Oklahoma State University Athletics
Seven Former OSU Wrestlers Seeded At USA Wrestling Championships
April 23, 2008 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER, Okla. – The 2008 USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships are set to take place April 23-26 in Las Vegas and several former Oklahoma State Cowboys have earned seeds at the event.
At 60 kilos (132 pounds), Coleman Scott is seeded No. 7. The 2008 NCAA Champion at 133 pounds and a four-time All-American during his time at OSU, Scott was the top-ranked collegian in his weight class almost all season and put an exclamation point on his Cowboy career when he pinned Iowa's Joey Slaton in just 49 seconds in the NCAA title bout.
2005 NCAA Champion Zack Esposito is the No. 4 seed at 66 kilos/145.5 pounds and is a legitimate contender to earn a berth on the U.S. Olympic team this year. Four-time OSU All-American Tyrone Lewis is the No. 4 seed at 74 kilos/163 pounds. Lewis compiled a 119-15 record during his Cowboy career from 2001-04.
A pair of former Cowboys earned seeds at 84 kilos/185 pounds, as Mo Lawal is the No. 2 seed in the weight class and Chris Pendleton is No. 5. Lawal was a third-place finisher at the 2003 NCAA Championships in is only season at OSU, with Pendleton winning NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005.
The 2008 recipient of the John Smith Award as USA Wrestling's Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, Daniel Cormier is the No. 1 seed at 96 kilos/211.5 pounds after winning the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships. He was the only American to medal at the event and is a veteran of the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he just missed a spot on the podium with a fourth-place finish. The 2008 Beijing Games provide Cormier with a legitimate chance to win his first Olympic medal.
Rounding out the contingent of seeded Cowboys at the National Championships is Steve Mocco, who is the No. 2 seed at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds. Mocco won the 2005 NCAA heavyweight title and was the runner-up in 2006.
Esposito, Pendleton, Lawal and Cormier have already qualified for spots at the Olympic Trials to be held in Las Vegas from June 13-15, but all four are competing this week for the title of national champion and improved seeds at the Olympic Trials. As for Scott, Lewis and Mocco, all three will need to finish in the top seven this week to earn the right to compete at the Olympic Trials.
2008 USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships | April 23-26 | Las Vegas
Former OSU Wrestlers Seeded At The Event
60 kilos/132 pounds: Coleman Scott (No. 7)
66 kilos/145.5 pounds: Zack Esposito (No. 4)
74 kilos/163 pounds: Tyrone Lewis (No. 4)
84 kilos/185 pounds: Mo Lawal (No. 2); Chris Pendleton (No. 5)
96 kilos/211.5 pounds: Daniel Cormier (No. 1)
120 kilos/264.5 pounds: Steve Mocco (No. 2)
At 60 kilos (132 pounds), Coleman Scott is seeded No. 7. The 2008 NCAA Champion at 133 pounds and a four-time All-American during his time at OSU, Scott was the top-ranked collegian in his weight class almost all season and put an exclamation point on his Cowboy career when he pinned Iowa's Joey Slaton in just 49 seconds in the NCAA title bout.
2005 NCAA Champion Zack Esposito is the No. 4 seed at 66 kilos/145.5 pounds and is a legitimate contender to earn a berth on the U.S. Olympic team this year. Four-time OSU All-American Tyrone Lewis is the No. 4 seed at 74 kilos/163 pounds. Lewis compiled a 119-15 record during his Cowboy career from 2001-04.
A pair of former Cowboys earned seeds at 84 kilos/185 pounds, as Mo Lawal is the No. 2 seed in the weight class and Chris Pendleton is No. 5. Lawal was a third-place finisher at the 2003 NCAA Championships in is only season at OSU, with Pendleton winning NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005.
The 2008 recipient of the John Smith Award as USA Wrestling's Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, Daniel Cormier is the No. 1 seed at 96 kilos/211.5 pounds after winning the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships. He was the only American to medal at the event and is a veteran of the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he just missed a spot on the podium with a fourth-place finish. The 2008 Beijing Games provide Cormier with a legitimate chance to win his first Olympic medal.
Rounding out the contingent of seeded Cowboys at the National Championships is Steve Mocco, who is the No. 2 seed at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds. Mocco won the 2005 NCAA heavyweight title and was the runner-up in 2006.
Esposito, Pendleton, Lawal and Cormier have already qualified for spots at the Olympic Trials to be held in Las Vegas from June 13-15, but all four are competing this week for the title of national champion and improved seeds at the Olympic Trials. As for Scott, Lewis and Mocco, all three will need to finish in the top seven this week to earn the right to compete at the Olympic Trials.
2008 USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships | April 23-26 | Las Vegas
Former OSU Wrestlers Seeded At The Event
60 kilos/132 pounds: Coleman Scott (No. 7)
66 kilos/145.5 pounds: Zack Esposito (No. 4)
74 kilos/163 pounds: Tyrone Lewis (No. 4)
84 kilos/185 pounds: Mo Lawal (No. 2); Chris Pendleton (No. 5)
96 kilos/211.5 pounds: Daniel Cormier (No. 1)
120 kilos/264.5 pounds: Steve Mocco (No. 2)
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
