This week: Beavers begin 1997 with a trip
to Reno for College Duals tournament

Oregon State begins the New Year at the eight-team Reno College Duals tournament. The Beavers, ranked 25th in the nation, join a field that includes second-ranked Oklahoma State, 16th-ranked Arizona State, Oregon, Wyoming, North Carolina State, Brigham Young and Boise State
.
"It's a good tournament for us to go to at a great time of the year," OSU coach Joe Wells said. "We get a chance to wrestle somebody we don't usually wrestle (in dual meets) in North Carolina State; if we win that, we go against Arizona State or Boise State and it would be great to wrestle ASU. Then Oklahoma State is ranked second in the country and they deserve every bit of that ranking. We're guaranteed three matches in one day against good competition."
Also, the event is a chance for OSU to showcase itself before some of the nation's outstanding high school wrestlers. The Reno College Duals are held in conjunction with the Reno Tournament of Champions, an event that includes 12 of the 15 top-ranked high school teams in the country.
First-round pairings at the Reno College Duals:
UPPER BRACKET
No. 1 seed Oklahoma State vs. Brigham Young
No. 4 seed Wyoming vs. Oregon
LOWER BRACKET
No. 3 seed Oregon State vs. North Carolina State
No. 2 seed Arizona State vs. Boise State

The schedule begins at 9 a.m. MST with first-round meets. The semifinals and consolation first round will begin at noon; the consolation semifinals and seventh-place meet will begin at 3 p.m.; the third-place and fifth-place meets will begin at 5 p.m.; and the championship meet will begin at 7 p.m.

Oregon State's tentative lineup for the Reno College Duals:
118 - Jason Buce, jr. (Dallas, Ore./Dallas High), 13-0
126 - Jake Whisenhunt, sr. (Stayton, Ore./Stayton High, Clackamas CC), 14-1; or Diego Hernandez, fr. (Gladstone, Ore./Philomath High), 6-4
134 - Oscar Wood, so. (Gresham, Ore./Barlow High), 16-0
142 - Josh Whisenhunt, sr. (Stayton, Ore./Stayton High, Clackamas CC), 6-6; or Justin Vaughan, fr. (Prineville, Ore./Crook County High), 3-7
150 - Isaac Wood, fr. (Gresham, Ore./Barlow High), 14-3
158 - Jim Kutz, so. (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg High), 6-4
167 - Clint Wilson, fr. (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston High), 10-6
177 - Sanders Freed, jr. (Monmouth, Ore./Dallas High), 8-7
190 - Chris Renzullo, sr. (Yuba City, Calif./Yuba City High), 2-4; or Jeramie York, fr. (Springfield, Ore./Thurston High), 0-0
HWT - Mat Orndorff, so. (Kent, Wash./Kent-Meridian High), 9-4; or Arleigh Hix, fr. (Eagle Point, Ore./Eagle Point High), 3-4

Last week: OSU wins ASICS Oregon Classic

Oregon State picked up its first tournament victory in two years, winning the ASICS Oregon Wrestling Classic at Gill Coliseum on Dec. 28-29. OSU's last team title at been at the 1994-95 Classic.
The Beavers pulled away from second-place Ohio State in the final round for a 155-133.5 victory.
The Beavers had five individual champions: 118-pounder Jason Buce, 126-pounder Jake Whisenhunt, 134-pounder Oscar Wood, 150-pounder Isaac Wood and 167-pounder Clint Wilson. Also placing for the Beavers were Mat Orndorff, third at heavyweight; Diego Hernandez, a non-scoring fourth at 126 pounds; Sanders Freed, fourth at 177 pounds; and Justin Vaughan, eighth at 142 pounds.
Buce, Oscar Wood and Wyoming 177-pounder Brandon Alderman tied in the voting for the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award.
OSU led the tournament by four points heading into the championship matches, and each team had five wrestlers in the finals. But the Beavers won head-to-head matchups in the first three finals, securing the team title.

Injuries: Just sick of 'em

OSU has a few Beavers down with the flu bug. That includes sophomore Jason Gutches (Central Point, Ore./South Medford High), who started most of the season for the Beavers at 167 pounds and wrestled at 158 pounds in the Oregon Wrestling Classic. Andy Sapp sprained his elbow at the Classic and will be out several weeks.

Beavers rate in AWN rankings

Oregon State is the nation's 25th-ranked team according to the Dec. 18 Amateur Wrestling News poll.
Three Beavers are in AWN's rankings for their weight class - sophomore Oscar Wood, fourth at 134 pounds; junior Jason Buce, eighth at 118 pounds; and senior Jake Whisenhunt, ninth at 126 pounds. Those three are OSU's returning NCAA qualifiers from the 1995-96 season.

OSU has seven in Pacific-10 rankings

Seven Oregon State wrestlers are in the latest Pacific-10 wrestling rankings, dated Dec. 18. The rankings include four wrestlers at each weight.
Beavers ranked first in their weight class are 118-pounder Jason Buce and 134-pounder Oscar Wood. Ranked second are 167-pounder Jason Gutches and heavyweight Mat Orndorff. Ranked third are 126-pounder Jake Whisehunt and 150-pounder Isaac Wood. Ranked fourth is 158-pounder Jim Kutz.

Get off their backs

OSU wrestlers who have appeared in scoring varsity matches have a total of 188 matches this season. During that time, OSU has recorded 43 pins; a Beaver has been pinned just 3 times.
OSU 134-pounder Oscar Wood is the team leader with 7 pins, followed by 150-pounder Isaac Wood and 118-pounder Jason Buce with 6 each, and 158/167-pounder Jason Gutches with 4.

The leading Beavernomic indicator

It's become pretty simple to figure out how Oregon State will fare in a dual meet - just show up for the 167-pound match. Jason Gutches is 4-1 in dual meets at that weight this season; he's won in all four Beaver team victories and was beaten when OSU lost at Lehigh.

Challenge them to a dual? Maybe not

Three Beavers have wrestled and won in all five of OSU's dual meets - 118-pounder Jason Buce, 134-pounder Oscar Wood and 150-pounder Isaac Wood. At 126 pounds, Jake Whisenhunt is unbeaten in duals with a 4-0 record.

When Beavers come home, it's homecoming

When Oregon State returns to Gill Coliseum for its next weekend of home meets, it will be the annual OSU Wrestling Homecoming. The event is scheduled for Jan. 31 against Arizona State and Feb. 1 against Brigham Young.

All former Beaver wrestlers are invited to the activities, which will include the introduction of alumni during the Feb. 1 meet. For more information, call the OSU Wrestling office at (541) 737-7493.

Where to go for more info

Oregon State and Pacific-10 wrestling results are available through the Pac-10's faxback system, which can be phoned at (503) 614-4044. The OSU codes are 143150 for the weekly media release; 143151 for the latest meet results; 143153 for a schedule, results and statistics; and 143154 for the current roster.
Results and quotes from OSU's coaching staff are also available after each competition on the Oregon State Wrestling Hotline, which can be called at (541) 737-3000. The Beaver wrestling program also has a web site located at: http://www.orst.edu/dept/wrestling

Tickets, please

All tickets for Oregon State home wrestling meets are general admission. Prices are $5 for adults, $3 for students through high school and senior citizens, and $1 for OSU students and their spouses.
OSU six- and seven-sport passes that include wrestling are available, as are special team rates for groups of 15 or more. For more information, call the OSU athletic ticket office at (541) 737-4455 or 1-800-GO BEAVS.

Back to OSU Wrestling Page | [Last Update: Dec. 31, 1996]


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