In the sport of wrestling, only two competitions in the entire season add up to anything: The one at the end of the season and the one to qualify for the one at the end.
The Oregon wrestling team will host the first of these competitions, the Pacific-10 Conference Championships, Sunday through Monday at McArthur Court. The two-day wrestling extravaganza will determine the conference champion and which individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships in mid-March.
“I think our kids are ready to get after it,” Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney said. “The key for us is if our guys are ready for that step up in intensity.”
The Ducks are looking for their first conference crown since the 1982 season and to improve on their fifth-place finish at last year’s tournament. The top four wrestlers in each weight class automatically qualify for the NCAA’s, with three additional at-large bids available as well.
Seven Ducks are ranked in the top-four of the conference rankings, including two top-ranked wrestlers. Senior Doug Lee and junior Shaun Williams will head into the Pac-10’s as favorites, while senior Chael Sonnen, sophomore Eric Webb and sophomore Tony Overstake are all ranked second.
Lee is a two-time defending Pac-10 champion, NCAA placer and currently ranked seventh among 184-pounders. Lee is 28-5 this season and has not lost a match since Jan. 6.
Sonnen went to the NCAA tournament twice at 197 pounds before taking last season off to train with the U.S. Olympic team. Sonnen (27-6) will face stiff competition from Boise State’s Rusty Cook.

Williams (125 pounds) will wrestle for the first time in a Division I conference tournament. The South African native is no stranger to tournament action; he is a junior college champion and Olympic qualifier.
Webb went undefeated in Pac-10 play, but it is unlikely that he will receive the top bidding at heavyweight. In Oregon’s match with Arizona State, Sun Devil coach Lee Roy Smith held No. 10 Kellan Fluckinger out of the match in order to gain the top seeding at the conference tournament. Webb is 27-4 and has not lost since Jan. 4.
The Ducks’ pair of 2000 NCAA qualifiers, junior Eugene Harris and sophomore Brian Watson, are also predicted to be in the NCAA hunt. Watson lost three Pac-10 matches in overtime at 133 pounds, while Harris lost three matches by a combined four points at 157 pounds.
Other Oregon entrants include sophomore Casey Hunt (10-12) at 141 pounds, freshman Luke Larwin (6-8) at 165 pounds and junior Leif Williams (7-16) at 174 pounds.
Arizona State is the favorite coming into the match. The No. 11-ranked Sun Devils won the regular season title and have three top-seeded wrestlers. The Ducks narrowly lost to Arizona State 22-19 on Feb. 2.
Boise State, the defending conference champion, and Oregon State are also in the running for the team title. The Ducks split the season series with the Beavers and lost to Boise State 18-12 on Jan. 19.
The two-day tournament will be divided into four rounds. First-round matches will take place from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, followed by first-round consolation matches later in the day from 6 to 9 p.m.
On Monday, consolation semi-finals and finals will go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The lights will come down for the championship finals from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Ticket packages are available for $25, or $7 per round.