Six OU Wrestlers Advance in Championship Bracket

March 16, 2000

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The University of Oklahoma wrestling team advanced six wrestlers to the championship bracket in the opening session of the NCAA wrestling championships. The Sooners have scored 13 team points and currently sit in sixth place.

Fourth-seeded David Kjeldgaard led the way for the Sooners, winning two matches by major decision in the opening session. The 157 pounder defeated Indiana's Kevin Stanley, 15-5, and blanked Bill Boeh of Duquesne, 8-0. Top-ranked 174-pounder Byron Tucker also won by major decision, downing Will Hill of Michigan State. Michael Lightner, seeded second at 141 pounds, decisioned Edinboro's Cory Ace, 12-6, and No. 12 Jared Frayer downed Stan Spoor of Clarion, 6-1, at 149 pounds. Eighth-seeded Robbie Waller, 165, advanced with a 7-4 win over Old Dominion's Jeff Rusak. Orville Palmer received an opening round bye and is seeded fifth at 197 pounds.

Three Sooners fell to the consolation bracket. Quantres Bates was seeded fourth at 125 pounds but was upset by Ruben DeLeon of Cal. State-Bakersfield. Two other OU grapplers fell to seeded wrestlers. Tom Grossman lost by major decision to fourth-seeded Brandon Eggum of Minnesota and Ohio's ninth-seeded Tim Courtad defeated Brent Boeshans, 6-3.

"Like any tournament of this caliber, you get the good and the bad," said OU Head Coach Jack Spates. "If you're in the top five and want to contend, you've got to have more good than bad. Quantres (Bates) being upset hurt us badly. It's important that he comes back strong through the consolations. We didn't upset anyone, but won everywhere else that we should have. We had a lot of positives. David Kjeldgaard was outstanding, as was Byron Tucker. Michael Lightner and Jared Frayer also wrestled well. We have to crank it up tonight."

Session two begins tonight at 6:30.

Oklahoma Session-One Results

125:	Ruben DeLeon, Cal. State-Bakersfield, dec. #4 Quantres Bates, OU, 9-5
141:	#2 Michael Lightner, OU, dec. Cory Ace, Edinboro, 12-6
149:	#12 Jared Frayer, OU, dec. Stan Spoor, Clarion, 6-1
157:	#4 David Kjeldgaard, OU, maj. dec. Kevin Stanley, Indiana, 15-5
	#4 David Kjeldgaard, OU, maj. dec. Bill Boeh, Duquesne, 8-0
165:	#8 Robbie Waller, OU, dec. Jeff Rusak, Old Dominion, 7-4
174:	#1 Byron Tucker, OU, maj. dec. Will Hill, Michigan State, 14-3
184:	#4 Brandon Eggum, Minnesota, dec. Tom Grossman, OU, 13-3
197:	#5 Orville Palmer, Bye
Hwt:	#9 Tim Courtad, Ohio, dec. Brent Boeshans, OU, 6-3

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Six OU Wrestlers Advance in Championship Bracket

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