Beavers to Fly East for Virginia Duals
Oregon State at Hampton, Va. Jan. 10-11

Oregon State (7-2 overall, 2-0 Pacific-10) makes its second trip of the season to the East Coast this weekend, heading for Hampton, Va., and the Virginia Duals tournament. The 16-team, double-elimination event at the Hampton Coliseum includes nine teams ranked in the latest national poll.

"We're fired up about the tournament - it's the first time Oregon State has been there," OSU coach Joe Wells said. "It'll be an interesting tournament."

Besides 25th-ranked OSU, the field includes two Pacific-10 rivals: 9th-ranked Cal State-Bakersfield and 16th-ranked Arizona State. Also in the tournament are 10th-ranked Lock Haven, 12th-ranked Edinboro, 14th-ranked Indiana, 15th-ranked Rider, 23rd-ranked Cornell and 24th-ranked Wisconsin. Rounding out the field are Lehigh, Northern Iowa, Virginia Military, George Mason, Eastern Michigan, Northwestern and Brown.

Four-time defending champion Minnesota is not entered this season. First-round pairings will be filled in after Thursday evening's weigh-ins and seedings.

"It's an opportunity for us to see a lot of different teams and to give our young guys some experience," Wells said. "It'll be great for them to wrestle some people they don't know anything about; to get after them and see how they do."

By Saturday night, OSU will have completed three tournaments in 15 days.

"I'm pleased with how the guys have been working so far," Wells said. "We start with a flurry in the second half (of the season) and we want to set the tone for the second half."

The Beavers also want to see at least a few sites other than the Hampton Coliseum. They'll fly into and out of Washington, D.C., and plan on visiting some of the monuments in the nation's capital.

"We'll make it an educational stop," Wells said. "It'll be a chance to experience something different and take in a different part of the country."

Oregon State's tentative lineup for the Virginia Duals:
118 - Jason Buce, jr. (Dallas, Ore./Dallas High), 17-0
126 - Jake Whisenhunt, sr. (Stayton, Ore./Stayton High, Clackamas CC), 16-3
134 - Oscar Wood, so. (Gresham, Ore./Barlow High), 20-0
142 - Josh Whisenhunt, sr. (Stayton, Ore./Stayton High, Clackamas CC), 7-9; or Justin Vaughan, fr. (Prineville, Ore./Crook County High), 3-7
150 - Isaac Wood, fr. (Gresham, Ore./Barlow High), 18-3
158 - Jim Kutz, so. (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg High), 7-8 or Jason Gutches, so. (Central Point, Ore./South Medford High), 11-4
167 - Clint Wilson, fr. (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston High), 10-10
177 - Sanders Freed, jr. (Monmouth, Ore./Dallas High), 11-8
190 - Chris Renzullo, sr. (Yuba City, Calif./Yuba City High), 3-7; or Jeramie York, fr. (Springfield, Ore./Thurston High), 0-0
HWT - Mat Orndorff, so. (Kent, Wash./Kent-Meridian High), 12-4; or Arleigh Hix, fr. (Eagle Point, Ore./Eagle Point High), 3-5

The time schedule for the Virginia Duals (all times EST):
FRIDAY
9 a.m., 11 a.m.: First round
1 p.m., 3 p.m.: Championship quarterfinals
5 p.m.: Consolation first round
SATURDAY 10:45 a.m.: Consolation second round
12:30 p.m.: Consolation quarterfinals
2:15 p.m.: Championship semifinals
5 p.m.: Consolation semifinals
7 p.m.: Fifth, sixth place
9 p.m.: Championship, third place

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 Whisenunt and 150-pounder Isaac Wood. Ranked fourth is 158-pounder Jim Kutz.

Challenge them to a dual? Maybe not

Three Beavers have wrestled and won in all nine of OSU's dual meets - 118-pounder Jason Buce, 134-pounder Oscar Wood and 150-pounder Isaac Wood.


[OSU Wrestling 1997]
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