Sooners Head To Big 12 Wrestling Championships

March 2, 2001

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THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Big 12 Championships will be held in Stillwater, Okla., at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Once again this season's field will consist of some of the best teams and individual wrestlers in the country. Four schools - second-ranked Oklahoma State, fifth-ranked Iowa State, sixth-ranked Oklahoma, ninth-ranked Nebraska - and Missouri will battle for the conference team crown. The Championships start at 6 p.m. on Friday with the pigtail round and the semifinals will begin at 7 p.m. The tournament starts up again on Saturday at 10 p.m. with the consolation semifinals and consolation finals. The finals begin at 2 p.m.

IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Iowa State brings one of the best wrestlers in the nation in Cael Sanderson to the Big 12 Championships. The two-time defending national champion at 184 pounds, Sanderson has posted a perfect record in his college career. The Cyclones also boast a pair of second-ranked wrestlers in Joe Heskett at 165 pounds and 197-pounder Zach Thompson. Heskett holds a 2-1 advantage over OU's Robbie Waller this season with Waller winning their latest meeting. Thompson has downed Sooner Waymon May twice this season, each win by a single point. Other top 10 wrestlers for ISU include 133-pound Matt Azevedo (2-0 against Witt Durden), Zach Roberson at 141 (0-3 against Michael Lightner), 157-pound Cole Sanderson (2-0 against Brian Burrows) and Perry Parks (2-0 against Michael Barger) at 174.

MISSOURI TIGERS
Missouri is the only Big 12 school not ranked in the top 10 nationally but boast two ranked wrestlers - Justin Spates at 125 and 174-pounder John Kopnisky. Spates lost to Matt Ridings in dual action when Ridings scored a takedown with :44 left in their match. Kopnisky has split with Michael Barger this season. Barger won their last meeting in Norman, 6-5. The Tigers only win in their dual against the Sooners was Jesse Jordan against Tony Moore.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska is currently ranked ninth nationally but fell to OU, 33-7, in their dual in Norman. Nebraska's top wrestler is current No. 1 and defending national champion Brad Vering at 197 pounds. Vering lost his only career meeting with Sooner Waymon May, 3-2. The Huskers also have the Big 12's highest-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds in second-ranked Bryan Snyder. Todd Beckerman (133) is also ranked as high as second in the polls and beat OU's Witt Durden, 7-4. Oklahoma native Jason Powell is ranked sixth nationally for NU at 125 but lost on a reverse to Matt Ridings with :42 remaining in his match. Nebraska's only other ranked wrester is Ati Conner (No. 12 at 174 pounds) who lost a narrow, 2-1, decision to Michael Barger in their only meeting this season.

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Ranked second nationally, Oklahoma State is the highest rated team in the Big 12. The powerful Cowboy lineup, which has all 10 wrestler ranked in at least one poll, features seven wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Leading the charge is top-ranked 149-pounder Reggie Wright. Wright is one of only three Big 12 wrestlers still undefeated this season (Cael Sanderson and Michael Lightner are the others) and has never lost to OU's Jared Frayer. Johnny Thompson has moved into the starting lineup at 133 pounds and has defeated Witt Durden twice this season. The man he replaced in the lineup, Charles Walker, has moved up to 141 pounds. Walker has never beaten Sooner Michael Lightner and lost their latest meeting, 5-3. A pair of third-ranked wrestles - Daniel Cormier (184) and Mark Mu-oz (197) - have also posted perfect records against their OU foes. Cormier has two dominating wins against Josh Lambrecht while Mu-oz's two victories against Waymon May have been by a combined three points.

LAST TIME
The Sooners dominated No. 12 Michigan State, 30-6. OU's only two losses came at 157 and 133 pounds. Michael Lightner, Robbie Waller and Michael Barger all won by bonus.

LIGHTNER EARNS SECOND BIG 12 WRESTLER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Oklahoma senior 141-pounder Michael Lightner was selected Big 12 Wrestler of the Week as announced by the conference office Tuesday. He became the only Big 12 wrestler to earn the honor twice this season. Lightner, undefeated at 30-0 this season, defeated No. 16 Mike Castillo by major decision, 14-5, in OU's 30-6 win against 12th-ranked Michigan State. Lightner joins fellow senior Waymon May (197 pounds) and junior Michael Barger (174) who also won the award this season. An OU wrestler was honored as Big 12 Wrestler of the Week four times this season, more than any other school.

LIGHTNER AIMS TO BECOME FIRST FOUR-TIME BIG 12 CHAMP
Michael Lightner has the opportunity to become not only OU's first four-time conference champion but the first four-time Big 12 champion. The senior 141-pounder could also become the Sooners first four-time All-American since John Kading (1994-97). His 137 career wins ranks second all-time in OU history. The school record holder in single-season victories (42 in 1999), a midseason injury sidelined Lightner's chance of breaking the school all-time victory mark. Lightner has won 24 of his 30 matches (80 percent) by bonus this season. He has been ranked second by every wrestling poll all season.

FRAYER ON FIRE
With 19 pins on the season, fifth-ranked Jared Frayer has now moved into sixth in career falls at OU with 34. The 19 pins are a career high and is the second most pins by an OU grappler in a single-season. He trails only Dan Chaid (24) in single-season pins. Frayer has beaten three opponents ranked in the top 10 and won career-high 32 matches. He has won 78.1 percent of his matches by bonus. Frayer leads the Big 12 in pins. He is currently ranked as high as fifth.

CRUMP OFF TO FAST START
Redshirt-freshman heavyweight Leonce Crump is off to a fast start, beginning his Sooner career with a 27-9 record. The champion of the Oklahoma Open, he is second on the team in pins with 11, the highest total by a heavyweight since Herb Calvert posted 18 in 1976. Crump is currently ranked No. 11 nationally.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY!
After a slow start at the beginning of the season, senior 197-pounder Waymon May is now one of the hottest wrestlers in the nation. May has won 18 of his last 22 matches, including a 3-2 triumph against top-ranked defending national champion Brad Vering of Nebraska. His four losses during his that span were by one point each. May has also tallied a career-high nine pins. He is currently ranked eighth nationally by AWN.

WALLER AMONG NATION'S BEST
Sophomore Robbie Waller, 28-4, is among the best 165 pounders in the nation. He has notched three wins against top 10 ranked wrestlers including upsets of No. 6 Ty Wilcox of OSU and Iowa State's top-ranked Joe Heskett. Thirteen of Waller's wins have come by major decision and another three by technical fall. He is ranked fifth by Amateur Wrestling News and third by InterMat.

RIDING(S) A WINNING STREAK
With starter Bo Maynes out with injury, junior Matt Ridings has been thrust into the lineup at 125 pounds. Ridings has posted a perfect 11-0 dual record and is riding a 16-match winning streak. His last loss came at the Oklahoma Open on Nov. 25. Ridings has also won four straight bouts against ranked opponents. Two of of Ridings four losses this season have been to Maynes. He cracked the rankings for the first time in his career at No. 12 by Amateur Wrestling News. Ridings is now ranked fifth by AWN and fourth by InterMat.

NO. 1 GOES DOWN...AGAIN
When 197-pounder Waymon May upset top-ranked Brad Vering, 3-2, in the Nebraska dual, it marked the third time this season that a Sooner has knocked off a No. 1-ranked wrestler. Michael Barger began the run for the Sooners when he pinned the No. 1 at 174 pounds, Otto Olson of Michigan. It was Olson's first loss of the season. Less than two weeks,22 later Robbie Waller (165) downed Iowa State's Joe Heskett, the nation's top-ranked wrestler by Amateur Wrestling News.

BARGER FEATURED IN FACES IN THE CROWD
OU 174 pounder Michael Barger was recently featured in the Faces in the Crowd feature in Sports Illustrated. The junior won the honor after pinning top-ranked Otto Olson of Michigan at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals. He also earned Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors earlier this season. Barger has posted career highs in both wins (26) and pins (seven).

KJELDGAARD, WORTHY OUT FOR SEASON AT 157
Considered one of OU's deepest weights during fall drills, 157 pounds has been depleted by a rash of early season knee injuries. Three grapplers - senior two-time NCAA qualifier David Kjeldgaard, junior Brian Burrows and redshirt-freshman Mark Worthy - were in a heated three-way battle for the starting nod. Kjeldgaard is currently recovering from knee surgery, his fourth in as many seasons, and is lost for the year. Worthy sported a 5-2 record and was ranked 18th in the country by Amateur Wrestling News before suffering an ACL injury in the Oklahoma State dual. Burrows, a junior transfer from OSU, was held out of drills for much of the early season due to a knee injury but made his season debut against Seton Hall. Redshirt-freshman Tony Moore competed for the Sooners at 157 in the Lone Star Duals, becoming OU's third grappler to start a dual at that weight.

SPATES WINS 100TH DUAL AT OU
Head Coach Jack Spates won his 100th dual at Oklahoma with a 21-16 victory at Fresno State on Jan. 14. Spates' record at OU currently stands at 109-43-5.

SOONER HEAD COACH JACK SPATES
Spates came to the University of Oklahoma from Cornell, where he owned the school's highest winning percentage after compiling an impressive 74-14-1 record over five seasons. Oklahoma finished fourth at the 2000 NCAA Wrestling Championships, its highest finish since 1989. The Sooners also crowned its first national champion since 1996 and two Big 12 Champions. OU tallied a 17-4-1 dual record and climbed as high as third in the polls. This came just one season after Oklahoma won the conference championship for the first time since 1986 and placed sixth at the NCAA Championships. The man who led the Sooners to those feats was head coach Jack Spates, the 1999 Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year. Spates has produced 20 All-Americans while at OU, including four-time All-American and NCAA Champion John Kading at 190 pounds, undefeated NCAA Champion Byron Tucker at 174 pounds and three-time All-Amercian and two-time NCAA runner-up Michael Lightner.

KING PINS
With 72 pins already this season, OU wrestlers have already surpassed their total of last season. Several Sooners have either already set career highs for falls or have surpassed last season's total. Leading the pin parade is junior Jared Frayer with a career-high and Big 12 leading 19 pins. He has led OU in pins in each of the last two seasons and ranks sixth in career falls with 34. His 19 pins are the second highest single season total in school history. Heavyweight Leonce Crump has tallied 11 pins in his freshman campaign, the highest total by an OU heavyweight since Herb Calvert posted 18 in 1976. Michael Lightner, Michael Barger and Waymon May have also both set career bests for falls with six and nine, respectively. Frayer (50.0 percent) would currently place 13th in single-season fall percentage.

WELDON, JONES PROMOTED TO TOP ASSISTANTS
OU assistant coaches Barry Weldon and Rodney Jones have been promoted to head assistant coach and second assistant coach, respectively. After former assistant coach Chuck Barbee left to become the head coach at Army, head coach Jack Spated conducted a national search before promoting Weldon and Jones. Derek DelPorto will now serve as the Sooners' volunteer assistant.

LIGHTNER SELECTED FOR ALL-STAR DUAL
OU senior 141-pounder Michael Lightner has been selected to compete in the NWCA All-Star Dual at Franklin and Marshall University. The nation's second-ranked wrestler at 141, Lightner did not participate in the competition due to injury.

OU ON THE INTERNET
Sooner wrestling will broadcast selected home and road duals on the official OU athletic website, soonersports.com. The action will be called by veteran radio personality James Hale with analyst Dr. Ron Tripp. Dual broadcasts can be accessed on the site's front page. Audio with Sooner head coach Jack Spates and selected OU wrestlers will also be available weekly by accessing the audio/video page of the website.

UP NEXT
Sooners that qualify will travel to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Iowa City, Iowa. Competition takes place March 15-17.