Wrestlers Claim Impressive Title in Brockport, N.Y.

Nov. 14, 2009

BROCKPORT, N.Y.—The 18th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team won its 11th straight Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic title Saturday over an impressive field that included 2009 NCAA runner-up Ohio State and sixth place finisher Edinboro.

Additionally, three Sooners claimed individual titles and seven more garnered top-four finishes.

“This was an outstanding team performance,” head coach Jack Spates said. “Everybody battled hard and our guys recorded some big upsets and we had some clutch performances.”

The Sooners edged the Buckeyes 144.5 team points to 144. Oklahoma took the lead from Ohio State on the final bout of the night, a heavyweight matchup between OU's Nathan Fernandez and OSU's Corey Morrison for third place. Fernandez claimed a 7-2 decision to give the Sooners the team championship.

Rutgers (120.5), Edinboro (110) and Kent State (100.5) rounded out the top five.

Recording 4-0 outings on the day to capture individual crowns were Shane Vernon (157 pounds), Jeff James (174) and Eric Lapotsky (197). Lapotsky recorded three falls on the day, giving him a team-leading four pins on the young season.

FINAL BRACKET

Sooners earning second place finishes were Zack Bailey at 141 pounds, Kyle Terry at 149 pounds and Chad Terry at 157 pounds.

Additionally, Justin Forrest was awarded third place at 125 pounds and Derek Peperas (165 pounds) and Erich Schmidtke (184) each earned fourth place finishes.

“This is a great building block for the future,” Spates said. “With a competitive tournament like this, it can expose you in areas where you need to get stronger. But it also showed a lot about our character. We had a lot of guys step up and we had some young guys gain valuable experience.”

Oklahoma returns to dual action next Sunday, Nov. 22, when it hosts Arizona State at 2 p.m. inside Howard McCasland Field House in Norman.

Final Team Standings

1. Oklahoma (144.5 points)
2. Ohio State (144)
3. Rutgers (120.5)
4. Edinboro (110)
5. Kent State (100.5)
6. Army (81)
7. Liberty (37.5)
8. Brockport (11.5)

Wrestlers Claim Impressive Title in Brockport, N.Y.

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Wrestlers Claim Impressive Title in Brockport, N.Y.

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