Sooners Eye Podium Finish at NCAA's

March 18, 2008

2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Date	March 20-22
Location	St. Louis, Mo. \| Scottrade Center
TV/Radio	ESPNU
Tickets	Order Tickets Online

NORMAN, Okla.--Five Sooner wrestlers will set their sights on the podium at the NCAA Championships beginning this Thursday, March 20, in St. Louis, Mo. The action starts at 11 a.m., and will run through Saturday, March 22.

The No. 19 Oklahoma (14-5 on the season) squad is coming off of a fifth place finish at the Big 12 Championships in Stillwater, Okla., on March 8.

"It is a brand new season," head coach Jack Spates said. "Anything is possible in the postseason and good things happen if we continue to wrestle hard."

OU is lead into the championships by No. 5 Joshua Weitzel at 184 pounds and No. 10 Joel Flaggert, a two-time All-American, at 197 pounds. The senior duo, along with No. 17 Will Rowe at 149 pounds, are making their third trip to the NCAA's.

"There is no question the experiences those three have from previous trips will benefit them this week," Spates said.

Two other Sooners advancing to the national tournament are No. 15 true-freshman Joey Fio (125 pounds) and No. 16 redshirt freshman Zack Bailey (141 pounds). It marks the first career NCAA appearance for both.

OU QUALIFIERS	Hometown (Year)	Record
Joey Fio (125)	Sandpoint, Idaho (Fr.)	20-8
Zack Bailey (141)	Kansas City, Mo. (RFr.)	27-11
Will Rowe (149)	Arlington, Texas (Jr.)	23-7
Joshua Weitzel (184)	Lincoln University, Pa. (Sr.)	24-3
Joel Flaggert (197)	Choctaw, Okla. (Sr.)	22-5

Weitzel placed second at the Big 12's to advance, running his season record total to 24-3. Fio, Bailey and Rowe each placed third to qualify automatically and Flaggert was chosen as a wild care selection by league coaches.

Tickets to the championships are still available by calling toll-free (866) 646-8849.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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