Oklahoma Hosts Gold Classic

Nov. 9, 2000

Oklahoma Gold Classic
Nov. 12
Brockport, N.Y.

THE SOONERS
The Oklahoma Sooners enter the 2000-2001 season ranked as high as sixth nationally. OU lost four seniors off last year's squad and junior Tommy Grossman, who is on a religious mission. Senior two-time NCAA qualifier David Kjeldgaard will also miss the first half of the season and is questionable for this season with a knee injury. The Sooners do return three-time All-American and Big 12 Champion Michael Lightner (141 pounds), two-time NCAA qualifier Jared Frayer (149) and first-team freshman All-American Robbie Waller (165). Witt Durden, who failed to qualify for the national tournament last season also returns and has been ranked as high as eighth in preseason polls at 133 pounds. Michael Barger (174) and Waymon May (197) also return to the starting lineup and were Big 12 runners-up in 1999. Barger compiled a 21-6 record while serving as back-up to NCAA champion Byron Tucker and May redshirted last season. Several new faces will also contribute to the Sooner lineup. Bo Maynes is ranked as high as 10th nationally at 125 pounds but will face stiff competition from Matt Ridings. With Kjeldgaard and transfer Brian Burrows currently hobbled by injuries, Mark Worthy is poised to start at 157 pounds. Transfer first-team freshman All-American Josh Lambrecht, the 2000 Southern Conference Champion at 197 pounds, will move down a weight class and start for OU at 184. Leonce Crump was victorious during the annual Red/White Classic and will start for the Sooners at heavyweight.

OKLAHOMA GOLD CLASSIC
Oklahoma and SUNY Brockport will team up to host the second annual Oklahoma Gold Classic in Brockport, N.Y. The tournaments co-host, the Golden Eagles finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships last season. Division I schools Edinboro, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Bloomsburg and Cleveland State will join Division II Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown in the tournament. OU won the inaugural event by over 100 points and crowned seven individual champions.

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 107 wins and should move into the top 10 in all-time wins. 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. Junior Jared Frayer is also climbing the career charts. He needs only two pins to move into the top 20 in all-time pins.

THE RANKINGS
The OU wrestling team is ranked seventh in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and sixth by InterMat. The following wrestlers are ranked in their individual weight classes by Amateur Wrestling News and/or InterMat.

125: Bo Maynes #13 (AWN), #10 (IM)
133: Witt Durden #9 (AWN), #8 (IM)
141: Michael Lightner #2 (AWN, IM)
149: Jared Frayer #12 (AWN), #8 (IM)
165: Robbie Waller #7 (AWN, IM)
174: Michael Barger #11 (AWN), #12 (IM)
184: Josh Lambrecht #12 (AWN), #13 (IM)
197: Waymon May #9 (AWN), #10 (IM)

HEAD COACH JACK SPATES
Entering his eighth season at the helm of the OU wrestling program, Jack Spates' Sooners are once again among the top teams in the nation. This former college national champion and NCAA runner-up is nationally known for taking wrestlers and programs who have experienced minimal success and turning them into champions. Coming to a program with the tradition that the University of Oklahoma was the kind of challenge Spates had looked for in his career.

In the three years prior to Spates arrival at OU, the Sooners' average finish at the NCAA Championships was 23rd. In his first six years, he has guided his squads to four top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at last season's NCAA Championships, OU's best in over a decade.

Spates has developed 21 All-Americans while at OU, including three-time All-American Michael Lightner and undefeated NCAA champion Byron Tucker.

Last season, Spates led OU to an 17-4-1 record and as high as third in the national polls. Two Sooners earned conference championships, three earned All-America honors, including NCAA titlest Byron Tucker, and nine OU wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships.

PROJECTED LINEUP
#7/#6 Oklahoma

125 pounds:	#13/#10 Bo Maynes, So.
	Matt Ridings, Jr.
133 pounds:	#9/#8 Witt Durden, So.
141 pounds:	#2/#2 Michael Lightner, Sr.
	Brett Robinson, So.
149 pounds:	#12/#8 Jared Frayer, Jr.
157 pounds:	Mark Worthy, Fr.-RS
165 pounds:	#7/#7 Robbie Waller, So.
	James O'Leary, So.
174 pounds:	#11/#12 Michael Barger, Jr.
	Rowdy Lundegreen, Jr.
184 pounds:	#12/#13 Josh Lambrecht, So.
	Jeff Henning, So.
	OR Nick Curcio, Jr.
197 pounds:	#9/#10 Waymon May, Sr.
	David Stitt, So.
Heavyweight:	Leonce Crump, Fr.-RS
	Gary Barber, Jr.

Team rankings: NWCA/InterMat
Individual Rankings: Amateur Wrestling News/InterMat.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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