133 pounds, Ben Richards was eliminated by Brad Wright of Ohio University in Friday's opening action. Richards had the better of the first two rounds, but led only 1-0 going into the third period. Wright maintained the up position to open the third and collected six near fall points in the last two minutes to win, 9-2. Richards ends his year at 17-13 overall.
141-pound freshman Shane Cunanan dropped his consolation match to Arizona State's David Douglas, 13-1. Douglas was in control throughout the rubber match of the year between the two. Douglas won during the regular season, but Cunanan had won the matchup at the Pac-10 Tournament two weeks ago. Cunanan finishes his first year at 15-16.
The Beavers' 174-pound sophomore Nathan Coy lost a narrow, controversial 3-0 decision to the 12th-seed, Nick Mengerink of Pittsburgh. Up 1-0, Mengerick suffered a cut on his forehead that halted the match for five minutes in the second period. He survived the remaining three minutes of the match with only one stall warning and earned a takedown of Coy in the final three seconds when the Beaver sophomore missed on his final shot at a go-ahead takedown of his own. Coy completes his year at 21-13.
Sophomore heavyweight Jason Cooley, the seventh-seed, lost a heartbreaker to Josh Pearce of Edinboro, 6-4. Cooley was ahead, 4-3, with only two seconds left when he yielded a takedown. Riding time provided Pearce with the final point of the match as he rode Cooley the entire second period. Cooley ends his sophomore season with a 25-8 won-loss record.
Wells said, "Both Nathan Coy and Jason (Cooley) had close matches. They just didn't take control when they had the opportunity. You have to be disciplined enough to make someone wrestle and when you don't you run the risk of making it close and it could go either way. They're young, it's their first time here and they'll be back."
TEAM LEADERS (after the third session on Friday, March 17)
| 1. Iowa State | 56.00 |
| 2. Iowa | 49.00 |
| 3. Minnesota | 48.00 |
| 4. Oklahoma State | 44.00 |
| 5. Oklahoma | 38.00 |
OREGON STATE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
(Records in parenthesis)
NATHAN NAVARRO (22-13), 125, lost to top-seed Jody Strittmatter of Iowa, 10-1, major decision over Alexis Rivera of Northern Illinois, 12-3, defeated Jose Leon, Boston University, 9-6, defeated A.J. Grant of Michigan, 8-5, Next: Ruben DeLeon of Cal State Bakersfield.
BEN RICHARDS (17-13), 133, lost to fifth-seeded Roman Fleszar of Hofstra, 6-1, win by fall over Livio DiRubbo of Brown at 6:10, lost to Brad Wright, Ohio University, 9-2. Richards eliminated.
SHANE CUNANAN (15-16), 141, lost to seventh-seeded Chris Marshall of Central Michigan, 19-8, defeated Ralph Lopez of Fresno State, 6-4, at :47 seconds in overtime, lost to David Douglas, Arizona State, 13-1. Cunanan eliminated.
ERIC JORGENSEN (29-6), 157, sixth-seeded, lost to Dennis Papadatos of Hofstra, 8-6, at :34 in overtime, defeated Neil Posmer of Marquette, by technical fall, 17-1, at 4:12, lost to Griff Powell, Illinois, 6-3. Jorgensen eliminated.
NATHAN COY (21-13), 174, lost by fall to Joseph Tucceri of Cornell at 4:57, major decision over Nathan Rickman of James Madison, 13-4, lost to 12th seeded Nick Mengerink of Pittsburgh, 3-0. Coy eliminated.
JASON COOLEY (25-8), HWT, seventh-seeded, lost by fall to Dave Anderton of Oklahoma State at :28, defeated tenth-seeded Sean Hage of West Virginia, 6-0, lost to Josh Pearce of Edinboro, 6-4. Colley eliminated.
