Nathan Coy places fourth at Midlands Open
EVANSTON, Ill. - Oregon State undergraduate assistant coach Nathan Coy placed fourth at 174 pounds Sunday as the 40th Annual Midlands Open wrestling tournament concluded at Welsh-Ryan Arena. No final team scores were available Sunday evening; Oregon State had been in 16th place after the first day of competition and no Beavers advanced to the final day's matches.
Coy was representing the Orange Crush Mat Club. Coy, who was an All-American last season as a senior for the Beavers, was beaten by Brian Glynn of Illinois 5-3 in the third-place final.
Earlier Sunday, Coy had lost to Tyler Nixt of Iowa 3-2 in the semifinals and beaten Ralph Everett of Hofstra 5-3 in the wrestleback semifinals.
The 40th Annual Midlands Open attracted 57 teams, including most of the NCAA Division I top 25 and a number of clubs comprised of some of the nation's top post-collegiate wrestlers. OSU (0-2 overall duals, 0-1 Pacific-10 duals) wrestles duals against Embry-Riddle and Fresno State in Fresno on Friday and visits Cal State-Bakersfield on Saturday.
Beavers' Pitsch breaks into national rankings
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State 184-pounder Dan Pitsch broke into this week's national wrestling rankings. Pitsch (Tacoma, Wash./Lake Spanaway HS), a freshman, is ranked 18th in NCAA Division I by Amateur Wrestling News.
Pitsch has an 8-3 record this season after upsetting sixth-ranked B.J. Padden of Nebraska 10-5 in a dual meet Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The night before, he'd earned a win in his Civil War debut by beating Oregon's Elias Soto 10-6 in Eugene.
OSU's other ranked wrestler is senior heavyweight Andy Bowlby (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS). Bowlby moved up one spot to ninth in the AWN rankings and remained 11th in the InterMat rankings; he is 9-3 with four pins this season.
The Beavers take this weekend off from competition. Next action for OSU will be at the Midlands Open tournament on Dec. 28-29 in Evanston, Ill.; Oregon State's next home meet is Jan. 12 against Central Michigan.
Signing three wraps up recruiting
By Kip Carlson
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State completed its wrestling recruiting class on Monday, announcing the signings of three wrestlers who combined for seven state high school championships. Joining the Beavers this fall will be sophomore transfer 165/174-pounder Matt Ellis (Prosser, Wash./Prosser HS, Oklahoma State U.), freshman 157/165-pounder Jeremy Larson (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS) and freshman 125-pounder Eric Stevenson (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS).
"The recruits we'd already had would have been an outstanding class, and the addition of these three makes it an even higher-quality group," OSU head coach Joe Wells said. "The young men we'll have joining us when we start practice later this week are all capable of becoming outstanding wrestlers at this level. Their presence is going to do even more to increase the level of competition within our wrestling room, and that daily competition is what turns you into a better wrestler when you step on the mat on the weekend."
Ellis, Larson and Stevenson join a recruiting class that already included 157-pounder Tony Hook (Sandpoint, Idaho/Sandpoint HS), 133-pounder Bryan Medelez, (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS), 125-pounder Bobby Pfennings (Great Falls, Mont./C.M. Russell HS), heavyweight Jamie Rakevich (Elma, Wash./Elma HS) and heavyweight Ty Watterson (Enumclaw, Wash./Enumclaw HS).
Ellis spent a redshirt season and his freshman season at Oklahoma State; he'll have three years to complete his three remaining seasons of eligibility. He was 10-8 last season at 157 pounds, and during his redshirt season he was 9-3 in open competition.
Ellis earned high school All-America honors at Prosser, placing third in the high school national meet. He had a 136-11 career record, winning the state title at 171 pounds as a senior and 168 pounds as a junior after being the 168-pounder runner-up as a sophomore. He was also a three-time league champion and a state Freestyle champion.
"He's a great technician," Wells said of Ellis. "He's highly-motivated and excited about being close to home again. He's a great addition to strengthen the competitive ranks in the middle weights for us."
Ellis will major in Liberal Studies and is considering a teaching career.
"Oregon State was closer to home," Ellis said. "And I was looking for a place I could wrestle at 165, and it was a better situation for me."
Larson won the state title at 160 pounds last season, going 43-0 with 30 pins; as a junior, he won the state title at 152 pounds as Hermiston won the team state championship. Larson won a pair of league titles and placed sixth in the state at 135 pounds as a freshman en route to a 120-21 career record. He took seventh place in the high school nationals after his senior season.
"He's got a great work ethic," Wells said of Larson. "He's from a solid program and he's been a big factor in Hermiston's success the last few years. He's a leader and a great student; he'll come in and contend for a starting position right away."
Larson is considering studying Fish and Wildlife at OSU.
"It had what I was looking for in wrestling and in school," Larson said. "And the other guys I know there will be a good support group."
Larson will join former Hermiston wrestlers Medelez, Jed Lowe and Orlando Perez on the Beaver roster.
Stevenson was a three-time state champion for Newberg, compiling a 157-5 record with 84 pins. He won won the title at 119 pounds this past season with a 43-1 record after taking the crown at 112 as a junior and 103 as a sophomore; he also placed third at 103 as a freshman and was a four-time league champion.
Stevenson also earned double All-America honors the past two seasons at Junior Nationals by placing in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman styles, and as a sophomore he was a national champion in Greco-Roman.
"He lost close decisions to both champions (in Freestyle and Greco-Roman)," Wells said of Stevenson. "He was the only guy to place in both divisions in that weight class. He's a tough competitor, a warrior. He just doesn't make the same mistake twice. He's got a great work ethic and he's a hard-nosed competitor."
Stevenson was also the Oregon recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.
"Oregon State had a lot of things planned for me academically, and they're an up-and-coming team that's getting a lot tougher," Stevenson said. "I think the coaches there can build a team that can win a national title."
Stevenson will join fellow Newberg alums Jordan Barich, Andy Bowlby, Tim Norman and Anthony Weber in Oregon State's program.
"There was a little incentive there, too," Stevenson said.
OREGON STATE WRESTLING SIGNINGS - Spring/Summer, 2002
- Matt Ellis - 165/174 pounds - Prosser, Wash. (Prosser HS/Oklahoma State U.)
2-time state champion, 3-time league champion; third at high school nationals; state freestyle champion
- Tony Hook - 157 pounds - Sandpoint, Idaho (Sandpoint HS)
3-time state champion, 4-time league champion
- Jeremy Larson - 157/165 pounds - Hermiston, Ore. (Hermiston HS)
2-time state champion, 2-time league champion; seventh at high school nationals
- Bryan Medelez - 133 pounds - Hermiston, Ore. (Hermiston HS)
1-time state champion, 1-time league champion; regional Freestyle champion
- Bobby Pfennings - 125 pounds - Great Falls, Mont. (C.M. Russell HS)
1-time state champion, 3-time league champion
- Jamie Rakevich - Heavyweight - Elma, Wash. (Elma HS)
2-time state champion, 3-time league champion; third at high school nationals; academic All-American
- Eric Stevenson - 125 pounds - Newberg, Ore. (Newberg HS)
3-time state champion; 4-time league champion; third in Junior Nationals both Freestyle and Greco-Roman
- Ty Watterson - Heavyweight - Enumclaw, Wash. (Enumclaw HS)
1-time state champion; 2-time league champion; high school nationals champion
Beaver wrestling guide judged nation's eighth-best by A.W.N.
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State's 2001-02 wrestling guide was judged the nation's eighth-best among NCAA Division I schools by Amateur Wrestling News. AWN announced its Blue Ribbon wrestling guides in the magazine's June/July issue.
OSU's 60-page guide was designed, written and produced by assistant sports information director Kip Carlson. Photography was by Barry Schwartz of the OSU sports information office, along with Dave Nishitani; cover production was by OSU athletic department graphic artist Joe Klegseth.
NCAA champion Minnesota topped the Division I guides in AWN's ranking, followed by Iowa State and Nebraska. AWN is the nation's oldest publication devoted to amateur wrestling, currently completing its 47th season of covering the sport.
World Champ Gutches joins as assistant coach
By Kip Carlson
CORVALLIS, Ore. - World champion and two-time NCAA champion Les Gutches has joined Oregon State's wrestling staff as an assistant coach, OSU head coach Joe Wells announced Tuesday. Gutches, 29, spent last season as a volunteer assistant with the Beavers after retiring from competition; he was also a full-time assistant at OSU from 1996-99.
Gutches won NCAA titles at 177 pounds for OSU in 1995 and 1996, was a three-time Academic All-America and won the World Freestyle Championship at 187.3 pounds in 1997. He replaces Dan Hicks on OSU's staff; Hicks was hired as head coach at Cal State-Fullerton last week.
"We're fortunate to have Les rejoin our coaching staff on a full-time basis," Wells said. "He's been involved with wrestling at the highest levels in the world, and our athletes benefit from the experience he brings into our room. And he's demonstrated the ability to coach wrestling, to get his point across clearly to another athlete and make him better."
Gutches graduated from OSU with a bachelor's degree in Physical Anthropology with a minor in German.
"He was an outstanding student at Oregon State," Wells said. "He had the same approach to academics that he did to wrestling - he was thorough, he was analytical, he left nothing to chance. He was complete in his preparation, and that's an attitude and a skill that he brings to his job as a coach."
In addition to his previous coaching experience at OSU, Gutches was an assistant coach on the United States National Team at the 2002 Freestyle World Cup; the U.S. won the team title at that meet. Gutches is a USA Wrestling-certified coach at the Bronze level and has worked at a number of elite camps and clinics across the country.
"I've found a lot of satisfaction in coaching and trying to help other people improve," Gutches said. "It's a challenge to find the different ways to reach different athletes, but it's one that I really enjoy. I'm still growing as a coach, discovering a lot of things about how to teach and motivate, and that process is exciting.
"Plus, it's just great to be back at Oregon State - I had a lot of success here as a wrestler, and I'd like to help others have that same kind of success and build on the great tradition of OSU wrestling."
During his career on the mat, Gutches was not only a world champion and NCAA champion but also a five-time U.S. Open (all ages) Freestyle Champion, the gold medalist at the 1998 Goodwill Games, the bronze medalist at the 1999 World Championships and a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team.
Gutches received the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's outstanding collegiate wrestler for the 1995-96 season. He went 134-10 during his Oregon State career, including a 33-0 record as a junior and a 36-0 mark as a senior, and he was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championships in his final season.
During his elite-level career, Gutches was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Open in 1996 and 1998; he was also named Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee for 1997. He was a three-time Pan Am Games champion and a World Cup champion, as well.
Nathan Coy - OSU Athlete of the Year
Horn gets spirit honor at Fourth Annual Benny Awards
By Steve Fenk
Corvallis - Seniors Nathan Coy from the wrestling team and Felicia Ragland from the women's basketball program were selected the Oregon State University Male and Female Athletes of the Year highlighting the Fourth Annual Benny Awards Tuesday evening at the LaSells Stewart Center on campus. The event culminated the 2001-2002 athletic year.
The Robert Byers Spirit Award, named in honor of the late crew athlete who passed away recently, was awarded to junior wrestler Casey Horn. The North Salem High School graduate battled knee and elbow injuries throughout the season but still managed to post a 19-7 record. His accolades include a team-high eight pins and a victory over the second ranked wrestler in the country in his weight class.
Coy, a four-year letterman from Oregon City, posted a 22-7 record at 174 pounds. He won his second straight Pacific-10 Conference title and proceeded to earn his first All-American honor by placing fourth at the NCAA Championships. Coy won 11 consecutive matches during the course of the season and posted two victories over nationally ranked opponents.
Ragland concluded her banner career by being selected to the All-Pac-10 team for the third consecutive season. The native of Tulare, Calif., repeated as an All-American this season after leading the conference in scoring and steals. She concluded her career as the third Oregon State player to eclipse the 1,600-point and 600-rebound marks. Ragland became the first Beaver ever to be selected in the Women's National Basketball Association Draft, as Seattle tabbed her in the second round.
Team of the Year Bennys were awarded to the men's crew and women's gymnastics programs. The varsity eight crew captured fourth place at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, the highest finish ever by the program. Oregon State's junior varsity eight and freshmen eight also finished in the top 10. The gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive year, finishing 12th. The nationally ranked team posted four of the top 20 scores in school history.
Dave Reischman of men's crew, in his eighth year, received the Male Sport Coach of the Year Benny while Mariusz Podkoscielny of swimming accepted the Female Sport Coach of the Year Benny. Both coaches guided their programs to their best seasons in school history. Podkoscielny, the sixth-year head coach, led OSU to a school record 31st place at the NCAA Championships. The program also achieved the highest finish ever at the Pac-10 Championships and its third consecutive winning season.
Mitch Meeuwsen of the football program garnered the Male Newcomer of the Year Benny, while Juleen Smith of basketball captured the female honor. Meeuwsen was among the team leaders for tackles and was named a Freshman All-American. Smith started 14 consecutive games to conclude the season, and averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds at the Pac-10 Tournament.
Sophomore pitchers Ben Rowe and Monica Hoffman were the recipients of the Male and Female Performance of the Year Bennys. Rowe hurled a four-hitter in the Beavers' series opening victory over the No. 4 Stanford Cardinal in the first night contest ever at Goss Stadium and Coleman Field. Hoffman pitched a perfect game, the third in school history, in the softball team's 1-0 win at Hawaii. She dominated opponents in a six-day period, with two no-hitters.
The Glenn Klein Community Service Bennys were awarded to freshman Adam Daniel of wrestling and sophomore Courtney Carter of women's soccer. Both Daniel and Carter were involved in numerous functions around the OSU and Corvallis communities throughout the year.
All-American Bennys were presented to Coy, Meeuwsen, Ragland, Dennis Weathersby of football, Elizabeth Jillson of gymnastics, Gina Schmidt of volleyball, and Birte Steven and Naya Higashijima of swimming.
Scholar-Athlete Bennys were awarded to Schmidt, Jerra Lopez of gymnastics, Bonnie Renwick from swimming, and Emmy Gardner and Lauren Sommers of crew.
The Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Benny was presented to longtime Beaver supporter Sue Poorman of Portland. Poorman is a former president of the Beaver Athletic Student Fund, and has raised over $1 million for the organization. Both Sue and her husband, Ken, are graduates of OSU.
The 2001-2002 Benny Awards
Male Athlete of the Year: Nathan Coy (wrestling)
Female Athlete of the Year: Felicia Ragland (basketball)
Male Newcomer of the Year: Mitch Meeuwsen (football)
Female Newcomer of the Year: Juleen Smith (basketball)
Male Performance of the Year: Ben Rowe (baseball)
Female Performance of the Year: Monica Hoffman (softball)
Male Coach of the Year: Dave Reischman (crew)
Female Coach of the Year: Mariusz Podkoscielny (swimming)
Male Team of the Year: Crew
Female Team of the Year: Gymnastics
Robert Byers Spirit Award: Casey Horn
Community Service Awards: Adam Daniel (wrestling) & Courtney Carter (soccer)
Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Award: Sue Poorman
Scholar Athletes of the Year: Emmy Gardner (crew), Jerra Lopez (gymnastics), Bonnie Renwick (swimming), Gina Schmidt (volleyball), Lauren Sommers (crew)
All-Americans: Felicia Ragland (basketball), Birte Steven (swimming), Naya Higashijima (swimming), Dennis Weathersby (football), Mitch Meeuwsen (football), Elizabeth Jillson (gymnastics), Gina Schmidt (volleyball), Nathan Coy (wrestling)
Coy, Horn, Weber, Unger and Pennell earn wrestling honors
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Nathan Coy was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at Oregon State for the 2001-02 season when the Beavers held their year-end awards ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Valley Football Center. Isaac Weber and Casey Horn shared the Chad Flack Memorial Award for Most Improved Wrestler, Mike Unger was named the Most Promising Newcomer and Jed Pennell earned the Academic Excellence Award.
Named Most Outstanding Wrestler, Coy (Oregon City, Ore.), a senior 174-pounder, won his second straight Pacific-10 championship and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors for the first time in his career. He was 22-7 on the season, including 11-3 in dual meets, and had an 11-match winning streak near the end of the season.
To share the Chad Flack Award for most improved, Weber (Newberg, Ore.), a senior 184-pounder, won his first Pacific-10 title and qualified for the NCAA Championships. He had a 25-12 record on the season, including 13-5 in dual meets, and had an 11-match winning streak.
To share the Chad Flack Award for most improved, Horn (Salem, Ore.), a junior 141-pounder, recorded a season-high eight pins and beat several nationally-ranked wrestlers before his season was curtailed by injury and then cut short at the Pacific-10 Championships. He finished with a 19-8 record, including 11-3 in dual meets.
To earn Most Promising Newcomer, Unger (Turner, Ore.), a freshman 141-pounder, redshirted but wrestled in open tournaments and finished third in the Pacific Lutheran Open, the Clackamas Open and the Pacific Open en route to an 18-5 record. He also placed seventh at the University Nationals in Greco-Roman and third at the FILA Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman.
To earn the Academic Excellence Award, Pennell (Cave Junction, Ore.) has maintained a 3.81 grade point average while majoring in Exercise and Sport Science. He was named to the Pacific-10 All-Academic Team and also went 18-13 this season, placing sixth in the Pac-10.
Junior National All-Americans: Anthony Weber, Brett Phillips, Mike Unger, Jed Lowe, Orlando Perez; Kevin Miles, Grant Ryder, Riley Timmins
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Anthony Weber placed second in Freestyle and third in Greco-Roman competition this past weekend at the FILA Junior Nationals Wrestling Championships. Weber's finishes in the 167-pound division highlighted nine All-America honors earned by Oregon State wrestlers competing for the Orange Crush Mat Club.
The meet, for all the nation's wrestlers age 20 and under, took place Thursday through Sunday in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The rest of the All-America honors came in the Greco-Roman competition. Brett Phillips was third at 119 pounds; placing fourth were Mike Unger at 152 pounds and Jed Lowe at 213 pounds; placing sixth were Orlando Perez at 152 pounds and Kevin Miles at 213 pounds; placing seventh was Grant Ryder at 152 pounds; and placing eighth was Riley Timmins at 152 pounds.
Bowlby takes two titles at University Nationals
By Kip Carlson
EVANSTON, Ill. - Oregon State heavyweight Andy Bowlby won both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions in the 120-kilogram (262-pound) class at the University Nationals wrestling meet held May 2-5 at Northwestern. OSU's Anthony Weber, Mike Unger and Dan Pitsch also placed in the Greco-Roman competition; the Beaver wrestlers were competing for the Orange Crush Mat Club.
Bowlby's wins earned him a place on the United States team that will compete in the World University Games in Edmonton, Alberta from June 20-23. Last year, Bowlby was the silver medalist at the Pan-American Championships in Freestyle; he also won both the University Nationals titles in 2001.
Bowlby took this year's Freestyle title with a pin of Kellan Fluckiger of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club; Fluckiger competes collegiately for Arizona State. Bowlby's Greco-Roman title came with a 3-2 decision over Paul Devlin of the U.S. Army.
Weber placed sixth in the Greco-Roman competition at 74 kilograms (163 pounds). He was beaten by Dusty Tillman of Columbia 8-5 in the fifth-place final.
Unger placed seventh in Greco-Roman at 66 kilograms (145 pounds). He earned a technical fall over Josh Wiles of the Eagle Elite Wrestling Club by a 15-3 score in the seventh-place final.
Pitsch placed eighth in Greco-Roman at 84 kilograms (183 pounds). He was edged by Drew Hageman of the Minnesota Storm 4-3 in the seventh-place final.
University Nationals Results
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