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EUGENE – The University of Oregon wrestling team will open 2008 this week on the road against two of the Pac-10’s top teams, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly. The Ducks first travel to Fullerton to face the Titans on Wednesday, January 2 at 5 p.m., then head to Cal Poly two days later for a 7 p.m. Friday bout at San Luis Obispo. This week’s matches are the second and third league duals of the year for UO (9-3, 0-1) who continues to build towards the Pac-10 Championships in two months in Eugene, Sunday-Monday March 2-3. PICKS OF THE PAC-10
In the most recent edition of the Pacific-10 Conference rankings, three Ducks were picked second among the 10 weight classes - McLaughlin (149), Lee (174) and Alexander (285) - while Dunn (133) and French (184) stood third. TENTATIVE DUCK ENTRIES
Beau Malia (125), Joey Lucas (125-133), Ryan Dunn (133), Brett Gray (141), Cody Moulton (141-149), Jeremy McLaughlin (149-157), Kyle Bounds (157), Zack Frazier (165), Ron Lee (174), Brysen French (184), Shaun Dee (197), Charlie Alexander (285)  Photo: William Lead WEEKEND PREVIEW
The Ducks will face a pair of teams that are loaded with talent including five of the Pac-10’s top ranked wrestlers. Cal State Fullerton received votes in the most recent Intermat national rankings from December 18, and is guided by fifth-year coach Dan Hicks who guided them to a 31st-place NCAA finish in 2007. CSF juniors T.J. Dillashaw (125), Morgan Atkinson (149), Ian Murphy (184) and Wade Sauer (285) lead the current Pac-10 rankings and three others are ranked top four – junior Teddy Astorga (141, second), senior Paul Tice (157, fourth) and sophomore John Drake (197, second). In the Intermat national individual rankings, Sauer stands fourth nationally at heavyweight, and other Titans ranked top 20 include Atkinson (149, 11th), Murphy (184, 14th) and Dillashaw (133, 15th). Sauer competed in Eugene in late November at the NWCA All-Star Classic, and lost 11-7 to NCAA Division II national champion Tervel Dlagnev of Nebraska-Kearney. Cal Poly took fourth in last year’s Pac-10 Championships and 27th in the NCAA finale and is coached by fifth-year mentor John Azevedo. The Mustangs have one top-ranked wrestler in the current league rankings, senior Chad Mendes (141), and six others ranked top four - freshmen Boris Novachkov (125, fourth) and Flip Novachkov (133, fourth), sophomore Eric Maldonado (149, third), sophomore Chase Pami (second, 157), junior Ryan Williams (165, fourth) and senior Arturo Basulto (197, third). In the Intermat national rankings, Mendes stands fifth nationally at 141, and other top-20 ranked Mustangs include Pami (157, ninth) Novachkov (125, 16th) and Novachkov (133, 17th) MORE INFORMATION
More information on this week’s opponents is available at the www.FullertonTitons.com and www.GoPoly.com websites. A link to Intermat national rankings is available by clicking the http://www.intermatwrestle.com/college/rankings/rankings.aspx link. RECENT DUCK ACTION
The Ducks’ last action before the holidays came in the Brute Reno Tournament of Champions, Tuesday, December 19 in Reno, Nev. UO placed 20th in the team competition with 16 points, and featured two entries that posted winning records in the elite tourney - Dee (197, 3-2) and Moulton (149, 3-2) - and two others that finished .500, Frazier (165, 2-2) and Lee (174, 2-2). Other Ducks that competed at the Reno stop included Malia (125, 0-2), Dunn (133, 1-2), Bounds (157, 1-2), French (184, 0-2) and Alexander (285, 1-2). DUCK SEASON STAT LEADERS
After two months of action this season, seven Duck individuals have 10 or more wins – Alexander (285 pounds, 15-4), Lee (174, 15-5), Gray (141, 13-3), Dunn (133, 12-4), French (184, 11-5), Frazier (165, 11-9) and Dee (197, 10-10). Gray and Dee lead the Ducks in pins (2-0) and are tied with redshirt junior Jeremy McLaughlin (149-157, 2-1). A link to complete season statistics is in the STAT dropdown menu at the top of the www.GoDucks.com wrestling page. DUCK CAREER RECORDS
Joey Lucas, RSr., 125-133, Hillsboro, Ore., (41-48)
Beau Malia, RJr., 125, Billings, Mont. (25-28)
Ryan Dunn, RJr., 133, Estacada, Ore. (49-22)
Brett Gray, RFr. , Catoosa, Okla, 141-149 (16-7)
Cody Moulton, RJr., Redmond, Ore., 141-149 (7-10)
Jeremy McLaughlin, RJr., Central Point, Ore., 149-157 (24-43)
Elliott Tracy, RSr., 149-157, Eugene, Ore., (20-25)
Kyle Bounds, RSo., 157, Vancouver, Wash. (22-23)
Bryan Cantrell, Jr., 165, Hillsboro, Ore. (15-19)
Zack Frazier, So., 165, Gresham, Ore. (23-25)
Ron Lee, RSo., 174, Central Point, Ore. (33-23)
Brysen French, So., 184, Hillsboro, Ore. (30-25)
Shaun Dee, RJr., 197, Beaverton, Ore. (20-22)
Chris Robertson, So., 285, Central Point, Ore. (8-23)
Charlie Alexander, RFr., 285, Central Point, Ore. (15-4) ON A ROLL
Before the Reno stop, Alexander had won 11 straight matches in his first collegiate season, and other next-best current winning streaks belonged to Lee and French (6) and Dunn (5). PAC-10 CRED
Sophomore Brysen French (184) is UO’s highest returning placer from the 2007 Pac-10 Championships with his fourth-place finish. Others that placed top six included McLaughlin (149, fifth), Lee (174, fifth) and Lucas (133, sixth). Two other Duck returnees also competed in the event last year – Bounds (157) and Robertson (197) – but did not place. Lee went on to compete in the 2007 NCAA Championships – an impressive feat considering his leg was broken several weeks before the league finale. Then-senior Justin Pearch (141) also competed in the collegiate finale last year after a runner-up Pac-10 finish. LOOKING AHEAD
After this week’s stops, UO hosts its lone January wrestling events the next two Fridays – Northern Colorado (January 11) and Cal State Bakersfield (January 18). The following weekend, they travel to league rivals Boise State (Friday, January 25) and Arizona State (Sunday, January 27). DUCK WRESTLING HISTORY
In its 55th year of existence, the Oregon wrestling program welcomed back 10 letterwinners in 2007-08, seven of which competed in the 2007 Pac-10 Championships. Lee capped an impressive stretch run last spring when he overcame a broken leg in the final months to still score fifth in the Pac-10 Championships and earn an NCAA Championships invitation. Other Duck returnees that placed top six in the Bakersfield, Calif., event included French (fourth, 184), McLaughlin (fifth, 149) and senior Joey Lucas (sixth, 133), and other entries included Dunn (133) and Bounds (157) and Robertson (197). HEAD COACH CHUCK KEARNEY
The Ducks are under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Chuck Kearney who owns the second-longest tenure in school history behind his mentor Ron Finley who guided UO for 28 years. A former Pac-10 champion and All-American for UO at 177 pounds, Kearney has guided the Ducks to one NCAA individual title and five All-America honors among their 28 NCAA bids, along with eight Pac-10 individual titles. UO squads posted a runner-up Pac-10 team finish in 2002 and a third-place effort in ‘05, and his squads have scored four top-30 NCAA finishes, and two more top-40 placings. |
