Jan. 31, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 6 Arizona State wrestling team had its two-plus year streak of dual wins within conference competition snapped at 15 in a row Friday night as Oregon State handed the Sun Devils an 18-16 defeat in Corvallis, Ore. The last time ASU (9-6, 2-1 Pac-10) had dropped a Pac-10 dual was at OSU (8-7, 6-1) during the 1999 season. Each team won five matches with a six-point pin for OSU being the difference in the dual.
The dual opened with the heavyweights squaring off. No. 4 Kellan Fluckiger (Sr., Preston, Idaho) decisioned No. 9 Andy Bowlby, 2-1. At the start of the third period in a scoreless match, Fluckiger chose down and reversed his opponent to take a 2-0 lead. OSU tied the score at three with a 5-1 win over Adam Chavira (Sr., Parker, Ariz.) at 125 before ASU mounted a large lead.
At 133, No. 9 Mike Simpson (So., Anaheim, Calif.) escaped with a 7-5 win to put the advantage at 6-3 in favor of the visitors. No. 5 Dana Holland (Sr., Glendale Heights, Ill.) continued his winning ways by notching his 10th win in a row with a 2-1 decision over Tim Norman to add to the lead and bring it to 9-3. No. 1 Eric Larkin (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.) also maintained his unblemished record on the year with a 12-1 major decision at 149. Larkin stands 21-0 on the year.
Mike Smith (Fr., Gilbert, Ariz.) dropped a 7-5 decision at 157 to bring the score to 13-6, but No. 8 Nick Frost (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) quelled the OSU momentum with a 10-6 decision. With the score 16-6 in favor of the Sun Devils, one more win would nail down the victory. Unfortunately for ASU, the dual ended with three of its own on the losing end of the score.
The biggest suprise, and what would prove to the be the difference, was the 174 bout. Jake Huffman pinned No. 8 Curtis Owen (Sr., Coeur D'Alene, Idaho) at 4:59 to put the Beavers down by just four points. Jed Pennell followed up with a 7-0 decision over Ron Renzi (Jr., Burke, Va.) at 184 to setup the final dual of the night, the match for all the marbles. In the 197 contest, Ryan Bader (Fr., Verdi, Nev.) fell to Jason Lavell, 8-4, to seal the upset for the hosts.
The Sun Devils' road trip through the state of Oregon takes them to Eugene, Ore., Sunday for a 2 p.m. dual with the Oregon Ducks. ASU returns home for its final dual of the year at Wells Fargo Arena at 2 p.m. Feb. 9 when Cal State Bakersfield visits Tempe. Prior to the ASU-CSB dual, the six Sun Devil seniors will be honored while members of the alumni will be presented to the fans after the fifth match of the day.