The Oregon wrestling team will make an unscheduled appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas Friday.
The 30-team tournament was added to the Oregon schedule after the season began on Nov. 10.
Some of the top teams in the nation will be on hand, led by No. 5 Illinois. Eight other ranked teams will also attend.
Every Pacific-10 conference school will be in attendance except UC-Davis, who the Ducks defeated 31-9 to kick off the season. No. 11 Boise State and No. 17 Arizona State are the conference’s top teams.
The competition will be Oregon’s toughest by far this season. Four top-ranked wrestlers will vie for championships in Las Vegas. Fresno State’s Stephen Abas at 125 pounds, Illinois’ Adam Tirapelle at 149 pounds, Michigan’s Otto Olson at 174 pounds and Illinois’ John Lockhart are all ranked No. 1 by Intermat Wrestling.
Ranked Ducks include senior All-Americans Doug Lee, No. 2 at 184 pounds, and Chael Sonnen, No. 6 at 197 pounds. Junior transfer Shaun Williams is ranked No. 13 at 125 pounds.
Lee should get some of his toughest challenges all season in the later rounds. Lehigh’s Rob Rohn is ranked No. 4 at 184 pounds. Boise State’s Cash Edwards is close behind at the No. 5 spot.
Sonnen won’t be a favorite for the first time this season. Two wrestlers — Ohio State’s Nick Preston and Illinois’ Pat Quirk — are ranked higher than Sonnen in the 197 pound class.
The tournament is a two-day event with 10 32-man brackets.
Undefeated Ducks
Six Oregon wrestlers head to the Cliff Keen Invitational with perfect records. Dual match wins over Pac-10 rivals UC-Davis and Stanford, coupled with a good showing at Nov. 18’s Southern Oregon Open, have aided the Duck records.
Sonnen, junior Shaun Williams and sophomores Brian Watson and Tony Overtsake are all 6-0 with Southern Oregon Open championship titles. Junior Eugene Harris and sophomore Eric Webb are 4-0 after having to withdraw from Southern Oregon with injuries.
Lee won his only match of the season against Stanford’s Harold Penson.
In-state preview
Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney will get a preview of the Ducks’ next dual match opponent, Oregon State. The No. 24 Beavers are also attending the Cliff Keen Invitational. The wrestling version of the Civil War will take place Dec. 13 in Corvallis. The two teams will have a rematch Feb. 14 in Eugene.
