OU Seeks Third Straight Big 12 Win Saturday

Feb. 3, 2011

No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Missouri
Date	Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Howard McCasland Field House
Tickets	Free to the Public
Match Info	Live Stats \| Notes \| OU Roster \| 2010-11 Schedule and Results
Online	Live Webcast in Oklahoma All-Access
Promotions	• Pre-Match Coaching Clinic \| Clinic Info • Mini Megaphone Giveaway

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad (11-1, 2-1 Big 12) will attempt to win its third straight Big 12 dual Saturday, Feb. 5 when it takes on the 12th-ranked Missouri Tigers (14-6, 0-1) in Norman at 3 p.m.

“We are excited about the meet,” Jack Spates said. “It's going to be a great one. Missouri is a tough team that has beaten Oklahoma State this year and they wrestle tough.”

Oklahoma defeated Nebraska last Saturday by a 17-16 final to earn its second conference victory of the season. The Sooners won five straight bouts but saw a 17-6 lead vanish after dropping the final three matches of the evening.

With a win over MU, the Sooners will own three Big 12 victories in a season for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign when the Sooners finished third at the NCAA Championships and won the Big 12 title.

Last season, the Sooners ended a four-match losing streak to the Tigers after defeating Mizzou 25-10 on Feb. 6 in Columbus. OU leads the overall series with a 40-8-0 mark.

“I'm pleased at where we're at. We have been training and wrestling real hard and we are going into the meet with a lot of confidence. We're going to have to take control of the action from the beginning of the match until the end. There are some great matchups. At 125 pounds they are highly-ranked as we are and all the way down to heavyweight. It is going to be a great meet for our fans and its going to be exciting.”

RANKINGS RUNDOWN

Seven Sooners are ranked in this week's InterMat individual ranking, led by second-ranked Tyler Caldwell at 165 pounds. Senior Zack Bailey (141 pounds) sits at No. 6 and Jarrod Patterson is ranked No. 7 at 125 pounds.

Nathan Fernandez stands 13th among heavyweights. Chase Nelson (157) is No. 11, while Erich Schmidtke is 17th at 184 pounds. Jordan Keller (133) jumped to No. 17.

Missouri counters with eight ranked wrestlers. Leading the way for the Tigers is fourth-ranked Dom Bradley (HWT). Alan Waters (125) and Zach Toal (165) are each ranked-ninth in their weight classes. The Tigers' Todd Schavrien and Mike Larson both check in at No. 12 at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively.

Brent Haynes (197) is ranked No. 15, while Dorian Henderson sits at No. 20 among 174 pounders. Nick Gregoris (157) is not ranked by Intermat but is No. 15 by AWN.

Sooner Participants (Weight)	Hometown (Year)	Record
Jarrod Patterson (125)	Cushing, Okla. (So.)	23-4
Jordan Keller (133)	Wichita, Kan. (Jr.)	15-6
Zack Bailey (141)	Kansas City, Mo. (Sr.)	20-2
Matt Lester (149)	Eureka, Mo. (RFr.)	13-5
Chase Nelson (157)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	17-7
Tyler Caldwell (165)	Wichita, Kan. (So.)	25-4
Jeff James (174)	El Reno, Okla. (RSr.)	4-4
Ben Bridell (174)	Birmingham, Ala. (RSo.)	4-5
Erich Schmidtke (184)	Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.)	21-8
Keldrick Hall (197)	Dallas, Texas (RSo.)	13-10
Nathan Fernandez (HWT)	Lawton, Okla. (Sr.)	17-3

SOONER WRESTLING NOTES

Last Action
Oklahoma defeated Nebraska last Saturday by a 17-16 final to earn its second conference victory of the season. The Sooners won five straight bouts but saw a 17-6 lead vanish after dropping the final three matches of the evening.

Sooner to Watch
	Jarrod Patterson \| So. \| 125 pounds Patterson, 2010 Big 12 champion, looks to hold his ground against Missouri's Alan Waters, ranked No. 9 in the country.The Cushing, Okla., product is currently ranked No. 7 in the country by Intermat. Patterson is 10-1 in dual competition and is the winner of six-straight bouts.

Scouting Missouri
The Tigers are 14-6 in dual competition so far this year with victories over Lehigh (21-10), Central Michigan (29-12), Boise State (21-12) and Oklahoma State (21-19). All of Missouri's losses have come against ranked opponents including Cornell (18-15), Illinois (18-13) and most recently Nebraska (17-16).

Back-To-Back Big 12 Honors
Nathan Fernandez (HWT) and Tyler Caldwell (165 pounds) were each awarded Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors (Jan. 18, 24) after defeating American's then-No. 3 Ryan Flores (4-2) and Iowa State's 10th-ranked Andrew Sorneson (9-1), respectively.

Spates to Retire at End of Season
Oklahoma Head Wrestling Coach Jack Spates, who is in his 18th season with the Sooners, announced Wednesday, Jan. 5 that he plans to retire from the position at the end of the current season.

"This is something that I had planned for quite a while," Spates said.

"I've been blessed by my tenure at OU. I've worked with the greatest kids, athletic director and president. I will leave with a smile on my face. It's a young man's game and a sport that requires tremendous passion and energy and I feel God is leading me in another direction at this time."

That direction may involve ministerial work. Spates received a master's degree in theology and education from Baptist Bible Seminary in 1980.

Sammie Henson Tabbed Top Assistant
Tim Foley of InterMatWrestling tabbed Oklahoma assistant coach Sammie Henson as the top assistant in the country. The former three-time All-American, two-time NCAA champion and Olympic medalist, joined the staff last year (2009) and helped lead the Sooners to a top-five finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Dropping Weight
Sophomores Tyler Caldwell and Chase Nelson have dropped weight classes and will compete at 165 and 157 pounds, respectively. In addition, senior Jeff James and freshman Matt Lester also dropped to 174 and 149, respectively. Caldwell, reigning All-American at 165 pounds, has been impressive collecting a 14-2 record after moving up to 174 pounds.

Nelson Earns Midlands Title
After dropping to 157 pounds, Chase Nelson won five-straight bouts to earn the 157 pound title at the Midlands Championships.

Pre-Match Clinic Before Missouri Dual
The Oklahoma wrestling program will host a wrestling clinic on Saturday, Feb. 5 from 12:30-1:30 at the McCasland Field House prior to the Missouri dual. Participants will get coached by the best coaches and wrestlers in the nation. Attendees will be given pizza following the clinic.

To register for the event click here.

Up Next...
The Sooners host No. 25 Wyoming on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m at the McCasland Field House. Friday is Alumni Able Night where members of the Stan Abel era (1973-93) will sign autographs for fans prior to the match.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Seeks Third Straight Big 12 Win Saturday

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