It’s come down to this one final opportunity for the Ducks.
Oregon is traveling north to Portland today in a dual match with Portland State starting at 7 p.m.
If the Ducks wish to have one Pacific-10 Conference win, it must come tonight.
If they fail to win, they will set the program record for fewest victories in a season, held by the 1953-54 team that won only two matches. The Ducks could also set the school record for most consecutive losses with eight.
However, Oregon is not alone in this endeavor. The Vikings also have yet to record a win in Pac-10 play and are looking to do so tonight.
Oregon has come out victorious in the last 21 seasons against Portland State, a mark dating back to the 1987-88 season.
Although these two teams do not share a storied history over the years, they share some similar experiences heading into the final meet of the season.
The Vikings have been shut out five times this year; Oregon has been shut out three times.
The Ducks’ lone victory came against Army, while Portland State topped Simon Fraser Jan. 16.
The last time these two teams met in Portland, Oregon dominated the match, 42-0, last season. It was Oregon’s first shutout since the 1981-82 season.
As these Ducks know, each year brings new wrestlers and new results. Records fall by the wayside, especially considering the biggest thing on the line tonight isn’t so much a first conference victory but pride.
Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney a week ago said the team’s preparations would begin to move toward the Pac-10 Conference Championships and then the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon will have virtually no time off since it last wrestled in the second Civil War of the season Sunday against the Beavers.
The Ducks will be coming off only two days’ rest, something they have done only a few times this season.
Oregon is 49-23-6 against the Vikings all-time.
After tonight’s match, Oregon will have nearly two weeks of practice before heading south to Tempe, Ariz., for the Pac-10 tournament Feb. 29 to March 1.
The Pac-10 tournament will give individual Ducks the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA tournament March 18-20.
Currently the Ducks have six wrestlers ranked in the Pac-10, including senior Jason Harless, who is sixth in the 133-pound division. Joey Bracamonte climbed to fourth in the 157-pound class, while Luke Larwin stayed at fourth in the 165-pound class. Larwin is followed by Dustin Fisher, who is seventh in the 184-pound class, and Jake Leair is sixth in the 197-pound class. Freshman Cody Parker moved up to fourth in the heavyweight division.
Although Oregon is wrestling for pride and that lone Pac-10 victory, only two matches are absolute musts in wrestling.
“Pac-10’s and NCAA are must-win situations,” Kearney said.