Traveling to the Midwest can be a feat.
It’s even more dangerous when the teams you’re traveling to battle are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country.
Oklahoma State, ranked No. 1 by The Wrestling Mall, is Oregon’s opponent Sunday afternoon. First, though, the Ducks face No. 2 Oklahoma tonight.
Friday, Oregon (5-4 overall, 4-0 Pacific-10 Conference) hosted Stanford and California-Davis, picking up two big wins against Pac-10 teams.
After beating Stanford, the Ducks returned to the mat at McArthur Court on Friday evening to face UC Davis, and beat the Aggies 28-9.
“We want to go in and be a team that wrestles with everything to gain,” head coach Chuck Kearney said about facing the Oklahoma teams after Friday’s matches.
The Sooners (9-4), ranked in the top 10 by every wrestling poll, have six wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their individual weight classes. Teyon Ware is No. 1 at the 141 weight class, while his teammates at 174 and 184 are both No. 3. Witt Durden, at the 133 weight class, sits at No. 6, while his 125 teammate is No. 9 and the Sooners’ 197 wrestler is No. 15.
Sunday, the Cowboys (10-0) play host to the Ducks. Every Oklahoma State starting wrestler is ranked in the top 20 for his weight class. Johnny Thompson is ranked No. 1 in the 133 weight class, while three of his teammates — Zack Esposito at 141, Tyrone Lewis at 165 and Chris Pendleton at 174 — are each No. 2 in their weight class. Three more Cowboys sit in the top 10, while the other three are in the top 20.
After facing the Oklahoma powers this weekend, Oregon hosts Pac-10 opponents Boise State and Arizona State on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.
Mindi Rice is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.