Midlands Championships Next for Sooners

Dec. 28, 2010

Wrestling at Midlands Championships
Date	Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 29-30
Location	Evanston, Ill.
Venue	Welsh-Ryan Arena
Schedule	2010-11 Schedule
Roster	2010-11 Sooners \| Coaching Staff
Information	Tournament Headquarters \| Bracket (12/29)
Radio	Takedown Radio Coverage

NORMAN, Okla. – The eighth-ranked Oklahoma wrestling squad will travel to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the 48th-annual Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30, at the Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The Sooners (5-1, 0-1) will be well represented at the prestigious tournament with four nationally-ranked wrestlers set to participate.

Competition is expected to be stiff, as 15 of the NWCA/USA Today's top-25 teams will be on hand to participate in the tournament format. Five of the aforementioned teams are ranked in the top-10 and include: No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 6 Iowa, No. 9 Illinois, No. 10 Lehigh along with No. 8 OU. In addition, 26 teams entering the Midlands have 97-ranked individuals - four No. 1's, five No. 2's and 51 among the top 10 - in the latest Amateur Wrestling News rankings.

Earlier this season Oklahoma placed fourth at the Cliff Keen Invitational and just like that tournament the Sooners hope to use this tournament as a preview of what's to come at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

“You've got a combination of the toughest teams in the country, along with extremely talented depth,” head coach Jack Spates said. “The competition level is high and we are excited to compete.”

The Sooners are coming off a disappointing loss at second-ranked Oklahoma State, 22-12. Spates' squad returns back to Norman on Friday, Jan. 7 for the annual “Beauty and the Beast” event, which pits the Sooners' wrestling team against Navy. The wrestlers will compete alongside the No. 4-ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team, who is set to take on the 11th-ranked Arkansas, inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 7 p.m.

RANKINGS RUNDOWN

Seven are ranked for Oklahoma in this week's Intermat individual rankings, led by fifth-ranked Jarrod Patterson at 125 pounds. Also ranked in the top 10 are No. 6 Zack Bailey (197 pounds) and No. 7 Tyler Caldwell (174). Nathan Fernandez (HWT) checks in at No. 11.

Erich Schmidtke stands 12th among 184 pounders, while Matt Lester (157) sits at No. 15. Sophomore Chase Nelson rounds out the rankings at No. 20 at 165 pounds.

Sooner Participants (Weight)	Hometown (Year)	Record
Jarrod Patterson (125)	Cushing, Okla. (So.)	12-2
Greg Cannon (125)	Tulsa, Okla. (RSr.)	4-1
Jordan Keller (133)	Wichita, Kan. (Jr.)	7-4
Dustin Reed (133)	Choctaw, Okla. (Fr.)	12-4
Seth Vernon (149)	Tulsa, Okla. (RJr.)	11-2
Nick Lester (149)	Eureka, Mo. (RFr.)	3-5
Chase Nelson (157)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	9-4
Tyler Caldwell (165)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	13-2
Ronnie Balfour (174)	Tulsa, Okla. (Fr.)	2-4
Erich Schmidtke (184)	Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.)	14-4
Keldrick Hall (197)	Dallas, Texas (RSo.)	10-5
Joe Bach (HWT)	Liberal, Kan. (RSo.)	4-0

Caldwell, Nelson Drop Weight Classes

Sophomores Tyler Caldwell and Chase Nelson have dropped weight classes and will compete at 165 and 157 pounds, respectively. Caldwell, reigning All-American at 165 pounds, has been impressive collecting a 13-2 record after moving up to 174 pounds. Nelson, a JUCO All-American, boasts a 9-4 record in his first season as a Sooner.

Bailey, Fernandez and Matt Lester Resting

Oklahoma standouts Zack Bailey (141), Matt Lester (157) and Nathan Fernandez (HWT) will not compete in the Midlands Championships and will rest in preparation for the second-half of the season. Bailey, reigning All-American, began the season ranked No. 1 and has slid to No. 6 after a subpar showing at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Fernandez is coming off of a Cliff Keen Championship after posting a 4-0 record in rout to the title.

2010 Midlands Championships

Schedule of Events
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Session I: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Session II: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30
Session III: Noon-3:30 p.m.
Herbert vs. Askren Super Match: 3:30 p.m.
Session IV (championship, third, fifth-place matches): 7:15 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Where OU stands in the polls...

Amateur Wrestling News (No. 7)
NWCA Coaches Poll (No. 8)
WrestlingReport.com (No. 9)
Intermat (No. 11)
W.I.N (No. 11)