Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
NCAA Tournament
Wrestling Finishes Fifth At NCAAs
March 18, 2000 | Cowboy Wrestling
March 18, 2000
ST. LOUIS - Oklahoma State's three All-Americans took the mat on Saturday as the Cowboys finished fifth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Kiel Center.
"This team had to stay focused this weekend, and we didn't do that," said OSU head coach John Smith. "This team has really came a long way. I knew going into this weekend we could either be in contention or finish fifth or sixth."
Oklahoma State's scored 66.5 team points en route to its fifth-place finish.
OSU's top finisher was 197-pounder Mark Mu?oz who decisioned Michigan State's Nick Muzashvili 3-2 to finish third. Mu?oz's first period takedown of Muzashvili was the difference.
Mu?oz advanced to the third-place match earlier in the day with a 8-6 sudden victory win over Ohio State's Nick Preston. Mu?oz wrapped up his junior season in a Cowboy singlet with a 35-4 record.
At 149 pounds, Reggie Wright won his consolation semifinal match with Jared Lawrence of Minnesota 13-12, before falling 11-6 to Lehigh's Dave Esposito in the third-place match. Wright finished the season with a 38-4 record.
Fifth-year senior Jeff Ragan made the most of his first year in the Cowboy lineup at 125 pounds finishing sixth. Ragan suffered a 19-11 major decision loss to T.J. Hill of Cal-State Fullerton in the consolation semifinals. He then fell to Minnesota's Leroy Vega 13-6 in the fifth-place match.
Ragan finishes the 1999-2000 campaign with a 31-12 record, while completing his OSU career with a lifetime record of 91-42.
The 2000 NCAA Wrestling Championships set an all-time three day total attendance record of 96,994.
The finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships will be aired on ESPN 2 on Tuesday, March 21, at 1 p.m.
Final Team Scores:
1. Iowa, 116.0 pts
2. Iowa State, 109.5 pts
3. Minnesota, 80.0 pts
4. Oklahoma, 69.5 pts
5. Oklahoma State, 66.5 pts
Consolation Semifinals
125: T.J. Hill (Cal St. Fullerton) m. dec. Jeff Ragan (Oklahoma State), 19-11
149: Reggie Wright (OSU) dec. Jared Lawrence (Minnesota), 13-12
197: Mark Mu?oz (OSU) dec. Nick Preston (Ohio St.), 8-6, sv
Third Place
149: Dave Esposito (Lehigh) dec. Reggie Wright (OSU), 11-6
197: Mark Mu?oz (OSU) dec. Nick Muzashvili (Michigan St.), 3-2
Fifth Place
125: Leroy Vega (Minnesota) dec. Jeff Ragan (OSU), 13-7
Championship Round
125: Jeremy Hunter (Penn St.) dec. Steve Garland (Virginia), 7-3
133: Eric Juergens (Iowa) dec. Cody Sanderson (Iowa St.), 3-1, sv
141: Carl Perry (Illinois) dec. Michael Lightner (Oklahoma), 5-3
149: Tony Davis (Northern Iowa) dec. Adam Tirapelle (Illinois), 5-1
157: Brett Matter (Penn) dec. Larry Quisel (Boise State), 4-2
165: Don Pritzlaff (Wisconsin) dec. Joe Heskett (Iowa St.), 4-2
174: Byron Tucker (Oklahoma) dec. Josh Koscheck (Edinboro)
184: Cael Sanderson (Iowa St.) m. dec. Vertus Jones (West Virginia), 19-6
197: Brad Vering (Nebraska) dec. Zach Thompson (Iowa St.), 1-1, tb
285: Brock Lesnar (Minnesota) dec. Wes Hand (Iowa), 2-2, tb
