The Oregon team wrestled their way to 14th place this weekend at the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas.
Two other Pacific-10 Conference foes placed in the top 10 at the two-day tournament that involved 52 squads from around the country: Arizona State finished fifth with 97 points, while Oregon State earned the ninth spot with 73.5 points.
No. 3 Michigan won the competition with 163 points, and West Virginia was the runner-up.
Eric Webb, Oregon’s heavyweight competitor, and 133-pound Jason Harless had the best finishes for the Ducks, both placing seventh in their respective classes. Webb had a good day Friday, winning all three of his matches and picking up his first pin of the season against Pacific’s John Small 1:45 into the match. “I really think we are continuing to gain confidence and continuing to wrestle better,” head coach Chuck Kearney said. “This is a chance to gain experience and prepare for the rest of the season, and I’m pleased with how we performed.”
Harless was 3-1 Friday, earning two major decisions and losing only to Michigan’s No. 8 Foley Dowd.
At 157, Tony Overstake was also 3-1 on the first day of the match with two major decisions and a loss to Michigan’s No. 10 Ryan Bertin.
Junior Brian Watson (141) placed eighth and Las Vegas native Eugene Harris lost in his semifinal match to Chris Vitale of Lehigh in the 165-pound class.
Three Oregon wrestlers were held out of the competition due to minor injuries in the 125, 149 and 197 weight classes.
“It’s tough to come in and not have three wrestlers, but I think we are where we want to be and would have broken into the top 10 if we had a full roster,” Kearney said. “We wrestled hard, but we need to capitalize on some of (our) opportunities.”
The men wrestle next Dec. 12 in a dual meet at Oregon State.