FROM OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION OFFICE

TELEPHONE: (541) 737-3720 / (610) 417-9074                                

CONTACT: MATT FRANZBLAU                                                          

WWW.OSUBEAVERS.COM                                                          

 

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012

 

Beaver Wrestlers Earn Reno Tournament Championship as Pena Claims 157 Pound Title

 

Eight OSU wrestlers finish in the top five as Beavers claim second straight top five tournament finish

 

RENO, Nev. – The No. 11 ranked Oregon State wrestling team took the Reno Tournament of Champions name to heart as it became tournament champions for 2012 with 145 total points, Sunday in Nevada. The Beavers finished first out of 27 schools competing in the event and saw 157 pounder RJ Pena claim an individual title of his own, going 5-0 on the day. As a unit, OSU boasted eight wrestlers who finished in the top five out of their weight class and finished 26 points ahead of second place finisher and Pac-12 foe Boise State.

 

Pena is the Orange and Black’s hottest wrestler, as he has now won two-straight 157 lb. championships dating back to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite (Nov. 30 –Dec. 1). The junior captain has also won 12 straight decisions since his streak started in Vegas last month.

 

For Oregon State, this is its second top five finish at a tournament this year as OSU placed fourth with 98.5 points during the Las Vegas Invite.

 

Also earning top five finishes within their individual weight class included Mike Mangrum (141 lbs.), Ty Vinson (184 lbs.) and Taylor Meeks (197 lbs.) who finished second, as well as Austin Morehead (174 lbs.) and Seth Thomas (165 lbs.) in third. Those wrestlers were followed by Alex Elder (165 lbs.) and Chad Hanke (HWT) who each placed fifth.

 

A total of three OSU wrestlers had to bow out of the tournament due to medical forfeits, including Drew Van Anrooy (133 lbs.), Scott Sakaguchi (149 lbs.) and Hanke. Despite his early exit from the event, Hanke was still able to secure a top five finish in his weight class.

 

The first place finish for Head Coach Jim Zalesky is his school’s highest in the Reno TOC since it switched to individual competition instead of a dual format in 2003.

 

Oregon State now rests for two weeks before traveling to the Windy City for the Midlands Championships, which will be hosted by Northwestern University, Dec. 29-30.

 

Matt Franzblau
Communications Assistant
Oregon State University Athletics
209 Gill Coliseum
Corvallis, Oregon 97331
matt.franzblau@oregonstate.edu
O: (541) 737.3720
C: (610) 417-9074
F: (541) 737-3072