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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Travel to Ames for Big 12 Championships
March 02, 2011 | Wrestling
March 2, 2011
| No. 7 Oklahoma at the 2011 Big 12 Wrestling Championships | |
| Date | Saturday, March 5 (All Day) |
| Location | Ames, Iowa | Hilton Coliseum |
| Admission | Big 12 Championship Ticket Info |
| Match Info | Live Stats | Notes | OU Roster | 2010-11 Schedule and Results |
| Championship Info | Big 12 Championship Central |
| Webcast | Big12Sports.com |
| T.V. | FSN (Check Local Listings) |
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma enters the Big 12 Championships Saturday, March 5, in Ames, Iowa, with its best regular-season record since the 1985 squad, while also recording double-digit wins for the 16th-straight season. The Sooners finished the regular season with 13 dual meet victories, which included wins over seven squads ranked in the top 25.
“We're obviously really excited about the Big 12 Championships,” Jack Spates said. “Our guys are looking good and we're in relatively good health. We're confident we're going to compete at a high level. Going into the tournament we are probably the second-ranked team behind Oklahoma State and we've got to wrestle really well to turn that into a championship.”
Sophomore Jarrod Patterson is in search of his second consecutive Big 12 title at 125 pounds, while seniors Zack Bailey and Nathan Fernandez hope to earn their first conference title at 141 and 285, respectively. The preliminary seeds show one Sooner, Bailey, with the top overall seed and five others sitting at No. 2 among their weight classes.
Competing against the Sooners this weekend are No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Missouri, No. 13 Nebraska and No. 16 Iowa State. The Cowboys will attempt to win their second-straight Big 12 title after claiming the title last year. Iowa State finished second followed by Oklahoma in third. Missouri and Nebraska rounded out the final spots at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
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RANKINGS RUNDOWN |
Seven Sooners are ranked in this week's InterMat individual ranking, led by third-ranked Tyler Caldwell at 165 pounds. Senior Zack Bailey (141 pounds) sits at No. 6 and Jarrod Patterson is ranked No. 8 at 125 pounds.
Chase Nelson (157) is ranked No. 12 for the third straight week. Erich Schmidtke (184) and Nathan Fernandez (HWT) are both ranked 14th at their respective weight classes. Matt Lester remains at the No. 15 spot among 149 pounders.
| Sooner Participants (Weight) | Hometown (Year) | Record |
| Jarrod Patterson (125) | Cushing, Okla. (So.) | 24-6 |
| Jordan Keller (133) | Wichita, Kan. (Jr.) | 16-8 |
| Zack Bailey (141) | Kansas City, Mo. (Sr.) | 23-2 |
| Matt Lester (149) | Eureka, Mo. (RFr.) | 15-6 |
| Chase Nelson (157) | Wichita, Kan. (So.) | 19-8 |
| Tyler Caldwell (165) | Wichita, Kan. (So.) | 28-4 |
| Jeff James (174) | El Reno, Okla. (RSr.) | 5-6 |
| Erich Schmidtke (184) | Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.) | 22-10 |
| Keldrick Hall (197) | Dallas, Texas (RSo.) | 13-13 |
| Nathan Fernandez (HWT) | Lawton, Okla. (Sr.) | 19-4 |
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SOONER WRESTLING NOTES |
Last Action
The eighth-ranked Sooners fell to No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State, 24-9, to close out the regular season inside the McCasland Field House.
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Last Year's Championships
Oklahoma hosted the Big 12 Championships in Norman last year where the Sooners crowned three champions. Kyle Terry (149) and Shane Vernon (157) each backed up their No. 1 seeds entering the conference tournament to earn titles, while freshman Jarrod Patterson (125) also earned a conference title. It marked the second straight year that an OU freshman won the 125-pound division. Two years ago, it was Joey Fio. It marked the 10th time in 11 years the Sooners crowned multiple conference champions (dating back to 1999).
Also placing was the freshman duo of Kendric Maple (133) and Tyler Caldwell (165), both of whom finished third. Senior Eric Lapotsky (197) also placed third over a talented field. Last year the Sooners finished in third place with 64 total points, edged by Oklahoma State with 70.5 points and Iowa State with 69 points.
Patterson Going for Repeat
Jarrod Patterson will compete to become just the sixth Sooner since the inception of the Big 12 (1997) to win multiple Big 12 titles in a career. Last year Kyle Terry joined the group after he earned his second Big 12 title. Current Sooner Michael Lighter claimed four; Leonce Crump and Sam Hazewinkel both won three and John Kading earned two.
Team Notes
•Oklahoma was 3-2 in Big 12 duals this season and averaged 17.8 points per match. OU gave up 16 points to conference opponents.
•This season, Oklahoma topped an impressive six opponents ranked in the latest InterMat Top 25 (No. 8 American, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 13 Nebraska, No. 19 Missouri and No. 22 North Carolina State).
•In the 13 wins this season, Oklahoma outscored foes 398-92. Broken down, OU averaged 30.6 points in the wins to the opponents 7.1. Both of Oklahoma's losses came at the hands of Oklahoma State (22-12 & 24-9).
Big 12 Tidbits
•The Sooners won the conference crown in 1999 and again in 2002, both under current head coach Jack Spates.
•OU has claimed 23 conference titles in 79 years of wrestling, which is second to Oklahoma State's 33. Two have come in the Big 12 era.
•Oklahoma has claimed 176 individual conference titles in the program's history. The crowns have come in four different conferences (Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12).
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 along with redshirt freshman Matt Lester dropped weight classes and will compete at 165, 157 and 149 pounds, respectively. Caldwell, 165 pound reigning All-American, has collected a 14-2 record since the drop. Nelson, a JUCO All-American, boasts a 10-3 at 157 pounds. Lester is 6-2 at 149 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.
Up Next...
The Sooners will compete in the NCAA Championships from Thursday, March 17, to Saturday, March 19, in Philadelphia, Pa. Last year the Sooners finished fifth overall and crowned four All-Americans. Senior Zack Bailey (141 pounds) and sophomore Tyler Caldwell (165) will each look to repeat as All-Americans after finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
WR Highlights: Big 12 Championships (Day Two)
Sunday, March 09
WR Highlights: Big 12 Championships (Day One)
Saturday, March 08
WR Highlights: OU 32, Arizona State 6
Sunday, February 16
WR Highlights: OU 23, Missouri 13
Saturday, February 01
