Oregon returns to Pacific-10 Conference action this afternoon as the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners visit McArthur Court at 4 p.m.
The Ducks (9-5, 0-2 Pac-10) are fresh off a mixed performance last weekend against Northern Colorado. The meet included some highs for the Ducks – including big wins for redshirt freshman heavyweight Charlie Alexander, sophomore Zack Frazier and redshirt sophomore Ron Lee – but saw the Bears walked out of Eugene with the overall victory.
“Obviously we want to win matches,” head coach Chuck Kearney said at practice this week. “But on the same token, when we’re short-handed, you give away six points in a dual meet, it makes it really hard to win the match with just five wins.” Oregon forfeited the 125-pound match last Friday.
Because of the individualized nature of the sport, a win over the Roadrunners (2-1, 1-1 Pac-10) would mean a first Pac-10 match victory for the Ducks, but Kearney is focusing more on individual performances. The focus for Oregon is on improvement, and the impetus is on climbing the rankings within the Pac-10 weight class seedings. Whether Oregon wins or loses the overall match, if an individual can win – and win big – they’ll improve their conference standing, which could mean a less difficult path through the Pac-10 Championship meet at Mac Court in March.
“There are going to be some guys ranked below (Oregon’s) in the conference to maintain those rankings, and there are guys that are above us we want to knock off,” Kearney said.
Redshirt freshman heavyweight Alexander is expecting a difficult match against another potential Pac-10 meet foe, Bakersfield’s Ryan Bergman. Alexander is looking forward to his match if only as a scouting exercise, but won’t take the matchup lightly.
“He’s a good wrestler,” Alexander said. “Just got to be prepared for that. Don’t take any mental breaks and go 100 percent.”
Oregon’s wrestlers are looking forward to the chance to further the improvements they have made so far this season. Despite making the NCAA Championships last year, Lee still sees room for improvement in his wrestling, especially in his conditioning.
“(My technique is) perfect in the first round,” Lee said. “I’m working on conditioning for the third round so it’s perfect every round.
“I feel like every match I’m getting better.”
Lee came out of the gate swinging in his match last weekend, holding a 10-4 lead after the first period of his match. He looks to take that aggression into every match he wrestles.
“Every match I’m going to go out and try to blow them out,” Lee said.
Lee was unsure whether he would be called upon to wrestle up a weight class again today, but is ready should the task present itself.
“I might jump up, I might not,” Lee said, adding, “but for the team I might have to bump up.”
Lee explained that stepping up a weight class is a mostly mental task, requiring thinking stronger, but that it’s not impossible. Kearney sees the multitude of wrestlers stepping up for the team as a sign of healthy team unity.
“It says a lot about them as individuals and as people,” he said.
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