Eighteen teams, 300 wrestlers, 10 weight classes and one day.
That pretty much sums up the Oregon wrestling team’s first tournament of the season, the Southern Oregon Open. The Ducks take to the mat for the second time this season Saturday in Ashland.
Oregon wrestlers will get a different style of competition at the Open than they did in their season opener, a dual match against UC Davis. Instead of head-to-head competition with one opponent, wrestlers will face up to five matches in just one day.
The Ducks will get a good look at their season rivals, as five other Pacific-10 Conference teams are entered. 11th-ranked Boise State, the defending conference champion, and No. 24 Oregon State will be on hand.
Top individuals entered in the field include Boise State’s fourth-ranked Kirk White at 165 pounds and No. 8 Rusty Cook at 197 pounds. Oregon State’s Eric Jorgensen is ranked fifth at 157 pounds.
The rest of the field includes Division II schools and junior colleges. Host Southern Oregon is ranked sixth in the NAIA, while San Francisco State is 17th.
Oregon will be represented in every weight class, with the possible exception of senior Doug Lee, who is questionable with an injury. The All-American sat out Oregon’s season opener as well. Senior Jake Leair is second on the depth chart at 184 pounds.
The Ducks are two deep in every other weight class except 133 pounds and at heavyweight.
Sophomores Brian Watson and Tony Overstake both placed second at last year’s Open. Both will try for the championships this year at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. Junior Eugene Harris is also a returning placer at 157 pounds.
Senior Chael Sonnen is the top Duck at the Open. The All-American is ranked fifth by Intermat.com at 197 pounds. Against UC Davis, Sonnen pinned Brandon Arsenault in one minute, 47 seconds to earn his first collegiate victory since 1998.
The Ducks return home for a one-week break before their home opener against Stanford Nov. 26.