Consistency is the main ingredient for the Duck wrestlers’ success, and they have served it up with three straight strong performances.
The end of November marks the end of the Ducks’ tournaments, in which they performed strong every weekend. Oregon senior wrestlers Shane Webster and Joey Bracamonte are now ranked among the top 10 in the nation.
Webster, ranked by Amateur Wrestling News as No. 7 for 184-pound wrestlers, has already begun the campaign for a national title and is currently undefeated (11-0) with five of those victories coming by major decision. Webster has wrapped up three titles already, winning the 184-pound titles at the Cowboy Open, the Best of the West Tournament and the Mat Town Classic.
“Shane had another great tournament,” Oregon coach Chuck Kearney said. “He continues to wrestle at a very high level and looks as focused and determined as ever.”
Bracamonte is ranked 10th in the nation in the 165-pound weight class, according to the same publication. This before he saw his first action of the season at the Mat Town Classic in Lock Haven, Penn., and came away with a title.
Bracamonte, who has missed the first two tournaments of the season with an injury returned and looked like he was in top-form as he opened his senior season with a 13-4 defeat of Matt Marquart a Lock Haven native. Bracamonte then took down Jake Blowers of Buffalo. Finally, Bracamonte used two straight decisions, the last one a 6-5 score against Buffalo’s Mickey Moran to claim the title.
With Oregon’s top two Ducks ranked in the top 10, fans have a lot to look forward to.
“While I wouldn’t discount the early season ranking of those two, it is the ranking come March, after the NCAA Championship Tournament, that means more to myself and to the two of them,” Kearney said. “I believe that the rankings are an important reflection of national respect on the two of them and on this program, which is significant in many areas.” The Ducks have been gaining attention with every match and their seniors’ showings.
Skyler Woods continues to show his value and came away with a second-place finish at 141 pounds at the Mat Town Classic. He looks to join Webster and Bracamonte to provide an unbeatable core of Kearney’s budding program.
The Ducks had 10 wrestlers finish in the top eight for the Mat Town Classic, including third-place finishes by Justin Pearch and Martin Mitchell, at 133 and 141-pounds, respectively. Oregon’s heavyweight, Chris Dearmon, was solid and earned a third-place finish.
Oregon grappled with University of Indiana, and finished tied for second with University at Buffalo. The teams were in championship matches in most weight classes.
The Ducks have the week off as they recover from three tournaments in as many weeks. The Ducks head north to Corvallis on Dec. 9, where they will square off with Oregon State in the Civil War. The meeting is the first of two for the Ducks and Beavers as they will also meet in Eugene on Feb. 10.
After the Ducks meet with Oregon State, they will prepare for the Reno Tournament of Champions.