Oregon State Wrestlers Face Tough Midwest Trek

OSU 141-pounder Kyle Larson moved into the NWCA individual rankings this week, checking in at 15th in his weight class after winning the title at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - Oregon State won’t be easing into the New Year, wrestling-wise.

The Beavers (6-0 overall, 2-0 Pacific-10) head for the midwest to meet 17th-ranked Nebraska (6-0 overall, 0-0 Big XII) on Friday, then visit Northern Iowa (0-3) and also go against 18th-ranked Tennessee-Chattanooga (5-0, 1-0 Southern) on Sunday.

While OSU and Northern Iowa aren’t ranked, both received votes in this week’s National Wrestling Coaches Association poll.

“It’ll be an interesting trip, especially after the break,” OSU head coach Jim Zalesky said. “We haven’t had any competition, so we’ll get those guys back in there and they’ll get to see a lot of good individuals, some pretty good teams - they’re ranked in the top 25, most of them. It will give us a pretty good test to see where we are right now and where we have to go.”

OSU’s last competition came on Dec. 20th, when the Beavers placed third in the 29-team Reno Tournament of Champions.

They had a seven-day break before returning to Corvallis and practice.

“They came back in pretty good shape, and that’s something I was pleased with,” Zalesky said. “We only had seven days off, which I think is good with this team. We had good training, so we’re ready to go and see where we are.”

OSU 141-pounder Kyle Larson moved into the NWCA individual rankings this week, checking in at 15th in his weight class after winning the title at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Oregon State 174-pounder Jeremy Larson slipped to 18th in his weight class after placing fifth in Reno and heavyweight Ty Watterson dropped to 12th after placing fourth in the tournament.

Nebraska has four wrestlers ranked in their weight class in the NWCA national poll this week, as 125-pounder Paul Donahoe is ranked 11th, 133-pounder Mike Rowe is ranked 17th, 141-pounder Dominick Moyer is ranked sixth and 165-pounder Marc Harwood is ranked 20th.

The Cornhuskers’ last team competition was Dec. 16th, when they beat Wyoming 34-10 and Nebraska-Kearney 30-18 in a pair of home duals.

Tennessee-Chattanooga has four nationally ranked wrestlers, as 125-pounder Javier Maldonado is 18th, 133-pounder Matt Keller is seventh, 141-pounder Michael Keefe is 17th and 149-pounder Aaron Martin is 12th. Last week, the Mocs placed sixth at the 32-team Southern Scuffle.

Northern Iowa has four wrestlers in this week’s NWCA poll, as 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson is 10th, 157-pounder Moza Fay is 18th, 165-pounder Nick Baima is sixth and 197-pounder Andrew Anderson is 19th.

The Panthers’ last action came at last week’s Midlands Open, where they finished eighth in the 56-team field.

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