Beavers Built A Lineup For Coming Seasons
June 23, 2000
Oregon State had its share of highlights during the 1999-2000 wrestling season, but the Beavers (10-7 overall duals, 6-3 Pacific-10 duals) went through the campaign with an eye toward the future. OSU, which placed third in the Pacific-10 Championships and 36th in the NCAA Championships, had just one senior on its roster as the Beavers gained experience that should pay off in coming years.
"I thought we wrestled very well at times during the year," OSU head coach Joe Wells said. "With a young group, we did a great job throughout the season. Fifteen kids had varsity matches, so that's good. Next year, we'll probably have 22 or 23 guys fighting for a starting spot, and that's better. And they're all going to have a year's experience."
OSU had a seven-meet winning streak in January and then placed a higher-than-expected third at the Pacific-10 meet in February. That raised the bar for the six Beavers who qualified for the NCAA meet in March, but Oregon State was blanked in the first round to start a disappointing tournament. Every OSU wrestler won at least one match, but none earned All-America honors.
"We may have overachieved a bit at the Pacific-10 Championships, qualifying six guys and winning some matches and putting a couple of young guys in the finals," Wells said. "Then we just didn't put it together at nationals at all after having two kids seeded (Eric Jorgensen, sixth at 157 pounds, Jason Cooley, seventh at heavyweight) and the potential of two or three others breaking into All-America status ...
"But overall, we grew and developed and improved. It was just that we didn't put it together at the national tournament, and that was very disappointing."
The peaks and valleys OSU experienced were all part of the growing process.
"A big part of it is being able to sustain that competitive level for a long time and all through the season," Wells said. "At times, we looked really good, at other times, we just didn't meet the competition very well. That is a function, somewhat, of age and experience."
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Oregon State placed 36th at the NCAA Championships, which were held March 16-18 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis. The Beavers scored 11 points, Iowa won the team title with 116 points.
OSU had 6 entrants in the national meet and a pair of them were seeded, as junior Eric Jorgensen was rated sixth at 157 pounds and sophomore Jason Cooley was rated seventh at heavyweight. They were joined by sophomore 125-pounder Nathan Navarro, junior 133-pounder Ben Richards, freshman 141-pounder Shane Cunanan and sophomore 174-pounder Nathan Coy.
Oregon State got off to a tough start, as all 6 Beavers lost their first match. However, all 6 OSU entries then won at least once in the wrestlebacks before being eliminated.
Navarro went furthest, winning 3 matches in the wrestlebacks to come within a victory of earning All-America honors.
PACIFIC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: 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 completed 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 16 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.
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.
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 OSU's postseason lineup:
Eric Jorgensen, jr. (157)60% (21 of 35) Nathan Coy, so. (174) 35% (12 of 34) Jason Cooley, so. (HWT) 30% (10 of 33) Ben Richards, jr. (133) 27% (8 of 30) Nathan Navarro, fr. (125)22% (8 of 36) Clint Wilson, sr. (184) 22% (5 of 23) Shane Cunanan, fr. (141)16% (5 of 31) 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.
WEBER ON ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Oregon State sophomore 184-pounder Isaac Weber was named to the Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic Wrestling Team. Weber, who has yet to decide on a major, was a second-team selection and carries a 3.23 grade point average.
OREGON STATE TEAM AWARDS: Oregon State handed out 4 team awards at the conclusion of the season. The Most Valuable Wrestler award went to sophomore heavyweight Jason Cooley, the Chad Flack Memorial Most Improved Wrestler award went to sophomore 174-pounder Nathan Coy, the Most Promising Newcomer award went to freshman 141-pounder Shane Cunanan, and the Academic Excellence award went to junior 141-pounder Paul Barron.
OREGON STATE IN GILL COLISEUM: Oregon State's Gill Coliseum celebrated 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 to Gill Coliseum 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 ranked nationally this season:
TEAM Amateur Wrestling News InterMat Preseason 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 SHANE ZAJAC, 197 Amateur Wrestling News InterMat Preseason NR Preseason 20th Nov. 17 20th Nov. 24 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 1 NR Dec. 8 NR Dec. 8 NR Dec. 15 NR Dec. 15 NR Dec. 20 NR Jan. 5 NR Jan. 5 NR Jan. 12 NR 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 NR Feb. 23 NR Feb. 23 NR Mar. 1 NR Mar. 1 NR Mar. 8 NR Mar. 8 NR 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 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 CLINT WILSON, 174/184/197 Preseason (174) 3rd Dec. 15 (174) 3rd Jan. 19 (197) 4th Jan. 26 (197) 3rd Feb. 2 (184) NR Feb. 9 (184) NR Feb. 16 (184) NR Feb. 23 (184) NR Seeded NS SHANE ZAJAC, 197 Preseason 3rd Dec. 15 3rd Jan. 19 NR Jan. 26 NR Feb. 2 NR Feb. 9 NR Feb. 16 NR Feb. 23 NR Seeded NS 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
