The finals are set and the team race is basically over, but there is still a lot to be decided as the Big 10 gets going on day two. There are still some big individual matches for spots in the NCAA Championships and bragging rights. Eight of the eleven schools in the conference are represented in the finals. Iowa has six in the finals. Minnesota advanced four, and Ohio State pushed three to the finals. The team standings are as follows:

1. Iowa 137.0
2. Minnesota 104.5
3. Ohio State 86.0
4. Wisconsin 82.0
5. Penn State 66.0
6. Purdue 65.0
7. Michigan State 58.5
8. Indiana 55.0
9. Illinois 48.5
10. Michigan 46.5
11. Northwestern 17.0

The individual championship matches are set:

125- #1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) vs. # 3 Matt McDonough (Iowa)
133- # 1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) vs. # 3 Daniel Dennis (Iowa)
141- # 2 Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) # No. 8 Mike Thorn (Minnesota)
149- # 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. # 2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State)
157- # 6 Cyler Sanderson (Penn State) vs. Colton Salazar (Purdue)
165- # 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. # 6 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State)
174- # 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. # 7 Scott Glasser (Minnesota)
184- # 2 John Dergo (Illinois) vs. # 10 Phil Keddy (Iowa)
197- # 7 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) vs. # 13 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota)
285- # 2 Nathan Everhart (Indiana) vs. # 10 Dan Erekson (Iowa)

LCW heads to a few tourneys this weekend for coverage. UC Davis is the site of the 2010 Pac 10 Championships and we are there.  We will also be on hand for the 2010 Oregon High School State Championships, live from Portland, Oregon.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the great action.

The movement is on, and it is not just to save Cal State Bakersfield wrestling.  This project is to save wrestling and build on it, over the next several years in the state of California.  Right now, it is Bakersfield that needs immediate help from the wrestling community and some willingness to work together by the university administration.  Please check this website out and help any way you can. It may be with your time, money, or willingness to make a call.  It all can help. 

http://www.savecaliforniawrestling.com/site_007.htm

Various sources are reporting that the Cal State Bakersfield wrestling program is among several at the university that are being considered for elimination.  We certainly hope this is not the case and will be on the story. Please follow the link and stay tuned.


http://news.theopenmat.com/?p=8142

The Pac-10 Conference is represented by three teams in the latest Intermat Top 25 Poll.  Boise State dropped to #12 after its' defeat to unranked Utah Valley last weekend.  It is worth noting that the Broncos were not at full strength last week in their loss.  The status of their lineup remains a question heading into this weekends showdown with Oregon State. 

Oregon State comes in to this week at #15, after their victory over Fullerton and #16 Cal Poly last weekend.  Cal Poly remained at #16.  The Mustangs defeated Arizona State 20-18, and fell to Oregon State 21-18.  Arizona State who had previously been as high as #16, is not ranked this week. The Pac 10 season is heading into the stretch run, with the Pac-10 Championships slated for February 26/27. 

Clackamas Matmen Prepare for Region 18 Championships

 

Oregon City, OR- The Clackamas Community College wrestling team is currently preparing for the Region 18 Championships that will be held this Saturday at Highline Community College in Des Moines, WA.  The Cougars are currently the #5 ranked Junior College team in the country and they head in to the event having finished runner up to North Idaho College in 2009 Championships.  The tournament starts at 10 a.m. Saturday morning with the finals set for around 4 p.m.

 The annual tournament acts as the Western Region qualifier for the NJCAA National Championships and is recognized as one of the toughest regions in the country.   In the final regular season rankings done by the NJCAA Coaches Association, 3 members of Region 18 are ranked in the top 10 in the country with Clackamas, North Idaho and Highline ranked #5, #6, and #7 respectively.  Southwest Oregon and Yakima come in at #19 and #22 in the country.

 "Although we have only 5 teams in our region it is consistently one of the best regions in the country not only because of the current rankings but because of how we finish at the NJCAA National Championships," said Coach Josh Rhoden.  While the current Cougar squad is ranked one spot ahead of rival North Idaho it is the Cardinals who have to be dethroned as they have won 8 straight Region 18 Championships.  "We may be ranked ahead of NIC but that doesn't mean a whole lot to us, they are the team to beat and we know we have to get out there and wrestle our butts off," added Rhoden.

 The Cougar wrestlers welcome any and all to make the trip to Des Moines to root them on as they start the post season and hope to see you at Highline CC on Saturday!

 

 

 

Arizona State showed some good signs against the #2 team in NCAA, but came up short on Sunday.  ASU was able to win three of the ten bouts, but lost 30-10 to the Cyclones.

Anthony Robles trailed Andrew Long by a 10-2 margin, before going to work on top.  Robles scored three sets of nearfall points to earn a hard fought 12-10 victory at 125 lbs. Also winning for the Devils were Chris Drouin at 141, over #13 Dalton Jensen. Jake Meredith got the win at 184 for ASU. 

Vincente Varella came up a point short to nationally ranked Mitch Mueller at 149, falling 3-2. Eric Nye also dropped a 4-1 decision to highly ranked heavyweight David Zabriskie.

For the Cyclones, the win marked the 1000th victory in school history. They became the first school to gain this feat.

The great west coast showdown between Oregon State and Cal Poly came down to the wire on Saturday night. Cal Poly, ranked #16 hosted Oregon State, #18 in a Pac 10 dual.  The Mustangs welcomed back their alumni for this meet and have had a good run of success this season for the alumni to be happy about. 

Oregon State pulled out the 21-18 victory in the end, to run their season record to 18-1.  Cal Poly was down 6-0 after OSU wrestlers won the first two weight classes.  Kelly Kubec ranked #16 nationally, defeated #5 Boris Novatchkov 7-5 in overtime.  Cal Poly came back to win the next three weight classes, including an upset by fall by Nick Fischer at 149 to gain the lead and momentum for the Mustangs.

Oregon State won for of the last five bouts to take a 21-18 win. Junior Colby Covington won his 32nd match of the season by fall, his 15th to score key points for the Beavers.  Sophomores Chad Hanke and Clayton Jack won the last two matches for OSU to seal the victory.

Coming off their convincing 35-5 win over Arizona State last Sunday,Oregon State will go back on the road this week.  Oregon State moved its' season record to 16-1, and have been winners in their last 15 duals. Next up for OSU will be Pac 10 opponents Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly.  The Beavers will take on Fullerton on Friday, and travel to Cal Poly for a Saturday evening match.  

Cal Poly comes into the weekend ranked #16, while Oregon State is #18. Cal Poly will also be in action on Friday night against Arizona State, so the Pac 10 season is very busy this time of year. The dual season is winding down and teams will soon begin preparation for the Pac 10 and BCAA post-season tournaments. 

The Lakers won 3 duals over the weekend, and looked pretty good doing so.
An update on the Southwestern Oregon Lakers:

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2010/02/02/sports/lakers_capture_3_duals_6b2.txt