Sooner Wrestling Announces Recruiting Class

June 14, 2000

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma wrestling team took a major stride towards its goal of winning a national championship by adding eight recruits in the spring signing period, in addition to early signees Wes Roberts and Matt Grice, announced OU Head Coach Jack Spates. Among the eight signed include three college transfers and five high school wrestlers. OU's recruiting class is currently ranked third in the nation by InterMat.

The three transfers are Brian Burrows (157), Josh Lambrecht (184) and Shane Zajac (Hwt). Burrows, a transfer from Oklahoma State, was a two-time Pennsylvania state champion. Burrows was the champion of the Great Plains Invitational and was a Junior National runner-up. Lambrecht, a native of Brandon, Fla., transferred to OU from Tennessee-Chattanooga. Lambrecht was a three-time state champion in high school and was named a first-team freshman All-American at 197 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News. Last season, he defeated such nationally ranked opponents as OU's Waymon May and Indiana All-American Victor Sveda. Shane Zajac will compete at heavyweight for the Sooners after transferring from Oregon State. Zajac was a Junior National Champion.

Included in the Sooners crop of high school wrestlers are state champions Jaime Hernandez of El Paso, Texas, Joel Tapler of Wichita, Kan., and Ben Connell of Lugoff-Elgin, S.C. Hernandez, who is slated to compete at 184 pounds for the Sooners, claimed two Texas state championships and Tapler, projected at 197 pounds, was a Kansas state champion. Connell was a four-time South Carolina State Champion, high school national champion and is ranked as the No. 1 heavyweight prospect in the country by some publications. Other signees include Danny Rubenstein, 141 pounds, North Brunswick, N.J. (fourth at state) and Blake Christianson, 197 pounds, Deer Creek, Okla. (state qualifier).

"We couldn't be more excited," said Spates. "We not only filled our needs, but met our objective of recruiting the top talent, with the top character, in the country. We feel confident that national champions will emerge from this group. This is the type of class that can help us realize our goal of bringing the national championship back to Norman."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Wrestling Announces Recruiting Class

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