OU Wrestling Prepares For Dual Meets

Nov. 20, 2000

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THE SOONERS
Oklahoma enters its first duals of the season after posting impressive performances at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and Missouri Open. Senior 141-pounder Michael Lightner has started the season on an eight-match winning streak and posted bonus points in six bouts. Junior Jared Frayer has also gotten off to a fast 8-1 start at 149 pounds this season. Frayer has pins in six of his nine matches and has beaten two top-10 foes.

The Sooners have won five-straight season openers and are 5-1-1 in opening duals under Jack Spates. This will be the first meeting between OU and Neosho CC. Oklahoma leads the all-time series against Central Oklahoma 34-8-1. OU has won 27-consecutive meetings between the two schools, its last loss coming in 1940.

MISSOURI OPEN RESULTS
OU 141-pounder Michael Lightner won his weight class and six other Sooners finished in the top three at the Missouri Open at Columbia, Mo., Sunday. Jared Frayer finished as the runner-up at 149 pounds and Bo Maynes (125), Witt Durden (133), Robbie Waller (165) and Waymon May (197) all placed third in their respective weight classes.

Lightner used a first-round pin and major decision victories in the quarter and semifinals to reach the championship match where he decisioned Wisconsin's Grant Hoerr, 5-3. The four wins moved Lightner into fifth in career victories at Oklahoma with 115.

Frayer pinned his first four opponents of the tournament to advance to the finals before falling to top-ranked Adam Tirapelle of Illinois, 5-3. With the four pins Frayer now has 21 for his career, the 11th best total in school history.

NEOSHO CC
OKlahoma will open its dual season against Neosho CC at Norman North High School at 11:30 Tues., Nov. 30. It will be the first ever meeting between OU and Neosho

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
A Division II power, Central Oklahoma will once again be poised for a run at a national championship. Ranked fourth in Division II, UCO has competed in two open tournaments and posted solid showings. Mark Dodgen, the defending national champion at 125 pounds, returns to the Broncho lineup as does DII runner-up Gable Sullivan (149) and All-American Joe Schneider (141). UCO also returns three NCAA qualifiers - Nathan Gomez (157), Lawal Muhammed (184) and T.J. Tallent (197). Sullivan has placed second in two tournaments theis season and Lawal won the 184-pound championship at the Central Missouri Open.

LIGHTNER AIMS FOR CAREER WIN MARK
Senior 141-pounder Michael Lightner will be gunning for several Sooner records this season, including the career victory mark. He has currently tallied 111 wins and is ranked ninth in all-time wins and could move into the top five on Sunday. The school record holder in single-season victories (42 in 1999), Lightner would need to break his own record to tie Dan Chaid's mark of 150 wins. He will also try to become OU's first four-time conference champion, the first four-time Big 12 champion and Oklahoma's first four-time All-American since John Kading 1994-1997.

FRAYER ON FIRE
With four straight pins at the Missouri Open, including a pin of seventh-ranked Billy Maldonado of Iowa State, Jared Frayer now has six falls in his nine matches this season. Frayer has beaten two opponents ranked in the top 10 and started the season on an eight-match winning streak. His only loss of the season was a 5-3 setback to top-ranked Adam Tirapelle of Illinois in the finals of the Missouri Open. Frayer is currently tied with Wayne Martin, OU's first national champion, for 11th in career pins with 21. His career best for pins in a season is eight.

UP NEXT
Several Sooners will compete at the Oklahoma Open, Sat. Nov. 25 at the Lloyd Noble Center. Competition begins at 11 a.m. with the finals scheduled for 7 p.m.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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