Five Try For All-America Honors In Wrestling
March 16, 2004
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2004 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS At Savvis Center; St. Louis, Mo. OREGON STATE WRESTLERS COMPETING: Senior 174-pounder Jed Pennell, junior 165-pounder Matt Ellis, sophomore 149- pounder Tony Hook, sophomore 184-pounder Dan Pitsch, freshman heavyweight Jamie Rakevich. THURSDAY, MARCH 18 Session I: Championship preliminary round, championship first round; 9 a.m. PST Session II: Championship second round, wrestleback preliminaries, wrestleback first round; 4:30 p.m. PST FRIDAY, MARCH 19 Session IIII: Championship quarterfinals, wrestleback second round, wrestleback third round; 8 a.m. PST Session IV: Championship semifinals, wrestleback fourth round, wrestleback quarterfinals; 4 p.m. PST SATURDAY, MARCH 20 Session V: Wrestleback semifinals, third- place finals, fifth-place finals, seventh- place finals; 8 a.m. PST Session VI: Championship finals; 3:30 p.m. PST
It's time for the NCAA Championships, and Oregon State would like to spend the weekend making some other teams sing the St. Louis blues.
OSU (11-7 overall, 7-3 Pacific-10) will take five wrestlers to the NCAA meet that runs Thursday through Saturday in the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Representing Oregon State will be senior 174-pounder Jed Pennell, junior 165-pounder Matt Ellis, sophomore 149-pounder Tony Hook, sophomore 184-pounder Dan Pitsch and freshman heavyweight Jamie Rakevich.
"The five guys who are going have pretty much been our leaders and the guys we've counted on all season," OSU head coach Joe Wells said. "They've continued to improve and get better, and several of them have beaten some of the top-ranked kids. We've just got to go and get out there and not waste any time and have it our way. I'm really optimistic about how these guys can do and really excited to have an opportunity to wrestle another tournament so soon."
The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors.
Ellis was the lone Beaver to win a Pacific-10 title, improving his record to 29-6 with one pin this season; he's ranked 14th nationally by Amateur Wrestling News and 15th by InterMat. He goes into the NCAA Championships on an 18-match winning streak, having scored team bonus points 11 times in that stretch.
"Matt Ellis has continued to make improvement in his wrestling style," Wells said. "He's continued to be more aggressive, and he's continued to score more points. You look at his matches, and he progressed in the Pac-10 as he went from round to round and competed from the preliminary round to the finals."
Pennell, the lone senior in OSU's lineup this season, is 24-8 with seven pins this season after placing second in the Pac-10 meet. He's won 17 of his last 20 matches, and he's ranked 18th nationally by both AWN and IM.
"Jed Pennell goes out there and wrestles hard every time," Wells said. If he wrestles smart and hard, he's going to be in the money."
Rakevich was also runner-up at the Pac-10 meet. He's 15-9 with five pins this season and has won 11 of his last 16 matches, scoring team bonus points seven times.
"Jamie Rakevich finds a way to win," Wells said. "He's continued to improve. For a freshman, making the (NCAA) tournament, that's really good."
Hook placed third in the Pac-10. He's 18-8 with two pins this season, having won 13 of his last 17 matches.
"Tony Hook is talented, explosive - he's honing in on what he needs to do, and that's the key," Wells said. "He's getting more confident with learning how that works out for you and your style. I just think if he goes out and sets the pace and makes the guy react to him, he's hard to beat."
Pitsch placed fourth in the Pac-10. He's 19-10 with two pins this season and he's won 14 of his last 16 matches.
"Dan Pitsch has demonstrated he's as good as any of those guys when he goes forward and he's aggressive and when he's going out and getting after it," Wells said.
All five, plus their OSU teammates, were at Sunday afternoon's memorial service for former coach Dale Thomas that was held in Gill Coliseum. Among those paying tribute to the man who coached Oregon State from 1957-90 were former Beaver All-Americans Len Kauffman, Jess Lewis, Larry Bielenberg, Greg Strobel, Jeff Smith, Don Conway, Ron Iwasaki and Ron Finley. Thomas won more dual meets - 616 - than any coach in collegiate history, and his Oregon State wrestlers won 60 All-America honors and 10 NCAA individual titles.
"They were all there, listening to the comments by the athletes talking about Dale, and I think it was really important for them to be there," Wells said. "And it was really good for them to kind of hear from the people who built the tradition and what these guys have done, and their attitude. The only mistake they can make is not taking some risks.
"If they follow true to that, I think we're going to do very well. I'm optimistic and looking forward to it."
Three of the Beavers - Ellis, Pennell and Hook - wrestled at the NCAA Championships last season.
"We talked about that a little last week, and the three guys who have been there talked to the two who haven't, and gave them some feelings and thoughts about what they have to go through," Wells said. "Physically, we're ready to go; mentally, it's just an issue of whether they're going to go out and compete and have fun and let it all hang out and not hold back - that's the key. "Hopefully, we get out and turn it loose and get those takedowns in six seconds or less after shaking hands, and they just get after it."
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Last season, Oregon State tied for 66th at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City, Mo. OSU had 6 wrestlers qualify for the meet: 125-pounder Michael Delaney, 149-pounder Tony Hook, 165-pounder Matt Ellis, 174-pounder Jake Huffman, 184-pounder Jed Pennell and heavyweight Andy Bowlby.
OSU has 18 top-10 finishes in the team standings at the NCAA Championships, dating back to an eighth-place finish in 1952. Oregon State has placed second twice (1973, 1995), third twice (1969, 1970), fourth 4 times (1961, 1971, 1979, 1994) and fifth once (1977).
OSU wrestlers have earned All-America honors 81 times. The Beavers have brought home 12 individual titles, most recently when Les Gutches won back-to-back championships at 177 pounds in 1995-96; Gutches is now an assistant coach at Oregon State. A Beaver has been named the Most Outstanding Wrestler 3 times (Greg Strobel, 190, 1973; Howard Harris, heavyweight, 1980; Gutches, 1996) and have earned the Gorrarian Award for most pins in the least amount of time 5 times.
OREGON STATE AT PACIFIC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Oregon State's Matt Ellis won the Pacific-10 title at 165 pounds but 174-pounder Jed Pennell and heavyweight Jamie Rakevich were beaten in overtime in the championship finals March 1 as the Pacific-10 Wrestling Championships concluded at Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena. OSU 149-pounder Tony Hook placed third and 184-pounder Dan Pitsch placed fourth.
The Beavers were seventh in the team standings. Boise State won the team title, edging Cal Poly.
Ellis, Pennell, Rakevich and Hook all earned automatic berths to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 18-20 in St. Louis. Pitsch earned one of the conference's wild-card berths to the national tournament.
Ellis, seeded first, earned the conference championship with a major decision over second-seeded Christian Arellano of Cal State-Bakersfield, 14-3. Ellis became the first Beaver to win a conference title at a weight in the 160s since Chad Renner took the 167-pound championship in 1994.
Pennell, seeded first, was beaten by third-seeded Imad Kharbush of Stanford 6-4 in overtime. Rakevich, seeded second, was beaten by top-seeded Jacob McGinnis of Boise State 3-1 in overtime.
Hook, seeded second, beat sixth-seeded Anthony Baza of Cal State-Bakersfield 7-6 to earn the automatic berth to nationals. Pitsch, seeded first, was pinned by second-seeded Brandon Bear of California-Davis in 6:00 in the third-place final.
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH Joe Wells: Joe Wells, who is in his 12th season as Oregon State's head coach, has led the Beavers to a Pacific-10 title and 4 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships during his time at OSU.
The Beavers' 25-10 win over then-No. 11 Boise State in 2001 was Wells' 100th dual meet win at OSU. Since taking over the Beaver program prior to the 1992-93 season, Wells is 136-84-1 for a winning percentage of .618.
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 4 times in Wells' tenure, placing second in 1995, fourth in 1994, eighth in 1996 and tying for ninth in 1998.
Under Wells, OSU has had 2 national champions, 17 All-Americans and 21 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 2-time placer at the Big Ten meet and was the 1976 U.S. Wrestling Federation freestyle champ. He spent 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Iowa and Michigan before coming to Oregon State.
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 going into the 2003-04 season. OSU currently has an all-time dual meet record of 870-276-24 and a .754 winning percentage.
OREGON STATE IN GILL COLISEUM: Oregon State has one of the finest homes in college wrestling, 10,400-seat Gill Coliseum. Now in their 48th season in Gill Coliseum, the Beavers have a home dual meet record of 361-70-5 in the arena for a winning percentage of .834. This season, OSU went 4-2 at home. 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 14 times, including 2002, and it was the site of the NCAA Championships in 1961 and 1980.
OREGON STATE WRESTLING HOMECOMING: Oregon State celebrated its annual OSU Wrestling Homecoming on Dec. 13 when the Beavers beat Oregon 23-18 in front of 1,132 fans and legendary former OSU coach Dale Thomas. There were 25 former OSU wrestlers on hand; during their Oregon State careers, they accounted for 35 individual conference championships, 25 All-America finishes and 7 national championships.
PENNELL CLIMBS BEAVERS' CAREER LISTS: Oregon State senior 174-pounder Jed Pennell gained a spot on the Beavers' all-time top 50 list for career wins and career pins when he flattened Portland State's Josh Gustafson in 2:16 on Jan. 25. Here's where Pennell ranks among OSU's all-time leaders through Feb. 28:
CAREER WINS 33. Jess Lewis (1968-70; Hwt) 76 (tie) Dan Caballero (1978-80; 134/142) 76 (tie) Walt Markee (1981-84; 126/134) 76 36. Len Kauffman (1962-65; 177/191) 75 (tie) Dave Nieradka (1993-95; 126) 75 38. Neil Russo (1988-91; 142) 74 39. Mike Bauer (1978-81) 73 40. Jason Cooley (1999-2002; Hwt) 71 41. David Boyle (1985, 87-88; 134/142/150) 70 (tie) Ben Richards (1998-2001; 118/133) 70 > (tie) Jed Pennell (2001-present; 165/174/184) 70 < career="" pins="" 39.="" ron="" boucher="" (1973-75,="" 77;="" 134)="" 16="" (tie)="" mike="" simons="" (1987-91;="" 167/177)="" 16="" (tie)="" babak="" mohammadi="" (1991-92,="" 94-95;="" 126/134)="" 16="" 42.="" dale="" krzmarzick="" (1981-83;="" 150/158)="" 15="" (tie)="" isaac="" wood="" (1997-99;="" 150/158/165)="" 15="" (tie)="">Eric Jorgensen (1998-2001; 142/150/157) 15 45. Mike R. Jones (1970-73; 158) 14 (tie) Ron Ziebart (1976-79; 142/158) 14 (tie) Gary Yarco (1978-79, 81-82; 177/Hwt) 14 (tie) Cliff Berger (1981-82, 84-85; 126/134/142)14 > (tie) Jed Pennell (2001-present; 165/174/184) 14 <>
BEAVERS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Here's where Oregon State wrestlers have been in this season's national rankings:
TEAM Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre NR Pre NR National Wrestling Coaches Association Pre NR Nov. 18 NR Dec. 9 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 27 Votes Feb. 3 Votes Feb. 10 Votes Feb. 17 Votes Feb. 24 NR Mar. 9 NR Eric Stevenson, 125 Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre NR Pre NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 25 NR Nov. 25 NR Dec. 2 19th Dec. 2 18th Dec. 9 18th Dec. 9 16th Dec. 16 NR Dec. 16 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 27 NR Jan. 27 NR Feb. 3 NR Feb. 3 NR Feb. 10 NR Feb. 10 NR Feb. 17 NR Feb. 17 NR Feb. 24 NR Feb. 24 NR Mar. 2 Mar. 2 NR Mar. 9 NR Mar. 9 NR Tony Hook, 149 Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre NR Pre NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 25 NR Nov. 25 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 16 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 20 20th Jan. 27 NR Jan. 27 20th Feb. 3 NR Feb. 3 19th Feb. 10 20th Feb. 10 19th Feb. 17 20th Feb. 17 19th Feb. 24 NR Feb. 24 NR Mar. 2 NR Mar. 2 NR Mar. 9 NR Mar. 9 NR Matt Ellis, 165 Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre NR Pre NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 25 NR Nov. 25 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 16 NR Jan. 6 16th Jan. 6 15th Jan. 13 16th Jan. 13 13th Jan. 20 15th Jan. 20 12th Jan. 27 14th Jan. 27 12th Feb. 3 16th Feb. 3 10th Feb. 10 16th Feb. 10 12th Feb. 17 16th Feb. 17 12th Feb. 24 16th Feb. 24 12th Mar. 2 Mar. 2 12th Mar. 9 14th Mar. 9 15th Jed Pennell, 174 Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre(184)18th Pre 17th Nov. 18 20th Nov. 18 20th Nov. 25 NR Nov. 25 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 9 18th Dec. 16 17th Dec. 16 18th Jan. 6 16th Jan. 6 15th Jan. 13 15th Jan. 13 15th Jan. 20 15th Jan. 20 15th Jan. 27 15th Jan. 27 15th Feb. 3 14th Feb. 3 14th Feb. 10 15th Feb. 10 18th Feb. 17 15th Feb. 17 17th Feb. 24 15th Feb. 24 17th Mar. 2 Mar. 2 17th Mar. 9 18th Mar. 9 18th Dan Pitsch, 184 Am.Wr.News InterMat Pre NR Pre NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 18 NR Nov. 25 NR Nov. 25 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 16 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 27 NR Jan. 27 NR Feb. 3 NR Feb. 3 NR Feb. 10 20th Feb. 10 NR Feb. 17 20th Feb. 17 NR Feb. 24 NR Feb. 24 NR Mar. 2 Mar. 2 NR Mar. 9 NR Mar. 9 NR
BEAVERS IN THE PACIFIC-10 RANKINGS: Here's where Oregon State wrestlers were in this season's Pacific-10 rankings (rankings expanded from 5 places to 8 places on Jan. 20):
Eric Stevenson, 125 Dec. 2 3rd Dec. 9 2nd Dec. 16 2nd Dec. 23 3rd Jan. 6 3rd Jan. 13 3rd Jan. 20 4th Jan. 27 4th Feb. 3 4th Feb. 10 7th Feb. 17 7th Feb. 24 7th Tim Norman, 133 Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 5th Dec. 16 NR Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 7th Jan. 27 7th Feb. 3 7th Feb. 10 8th Feb. 17 8th Feb. 24 8th Kyle Larson, 141 Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 7th Jan. 27 7th Feb. 3 7th Feb. 10 7th Feb. 17 7th Feb. 24 7th Tony Hook, 149 Dec. 2 3rd Dec. 9 4th Dec. 16 5th Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 5th Jan. 20 8th Jan. 27 8th Feb. 3 NR Feb. 10 2nd Feb. 17 2nd Feb. 24 4th Brian Duhrkoop, 157 Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 8th Jan. 27 8th Feb. 3 8th Feb. 10 8th Feb. 17 8th Feb. 24 8th Matt Ellis, 165 Dec. 2 1st Dec. 9 1st Dec. 16 1st Dec. 23 1st Jan. 6 1st Jan. 13 1st Jan. 20 1st Jan. 27 1st Feb. 3 1st Feb. 10 1st Feb. 17 1st Feb. 24 1st Jed Pennell, 174 Dec. 2 1st Dec. 9 1st Dec. 16 1st Dec. 23 1st Jan. 6 1st Jan. 13 1st Jan. 20 1st Jan. 27 1st Feb. 3 1st Feb. 10 1st Feb. 17 1st Feb. 24 1st Dan Pitsch, 184 Dec. 2 4th Dec. 9 4th Dec. 16 4th Dec. 23 4th Jan. 6 3rd Jan. 13 3rd Jan. 20 3rd Jan. 27 3rd Feb. 3 3rd Feb. 10 1st Feb. 17 1st Feb. 24 1st Jed Lowe, 197 Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 NR Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 8th Jan. 27 8th Feb. 3 7th Feb. 10 7th Feb. 17 7th Feb. 24 7th Jamie Rakevich, HWT Dec. 2 NR Dec. 9 NR Dec. 16 4th Dec. 23 3rd Jan. 6 3rd Jan. 13 4th Jan. 20 5th Jan. 27 3rd Feb. 3 3rd Feb. 10 2nd Feb. 17 2nd Feb. 24 3rd Ty Watterson, HWT Dec. 2 3rd Dec. 9 2nd Dec. 16 NR Dec. 23 NR Jan. 6 NR Jan. 13 NR Jan. 20 NR Jan. 27 NR Feb. 3 NR Feb. 10 NR Feb. 17 NR
ELLIS, PENNELL, PITSCH CONCURRENT WIN STREAKS: For much of this season, Oregon State's scoring strength has been from 165 to 184 pounds. In fact, from Jan. 9-Feb. 7, the Beavers were literally unbeatable at those weights. Starting at the Oregon Wrestling Classic Duals, the trio of 165-pounder Matt Ellis, 174-pounder Jed Pennell and 184-pounder Dan Pitsch all found themselves building win streaks that eventually reached double-digits; Ellis' streak had started at the Midlands Open on Dec. 30. By the time OSU ended an 18-17 loss at Stanford on Feb. 7, Ellis and Pennell had both won 11 straight matches and Pitsch had won 10 in a row. Pennell's streak ended that night, though, when he moved up to wrestle at 184 pounds during a 20-15 win at California-Davis.
RAKEVICH GOES FROM THE CLOCK TO A PIN: As Jamie Rakevich noted, a teammate's injury isn't the way anybody wants to get into the starting lineup. But presented with the chance, the redshirt freshman made the most of it. Rakevich, who started the season as OSU's No. 2 heavyweight, was helping run the scoreboard the night of Dec. 13 as the Beavers beat Oregon 23-18 at Gill Coliseum. That gave him a front-row seat for the meet's grotesque ending, as Beaver heavyweight Ty Watterson suffered a broken arm when he and Oregon's Cody Parker went out-of-bounds in a first-period scramble. That thrust Rakevich into the starting lineup for the next afternoon's meet against top-ranked Oklahoma State. Oregon State was being shut out going into the dual-ending heavyweight match, but Rakevich came up with a pin of ninth-ranked Willie Gruenwald in 1:46 to put the Beavers on the board.
STEVENSON FACES BIG CHALLENGES IN FIRST TWO MEETS: After the way Eric Stevenson started the season, things could only get easier. Stevenson, a redshirt freshman 125-pounder, began his varsity career in OSU's season-opener at No. 8 Nebraska on Nov. 15. His opponent? The nation's top-ranked wrestler at that weight, senior Jason Powell. Powell pinned Stevenson in 2:39. A week later at the Southern Oregon Open, Stevenson reached the finals. Who was waiting for him? Two-time freestyle world champion Vougar Ourdjov, who is now coaching at Lassen Community College. Ourdjov took a 4-1 decision over Stevenson. Stevenson must be a quick study. In his next match, he upset ninth-ranked Mario Stewart of Lehigh 10-2 at the Hawai'i Duals and moved into the national rankings.
PEREZ SCORES PERHAPS FASTEST BEAVER PIN EVER: Orlando Perez may have scored the quickest pin in Oregon State wrestling history at the Southern Oregon Open on Nov. 22. The sophomore 149-pounder flattened Oregon's Tim Bargis in just 7 seconds in the wrestleback preliminary round. Said OSU head coach Joe Wells: "I was walking over to the mat for his match, and when I got there they were already shaking hands." Previously, the quickest pin ever by a Beaver was believed to be Jason Buce's 8-second bout against Simon Fraser's Jason Bennett in a 1998 dual meet.
WRESTLER PROFILE NOTES: In the individual notes for each Oregon State wrestler that follow, "team bonus points" refers to a wrestler scoring additional team points for a major decision, technical fall, pin, forfeit or default. If there is a number in parentheses ahead of the name of an opponent, that number refers to the opponents' national ranking by Amateur Wrestling News at the time of the match. Records and results include only matches against wrestlers from NCAA and NAIA schools.
Eric Stevenson, 125 POUNDS: Freshman Eric Stevenson (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... has won last 2 matches ... faced 2 big challenges in his first 2 days as a varsity wrestler, taking on top-ranked Jason Powell of Nebraska in his dual meet debut, then went against 2-time world champion Vougar Ourdjov for the Southern Oregon Open title. Powell earned a pin in 2:39; Ourdjov took a 5-1 decision ... in current rankings, in Pac-10, No. 7 ... career and this season, 16-13 with 5 pins, team bonus points in 28 percent of matches (8 of 29) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, unseeded, did not place, , went 0-2 with 0 pins; dec. by No. 2 seed (6) Efren Ceballos, Cal State-Bakersfield, 9-4 in quarterfinals; dec. by Joey Lucas, Oregon, 5-3 in wrestleback preliminary round ... season summary, dec. by (6) Vic Moreno, Cal Poly, 11-4 in dual meet ... dec. by (4) Efren Ceballos, Cal State-Bakersfield, 9-3 in dual meet ... Dec. 18-Jan. 25, won 6 of 9 matches, scoring team bonus points 2 times ... Nov. 22-Dec. 18, won 8 of 9 matches, scoring team bonus points 5 times ... at Reno Classic, placed fifth, went 4-2 with 3 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including pinned (5 NAIA) Ricky Aguirre, Menlo, 6:26; pinned Cody Stites, Oklahoma State, 6:22 in fifth-place final ... dec. over Joey Lucas, Oregon, 5-3 in Civil War debut ... Nov. 22-Dec. 13, 5-match winning streak; during streak, scored team bonus points 3 times ... major dec. over (9) Mario Stewart, Lehigh, 10-2 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed second, went 2-1 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including pinned (2 DII) Joey Bareng, San Francisco State, 6:38 (OT) ... pinned by (1) Jason Powell, Nebraska, 2:39 in dual meet.
Tim Norman, 133 POUNDS: Junior Tim Norman (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup ... won 7 of his last 12 matches and 9 of his last 15 matches ... career, 27-32 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 19 percent of matches (11 of 59) ... this season, 13-11 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 13 percent of matches (3 of 24) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, unseeded, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins; dec. by No. 1 seed (7) Darrell Vasquez, Cal Poly, 11-5 in quarterfinals; dec. over Lucas Hambleton, Portland State, 7-4 in wrestleback preliminaries; tech. fall by No. 4 seed Jason Harless, Oregon, 5:31 (22-4) in wrestleback quarterfinals ... season summary, dec. by (7) Darrell Vasquez, Cal Poly, 6-4 in dual meet ... dec. by (9) Mike Simpson, Arizona State, 6-5 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 0-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 2-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... dec. by (4) Johnny Thompson, Oklahoma State, 9-2 in dual meet ...pinned by (20) Matta Ciasulli, Lehigh, 1:47 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, did not place, went 3-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... dec. over Matt Keller, Nebraska, 13-10 in dual meet was 1 of OSU's 2 wins vs. eighth-ranked Cornhuskers.
Bobby Pfennigs, 133 POUNDS: Freshman Bobby Pfennigs (Great Falls, Mont./C.M. Russell HS) is in his first season as an OSU reserve ... career and this season, 6-5 with 4 pins, team bonus points in 36 percent of matches (4 of 11) ... season summary, won by pin in first 2 dual meets of career, topping Lee Ottow of Southern Oregon in 2:02 and Shannon Slack of Fresno State in 4:34 ... pinned by (20) Matt Ciasulli, Lehigh, 1:32 in exhibition ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed third, went 4-1 with 2 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including dec. by (8 DII) Donald Lockett, San Francisco State, 6-4; dec. over (8 DII) Donald Lockett, San Francisco State, 4-2.
Kyle Larson, 141 POUNDS: Freshman Kyle Larson (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... has won 2 of last 3 matches ... career and this season, 12-11 with 3 pins, team bonus points in 22 percent of matches (5 of 23) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 6, did not place, went 0-2 with 0 pins; major dec. by No. 3 seed Juan Mora, Cal State-Fullerton, 13-3 in quarterfinals; major dec. by Jeremy Mendoza, Arizona State, 13-3 in wrestleback quarterfinals ... season summary, Jan. 9-Jan. 25, won 5 of 7 matches, scoring team bonus points 3 times ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Southern Oregon Open, won championship, went 4-0 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools.
Mike Unger JR., 141 POUNDS: Sophomore Mike Unger Jr. (Turner, Ore./Cascade HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup ... career, 16-22 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 16 percent of matches (6 of 38) ... this season, 6-6 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 25 percent of matches (3 of 12) ... season summary, at Reno Classic, did not place, went 2-2 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... dec. over Skyler Woods, Oregon, 7-6 in season's first Civil War dual ... pinned by (11) Cory Cooperman, Lehigh, 4:08 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed third, went 2-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools.
Tony Hook, 149 POUNDS: Sophomore Tony Hook (Sandpoint, Ida./Sandpoint HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup ... has won 13 of his last 17 matches, scoring team bonus points 5 times ... career, 36-22 with 6 pins, team bonus points in 22 percent of matches (13 of 58) ... this season, 18-8 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 31 percent of matches (8 of 26) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 2, placed third, went 3-1 with 0 pins; dec. over Nick Budeski, Boise State, 3-2 (OT) in quarterfinals; dec. by No. 3 seed Matt Cox, Cal Poly, 6-4 in semifinals; dec. over No. 5 seed Luis Vendrell, Stanford, 5-2 in wrestleback semifinals; dec. over No. 6 seed Anthony Baza, Cal State-Bakersfield, 7-6 in third-place final ... season summary, Jan. 25-Feb. 15, 7-match winning streak, scoring team bonus points 3 times ... dec. by (20) Casey Olson, Fresno State, 8-1 in dual meet ... Dec. 29-Jan. 11, won 6 of 7 matches, scoring team bonus points 4 times ... dec. by (11) Patrick Williams, Arizona State, 4-2 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 3-1 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... major dec. by (3) Zack Esposito, Oklahoma State, 12-4 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, went 1-0 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools, injury defaulted out of tournament prior to quarterfinals ... dec. by (5) Travis Shufelt, Nebraska, 9-4 in dual meet.
Orlando Perez, 149/157 POUNDS: Sophomore Orlando Perez (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... recorded what is believed to be fastest pin in OSU school history, a 7-second flattening of Oregon's Tim Bargis at the Southern Oregon Open ... career, 10-15 with 3 pins, team bonus points in 24 percent of matches (6 of 25) ... this season, 7-13 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 25 percent of matches (5 of 20) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, unseeded, did not place, went 0-2 with 0 pins; major dec. by No. 2 seed (17) Ben Cherrington, Boise State, 13-4 in quarterfinals; med. fft. to No. 6 seed Dustin Vance, Cal State-Fullerton, in wrestleback quarterfinals ... season summary, major dec. by (17) Ben Cherrington, Boise State, 11-3 in dual meet ... dec. by (3) Matt Gentry, Stanford, 5-0 in dual meet ... dec. by (20) Brian Stith, Arizona State, 5-3 in dual meet for debut at 157 pounds ... dec. by (4 NAIA) Colin Murphy, Southern Oregon, 5-4 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 1-2 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including major dec. by (6) Ty Eustice, Iowa, 14-6 ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including major dec. by (3) Zach Esposito, Oklahoma State ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed third, went 2-1 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including dec. by (4 DII) Luke Santos, San Francisco State, 10-7; dec. over (6 JC) Zack Flake, Lassen CC, 7-6.
Brian Duhrkoop, 157 POUNDS: Senior Brian Duhrkoop (Milwaukie, Ore./Milwaukie HS) is in his third season as an OSU reserve ... in current rankings, in Pac-10, No. 8 ... career, 10-17 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 4 percent of matches (1 of 27) ... this season, 7-10 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 6 percent of matches (1 of 17) ... season summary, pinned by (7) Phillip Simpson, Army, 4:12 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 1-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... dec. by (14) Kevin Ward, Oklahoma State, 12-5 in dual meet ... major dec. by (6) Derek Zinck, Lehigh, 10-7 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, won championship, went 4-0 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools.
Anthony Weber, 157 POUNDS: Sophomore Anthony Weber (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) is in his second season as an OSU reserve ... career, 7-14 with 0 pins, team bonus points in 5 percent of matches (1 of 21) ... this season, 4-9 with 0 pins, team bonus points in 0 percent of matches (0 of 12) ... season summary, at Midlands Open, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Southern Oregon Open, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools.
Matt Ellis, 165 POUNDS: Junior Matt Ellis (Prosser, Wash./Prosser HS, Oklahoma State U.) is in his second season in the OSU lineup ... has won 18 straight matches, scoring team bonus points 11 times ... has won 24 of last 27 matches, scoring team bonus points 12 times ... in current rankings, nationally, No. 14 AWN, No. 15 IM ... career, 47-17 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 30 percent of matches (19 of 63) ... this season, 29-6 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 40 percent of matches (14 of 35) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 1, placed first, went 4-0 with 0 pins; dec. over Risto Martinen, Cal State-Fullerton, 3-1 in preliminaries; major dec. over Devin Mair, Portland State, 13-4 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 4 seed Brian Perry, Stanford, 6-2 in semifinals; major dec. over No. 2 seed Christian Arellano, Cal State-Bakersfield, 14-3 in championship final ... season summary, at Midlands Open, placed fifth, went 4-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools, including dec. by (19) Heston Johnson, Northern Iowa, 3-1 (OT); dec. over (17) Zachariah Doll, Pittsburgh, 6-1; dec. over (10) J.J. Holmes, Eastern Michigan, 6-5; dec. by (16) Nick Passolano, Iowa State, 6-0; med. fft. over (19) Heston Johnson, Northern Iowa, in fifth-place final ... at Reno Classic, placed second, went 3-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including major dec. by (2) Tyrone Lewis, Oklahoma State, 17-6 in championship final ... tech. fall by (2) Tyrone Lewis, Oklahoma State, 7:00 (22-7) in dual meet ... dec. over Luke Larwin, Oregon, 3-1 in dual meet to spark OSU's 23-18 comeback victory ...major dec. by (1) Troy Letters, Lehigh, 12-3 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, won championship, went 4-0 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... dec. by (13) Jacob Klein, Nebraska, 2-0 in dual meet.
Jed Pennell, 174 POUNDS: Senior Jed Pennell (Cave Junction, Ore./Illinois Valley HS) is in his fourth season in the OSU lineup ... has won 17 of last 20 matches, scoring team bonus points 10 times ... in current rankings, nationally, No. 18 by AWN, No. 18 by IM ... career, 70-42 with 14 pins, team bonus points in 28 percent of matches (31 of 112) ... this season, 24-8 with 7 pins, team bonus points in 41 percent of matches (13 of 32) ... among OSU's all-time leaders, tied for 41st in career wins; tied for 45th in career pins ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 1, placed second, went 2-1 with 1 pin; pinned Josh Gustafson, Portland State, 2:06 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 4 seed Leonel Sanchez, Cal State-Fullerton, 5-2 in semifinals; dec. by No. 3 seed Imad Kharbush, Stanford, 6-4 (OT) in championship final ... season summary, Jan. 9-Feb. 29, won 13 straight matches at 174 pounds, scoring team bonus points 9 times ... Jan. 9-Feb. 6, 11-match win streak, scoring team bonus points 7 times; streak broken when he moved up to 184 pounds for dual at California-Davis ... pinned Josh Gustafson, Portland State, 2:16 in dual meet to join OSU's all-time top 50s in both career wins, career pins ... pinned (8 NAIA) Rick Story, Souther Oregon, 2:17 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 3-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including dec. by (13) Matt Herrington, Penn, 12-8; dec. by (12) Andrew Roy, Rutgers, 14-8 ... at Reno Classic, placed second, went 3-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including tech. fall by (1) Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma State, 19-3 (5:54) in championship final ... dec. by (1) Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma State, 8-4 in dual meet ... pinned Chet McBee, Oregon, 5:57 in dual meet to help OSU to 23-18 comeback win ... major dec. by (3) Brad Dillon, Lehigh, 18-8 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed third, went 1-1 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... pinned Jason High, Nebraska, 1:53 in dual meet for 1 of OSU's 2 wins vs. eighth-ranked Cornhuskers.
Dan Pitsch, 184 POUNDS: Sophomore Dan Pitsch (Tacoma, Wash./Spanaway Lake HS) is in his second season in the OSU lineup ... has won 14 of his last 16 matches, scoring team bonus points 10 times ... career, 34-17 with 3 pins, team bonus points in 35 percent of matches (18 of 51) ... this season, 19-10 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 48 percent of matches (14 of 29) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 1, placed fourth, went 2-2 with 0 pins; major dec. over Dustin Fisher, Oregon, 13-4 in quarterfinals; pinned by No. 4 seed (18) Ryan Halsey, Cal Poly, 2:04 in semifinals; dec. over No. 6 seed Ian Murphy, Cal State-Fullerton, 10-4 in wrestleback semifinals; pinned by No. 2 seed Brandon Bear, California-Davis, 6:00 in third-place final. ... season summary, Jan. 9-Feb. 29, won 13 straight matches, scoring team bonus points 10 times ... major dec. over (9) Ryan Halsey, Cal Poly, 10-2 in dual meet ... major dec. over (5 NAIA) David O'Brien, Southern Oregon, 15-7 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 0-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... at Reno Classic, placed fifth, went 3-2 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including major dec. by (1) Jake Rosholt, Oklahoma State, 14-3; pinned by (3 DIII) Jason Lulloff, Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 2:40; inj. def. over (12) Nick Frost, Arizona State, in fifth-place final ... major dec. by (1) Jake Rosholt, Oklahoma State, 13-3 in dual meet ...tech. fall over Dustin Fisher, Oregon, 4:08 (16-0) in dual meet to help OSU to 23-18 comeback win ...dec. by (8) Travis Frick, Lehigh, 7-4 in dual meet ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed second, went 1-0 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; round; including major dec. over (4 JC) Blair Alderman, North Idaho JC, 11-1.
Jed Lowe, 197 POUNDS: Sophomore Jed Lowe (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... career, 10-12 with 2 pins, team bonus points in 23 percent of matches (5 of 20) ... this season, 7-10 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 18 percent of matches (3 of 17) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, unseeded, did not place, went 0-2 with 0 pins; major dec. by No. 1 seed (3) Ryan Bader, Arizona State, 11-0 in quarterfinals; dec. by No. 4 seed Ralph Garcia, Cal Poly, 2-0 in wrestleback quarterfinals ... season summary, dec. by (9) K.C. Walsh, Boise State, 13-6 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 1-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... Nov. 22-Dec. 18, won 5 of 7 matches, scoring team bonus points 2 times ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 2-2 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including pinned by (8) Matt Monteiro, Cal State-Bakersfield, 5:44; major dec. by (13) K.C. Walsh, Boise State, 13-2 ... pinned by (19) Rusty Blackmon, Oklahoma State, 2:44 in dual meet ... dec. Jake Leair, Oregon, 5-1 in dual meet helped OSU to 23-18 comeback win ...at Southern Oregon Open, won championship, went 3-0 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including dec. over (7 DII) D.C. Hazen, Central Washington, 2-1; dec. over (6 NAIA) Grant Thompson, Southern Oregon, 3-0 ... pinned by (18, 184) B.J. Padden, Nebraska, 6:21 in dual meet.
Steve Grayson, 197 POUNDS: Junior Steve Grayson (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) is in his third season as an OSU reserve ... career, 6-8 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 14 percent of matches (2 of 14) ... this season, 3-3 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 17 percent of matches (1 of 6) ... season summary, tech. fall by (5) Matt Monteiro, Cal State-Bakersfield, 6:57 (21-5) in dual meet ... major dec. by (5) Ryan Bader, Arizona State, 12-2 in dual meet ... pinned Nathan Kimberlin, Northern Colorado, 1:42 in exhibition for first career pin ... major dec. by (15) Landon Seefeldt, Cal State-Fullerton, in dual meet.
Curt Willener, 197 POUNDS: Senior Curt Willener (Portland, Ore./Scappoose HS) is in his fourth season as an OSU reserve ... career, 3-10 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 15 percent of matches (2 of 13) ... this season, 0-5 with 0 pins, team bonus points in 0 percent of matches (0 of 4) ... season summary, did not wrestle until Jan. 31, major dec. by Kevin Kessner, Wyoming, 8-0 in dual meet.
Jamie Rakevich, HEAVYWEIGHT: Freshman Jamie Rakevich (Elma, Wash./Elma HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... has won 11 of last 16 matches, scoring team bonus points 7 times ... thrust into starting lineup due to injury to Ty Watterson the weekend of Dec. 13-14, and made his dual meet debut by pinning ninth-ranked Willie Gruenwald of Oklahoma State in 1:46 ... career and this season, 15-9 with 5 pins, team bonus points in 33 percent of matches (8 of 24) ... at Pacific-10 Championships, seeded No. 2, placed second, went 2-1 with 1 pin; pinned Dan Schon, California-Davis, 4:08 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 3 seed Clifford Starks, Arizona State, 2-1 (OT) in semifinals; dec. by No. 1 seed Jacob McGinnis, Boise State, 3-1 (OT) in championship final ... season summary, dec. by (18) Dusty Hoffschneider, Wyoming, 4-3 in dual meet ... pinned by (12) Clint Walbeck, Fresno State, 4:45 in dual meet ... dec. by (8) Cain Velasquez, Arizona State, 5-2 in dual meet ... at Midlands Open, did not place, went 0-1 with 0 pins vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools ... Dec. 14-Dec. 18, won 4 of 5 matches, scoring team bonus points 2 times ... at Reno Classic, did not place, went 3-2 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including pinned by (2 DII) Willie McCowan, Central Missouri State, 2:21; dec. by (10) Willie Gruenwald, Oklahoma State, 8-4 ... pinned (9) Willie Gruenwald, Oklahoma State, 1:46 in dual meet debut ... at Southern Oregon Open, did not place, went 0-1 vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools.
Ty Watterson, HEAVYWEIGHT: Freshman Ty Watterson (Enumclaw, Wash./Enumclaw HS) is in his first season in the OSU lineup ... career and this season, 1-3 with 1 pin, team bonus points in 25 percent of matches (1 of 4) ... season summary, inj. def. to Cody Parker, Oregon, in first Civil War dual with season-ending arm injury ... at Southern Oregon Open, placed third, went 1-0 with 1 pin vs. wrestlers from 4-year schools; including pinned (2 JC) Isreal Silva, North Idaho JC, 1:43 ... dec. by (15) Mitch Manstedt, Nebraska, 8-6 (OT) in dual meet.
