19TH-RANKED OSU WRESTLERS
PIN STANFORD IN OPENER, 36-11

CORVALLIS, Ore. (Nov. 30) -- Oregon State got its college wrestling season off to a flying start Saturday night, beating Stanford 36-11 in a Pacific-10 dual meet at Gill Coliseum. The 19th-ranked Beavers got pins in the first three matches en route to the victory.
Earlier in the evening, Stanford had beaten Portland State 33- 8 in a non-league match at Gill Coliseum.
OSU (1-0 overall) got quick pins from its three returning NCAA qualifiers -- Jason Buce at 118 pounds, Jake Whisenhunt at 126 pounds and Oscar Wood at 134 pounds. The Beavers later added a pin by Isaac Woods at 150 pounds and a technical fall by Mat Orndorff at heavyweight as Oregon State won seven of the 10 weights against the Cardinal (2-2, 0-1 Pac-10).
"A couple of pins in a dual meet can be a big factor," OSU coach Joe Wells said. "We got three in a hurry. Then the other guys aren't thinking about what they're going to do, they're thinking about how they're going to stay off their back."
It took Buce, a junior, just 21 seconds to flatten Rudy Ruiz; Whisenhunt, a senior, then needed only 32 seconds to finish off Zach Zimmerer. All-America sophomore Oscar Wood, who placed seventh in the nation last season, went into the second round before pinning Frank Ruiz in 3:55.
"We went out pretty fired up and had a great start," Wood said. "It's easy when those first two guys get the ball rolling."
With their three top returners at the first three weights, the Beavers could get off to a lot of fast starts this winter.
"We've got to set the pace for them," Buce said. "It felt great. It's pretty exciting, and we like getting the crowd into the match early."
Added Wood: "I think it's real important for us to do our best, and to do it in the practice room, too. Tonight was a big deal, but there are a lot of bigger and better things out there."
After Stanford 142-pounder Warren McPherson -- a three-time Oregon state champion from Hillsboro -- got a late takedown to edge Josh Whisenhunt 7-6, OSU freshman Isaac Wood began his college career with a pin of B.J. Sanchez in just 2:07. Sanchez was 9-2 going into the match.
"Our conditioning looked good," Wells said. "In terms of using our conditioning, it could be better. All in all, I was pleased. Stanford handled Portland State earlier, then we came back and did an OK job. It's a good beginning for the year.
"Dual meets are different than tournaments, and this was good for us. I hope it springs us off to a good start."
Two weeks ago several OSU wrestlers participated with the Southern Oregon Open at Ashland, winning six of the 10 titles. Winners were: Jason Buce (118), Jake Whisenhunt (126), Oscar Wood (134), Jason Gutches (167), Shane Zajac (190) and Mat Orndorff (hwt.)
In Pennsylvania next weekend, the team will duel Lehigh on Friday (Dec. 6) and join the Sheridan Tournament on Saturday (Dec. 7).
Duals home meets are set for Dec. 14, noon against Portland State and 2 p.m. taking on Southern Oregon.

Results
OREGON STATE 36, STANFORD 11
118
126
134
142
150
158
167
177
190
HWT		 Jason Buce, OSU, pinned Rudy Ruiz, STAN, 0:21
Jake Whisenhunt, OSU, pinned Zach Zimmerer, STAN, 0:32
Oscar Wood, OSU, pinned Frank Ruiz, STAN, 3:55
Warren McPherson, STAN, dec. Josh Whisenhunt, OSU, 7-6
Isaac Wood, OSU, pinned B.J. Sanchez, STAN, 2:07
Jim Kutz, OSU, dec. Doug Bardsley, STAN, 13-6
Jason Gutches, OSU, dec. Jeff Grant, STAN, 15-7
Scott Chapman, STAN, dec. Clint Wilson, OSU, 8-5
Bryan Vaniman, STAN, technical fall over Chris Renzullo, OSU, 5:43
Mat Orndorff, OSU, technical fall over Chris Serjack, STAN, 3:27
ATTENDANCE - 587. Rick Franklin was the referee.

STANFORD 33, PORTLAND STATE 8
118
126
134
142
150
158
167
177
190
HWT		 Julian Lawrence, PSU, dec. Rudy Ruiz, STAN, 14-3
Zach Zimmerer, STAN, dec. Tyko Isaacson, PSU, 7-2
Doug White, PSU, dec. Frank Ruiz, STAN, 12-3
Warren McPherson, STAN, dec. Brad Gallites, PSU, 10-2
B.J. Sanchez, STAN, injury default over Ken McMahon, PSU, 4:02
Doug Bardsley, STAN, dec. Mike Bledsoe, PSU, 11-3
Jeff Grant, STAN, dec. Derrick Kitts, PSU, 10-2
Scott Chapman, STAN, dec. Kirt Hanneberg, PSU, 13-5
Bryan Vaniman, STAN, technical fall over Dan Wiley, PSU, 7:00
Chris Serjack, STAN, dec. Adam Reese, PSU, 7-0

Gazette-Times Story


[OSU Wrestling 1997]
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