Dominant wins defined the Ducks last weekend at the Oregon Classic, but with meets against perennial powerhouses Boise State and No. 13 Arizona State, Oregon looks to improve its 3-3 record in the Pacific-10 Conference against competition ranked higher in the standings.
The matchups played out this weekend will dictate rankings as well as seedings for the Pac-10 tournament in late February.
The Ducks will be at full strength for the first time since Dec. 18 at the Reno Tournament of Champions with the return of undefeated senior Joey Bracamonte, who managed to upset the nation’s top-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, and won the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament award despite being hampered with a knee injury. Oregon’s All-American will return to the mat with something to prove. Bracamonte needs to prove he is ready to finish the season strong on the bothered knee. Bracamonte has been training hard, focusing on his health by “a lot of swimming and watching what I eat.”
Oregon coach Chuck Kearney is excited to see what affect Bracamonte’s return will have on the team.
“Joey is currently ranked No. 1 in the conference, and nationally he’s top 10,” Kearney said. “He will be wrestling against the guy that is right below him in the conference and in the nation at Arizona State.”
A key matchup at 133 pounds is Justin Pearch against Boise State’s two-time defending national champion Scott Jorgensen. The pair has already battled twice this season, with each winning one match.
“With Jorgensen this weekend, I’m going to be ready to go,” Pearch said. “Last time we went, I was ready to go, but I wasn’t in as good of shape as I am now.”
With a victory, Pearch will have an opportunity to go further than fulfilling his preseason objective of being an All-American. Now he is gunning for the national championship title. Beating Arizona State’s two-time defending Pac-10 champion will not only be a confidence boost but will also give Pearch an advantage when it comes time to seeding for the Pac-10 tournament.
Shane Webster looks to continue his senior season with strong performances against the Broncos and Sun Devils. He has accumulated a 24-1 record this season. Webster’s matches today and Sunday will set the tone for the Ducks, who Kearney believes is one of the toughest wrestlers in the conference.
Oregon wrestles at Boise State today, and Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., Sunday. According to Bracamonte, the Ducks will learn a lot about where they have come this season when they compete this weekend.
“We’ll see where we are at after this weekend. This is going to be a real test,” he said.
Oregon competes at home next Friday against Cal Bakersfield and Fresno State.