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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Big 12 All-Star Wrestlers Set To Host Koreans
May 07, 2000 | Wrestling
May 7, 2000
NORMAN, Okla. - Under the direction of all five conference coaches, 10 of the finest wrestlers in the Big 12 will host a Korean all-star team in Norman, Okla., beginning on Friday, May 19.
Sponsored by USA Wrestling and the Big 12 Conference, the all-stars will compete against each other on Sunday, May 21.
The Big 12 All-Stars consist of four Big 12 champions from the 2000 season, and they include Oklahoma's Michael Lightner. Lightner won his third-consecutive Big 12 Championships last season and finished as the NCAA runner-up for the second time. The three-time All-American holds the OU single-season record for victories and currently ranks 11th on the all-time list. The 141-pounder will compete in his second dual against the Korean all-stars.
Cael Sanderson, a sophomore from Iowa State, is the two-time defending NCAA Oustanding Wrestler and will also be wrestling in the all-star dual. Sanderson is undefeated in collegiate dual matches. He finished last season with a 40-0 dual record at 184 pounds.Sanderson is joined by teammates Matt Azevedo and Joe Heskett. Azevedo, a junior, finished the 1999-00 season with an 18-13 dual mark at 125 pounds and was ranked as high as 13th by InterMat. Heskett, a sophomore, spent much of the year ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds. He finished second at both the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Championships. The Cyclones finished second at the NCAA's behind Iowa.
Three Huskers will represent the University of Nebraska. Junior Todd Beckerman will wrestle at 134.2 pounds. He finished second at the Big 12 Championships in 2000 at 133 pounds. Bryan Snyder, the Big 12 Champion at 157 pounds, will wrestle at 156.2 pounds. At 198 pounds, the Koreans must go through NCAA champion and Husker junior Brad Vering.
Oklahoma State, the Big 12 Conference team champion, will be represented by Reggie Wright at 149.6 pounds. The junior captured the conference title at 149 pounds.
Missouri's John Kopnisky will join teammate Chad Hertzog as the Tigers' representatives. Kopnisky was second in the conference at 174 pounds. Hertzog will compete in the heavyweight division.
Oklahoma's Michael Lightner, the conference champion at 141 pounds, will represent the Sooners in front of a home crowd.
Funding for the Big 12 All-Stars was made in 1997 when the conference was awarded a grant from the United State Olympic Committee and the NCAA. The Big 12 All-Stars traveled to San Francisco last year to train before flying to South Korea to take on the foreign all-stars.
2000 Big 12 All-Stars Freestyle Wrestling Roster
| Name, School | Weight (in pounds) | Class | Hometown |
| Matt Azevedo, Iowa State | 129.8 | Jr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Todd Beckerman, Nebraska | 134.2 | Jr. | Crofton, Md. |
| Michael Lightner, Oklahoma | 140.8 | Jr. | Marlow, Okla. |
| Reggie Wright, Oklahoma State | 149.6 | Jr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| Bryan Snyder, Nebraska | 156.2 | So. | Easton, Pa. |
| Joe Heskett, Iowa State | 165 | Jr. | Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio |
| John Kopnisky, Missouri | 173.8 | So. | Jefferson City, Mo. |
| Cael Sanderson, Iowa State | 184.8 | So. | Heber City, Utah |
| Brad Vering, Nebraska | 198 | Jr. | Howells, Neb. |
| Chad Hertzog, Missouri | HWT | So. | Greenwood, Mo. |
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