The Oregon wrestling team will look to maintain the momentum from its 18-14 win over Oregon State last Wednesday when it hosts the Portland State Vikings in Oregon’s final dual meet of the season at McArthur Court at 7:30 tonight.
With one more dual meet before the Pacific-10 Conference Championships, head coach Chuck Kearney’s squad is looking to up its current record, which now stands at 8-7 overall and 4-4 against Pac-10 opponents.
Portland State (9-12 overall, 3-5 Pac-10) is coming off a 1-1 weekend where they defeated San Francisco State, 25-16, and lost to Stanford in a 28-9 decision.
In Oregon’s first meet of the season, it defeated Stanford 29-4, and with a win today, the Ducks would extend their winning streak over the Vikings to 20 straight meets.
Following last week’s Civil War, which figuratively pitted brother against brother, today’s meet against Portland State literally pits two brothers against each other.
Oregon junior Jason Harless (13-5), who has been wrestling well for the Ducks lately at 133 pounds, will host his younger brother, Danny. The younger Harless is a redshirt freshman at Portland State and has compiled a 12-15 record this year at the 149-pound weight class. He will probably not start against Oregon, as sophomore Casey Banks (3-12) is listed to take on Oregon’s Casey Hunt (9-8).
The Vikings are led by senior Jeremy Wilson, who is ranked No. 19 in the country at the 184-pound weight class. Wilson is 29-5 on the season, which includes 8-0 in the Pac-10, but has been hampered lately by an ailing back. He will face Oregon’s Elias Soto (2-14), who has competed against some of the nation’s best wrestlers in his weight class in his freshman year with the Ducks.
The weight classes on either side of Wilson have also been strong points for Portland State. Quinn Collett wrestles at 174 pounds and has a winning streak of five matches for a 22-8 record. At 197, Randy Davidson (21-11) has compiled 49 team points, which is third on the team behind Collett’s 65 and Wilson’s 68.
For Oregon, senior Eugene Harris, No. 5, leads the squad with 88 team points and a 26-3 record.
In last season’s match-up between Oregon and Portland State, the Ducks lost only one match, cruising to a 43-3 victory. Oregon has won the last 19 meetings between the two schools.