Jan. 26, 2001
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Six Sun Devils picked up victories, including a crucial pin by David Douglas and upset wins by Curtis Owen and Kellan Fluckiger, leading the 17th-ranked Arizona State wrestling team over 12th-ranked Oregon State 21-14 at Gill Coliseum Friday night.
ASU returns to the win column, improving its overall record to 6-3 and its conference record to 2-0. The Beavers fall to 9-4 overall, 5-2 in the Pac-10.
Owen set the tone for the night, as the 174-pound junior turned in a 5-4 upset decision over sixth-ranked Nathan Coy of OSU in the opening bout. Senior R.D. Pursell, ranked 11th at 184 pounds, kept the Sun Devils' momentum going with a 7-3 decision over Isaac Weber. Fluckiger also pulled an upset as the 12th-ranked sophomore heavyweight defeated seventh-ranked Jason Cooley, 6-4.
After five bouts, the Sun Devils held a narrow 9-8 lead until 14th-ranked Douglas, a 133-pound junior, set ASU in motion with a pin of OSU's Ben Richards in just 55 seconds. Sophomore All-American Eric Larkin, ranked third in the nation at 141 pounds, followed with a 14-7 decision over Shane Cunanan and junior Dana Holland bolstered ASU to a commanding 21-8 lead with a 14-12 decision over Casey Horn.
Down but not out, OSU grapplers took care of the Sun Devils' two hottest wrestlers, sophomore Rocky Smart and senior All-American Steve Blackford, to conclude the night and narrow the final score to 21-14. Thirteenth-ranked Smart fell to sixth-ranked Eric Jorgensen in the 157-pound match, 6-2, and fourth-ranked Blackford was stunned by unranked Jed Pennell at 165 pounds. Pennell took Blackford to overtime and earned a close 7-6 decision. Both losses were the first dual defeats for Smart and Blackford.
The Sun Devils remain on the road this weekend, traveling to Fresno State for a dual match Sunday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. PST.
No. 17 Arizona State 21, No. 12 Oregon State 14
Friday, January 26, 2001
Gill Coliseum, Oregon State, Corvallis, Ore.
No. 17 Arizona State vs. No. 12 Oregon State
174: Curtis Owen (ASU) dec. #6 Nathan Coy (OSU), 5-4
184: #11 R.D. Pursell (ASU) dec. Isaac Weber (OSU), 7-3
197: Jason Lovell (OSU) major dec. Andy Swanson (ASU), 11-2
HWT: #12 Kellan Fluckiger (ASU) dec. #7 Jason Cooley (OSU), 6-4
125: #10 Nathan Navarro (OSU) major dec. Chris Knox (ASU), 19-7
133: #14 David Douglas (ASU) pinned Ben Richards (OSU), 0:55
141: #3 Eric Larkin (ASU) dec. #20 Shane Cunanan (OSU), 14-7
149: Dana Holland (ASU) dec. Casey Horn (OSU), 14-12
157: #6 Eric Jorgensen (OSU) dec. #13 Rocky Smart (ASU), 6-2
165: Jed Pennell (OSU) dec. #4 Steve Blackford (ASU), 7-6 2OT
Attendance: 1,061
Rankings according to Amateur Wrestling News