Oklahoma State University Athletics
Several Cowboys Place At U.S. Open, Jr. Nationals
April 26, 2010 | Cowboy Wrestling
April 26, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. - Several current and former Oklahoma State wrestlers were in action at the FILA U.S. Open Championships and Junior National Championships this past weekend in Cleveland. Leading the way was Obenson Blanc, who took first at 55 kilograms at the U.S. Open.
Other Cowboy placers at the U.S. Open included former NCAA champion Coleman Scott, who was third at 60 kilograms; current Cowboy freshman Chris Perry, who was fourth at 84 kilograms and former two-time NCAA champion Chris Pendleton, who was seventh at 84 kilograms.
At junior nationals, Ladd Rupp was third in the 60 kilogram weight class and Stephen Swan was fourth at 70 kilograms.
Blanc's road to the title started with a convincing 2-0, 6-0 win over Wyoming freshman Tyler Cox in the first round. Blanc then toppled Northwestern All-American Brandon Precin by a 3-0, 3-0 count before pitching a 1-0, 2-0 shutout against 2009 world team member Danny Felix in the semifinals. Blanc was a 1-0, 4-0 winner over former NCAA champion Angel Escobedo in the championship bout.
While he didn't win his weight class, Perry more than held his own against senior-level competition. After losing his opening bout to David Bertolino, Perry roared through the wrestleback to earn a spot in the third-place match. His journey included wins over Missouri's Dorian Henderson (1-0, 1-0), former Northwestern All-American Mike Tamillow (1-4, 6-2, 5-4), Pendleton (1-0, 1-1) and Penn State All-American Quentin Wright (7-0, 0-2, 3-2).
Scott picked up a 1-0, 4-0 win over Drexel's Steve Mytych in the first round and an 0-4, 5-3, 1-0 win over former Pittsburgh All-American Drew Headlee in the second round before losing a tight 1-0, 2-1 decision to 2008 Olympian Mike Zadick in the semifinals. In the wrestleback, Scott was a 1-0, 1-0 winner over two-time NCAA champion Matt Valenti before claiming third place with an injury win over Ohio State All-American Reece Humphrey.
In the junior division, Rupp wiped out his first three opponents, handing incoming Army freshman Connor Hanafee a 2-0, 7-0 beating in the first round before following that up with a 6-0, 7-0 technical fall triumph over Ohio prepster Narcisco Inchaurregui. Rupp was a 7-1, 3-3 winner over Illinois' Sam White in the quarterfinals before suffering a 0-1, 3-0, 3-0 defeat at the hands of Minnesota freshman David Thorn. In the wrestleback semifinals, Rupp was a 3-2, 0-1, 2-1 winner over Iowa's Tony Ramos. He put the cap on his third-place finish with a 3-0, 3-1 victory over Indiana high schooler Jason Tsirtsis.
Much like Perry in the senior division, Swan did his damage by grinding through the wrestleback. He lost his opening bout to Oregon State's R.J. Pena by a 2-2, 4-1 score, but rattled off overwhelming wins in his next two bouts when he pinned Phillip Egnor in the second period and followed that up with a 4-0, 7-0 whipping of William Randt. Swan was a comfortable 5-3, 2-0 winner over Gabrian Martinez before crushing Dustin Walraven by a 7-1, 3-0 count. A 2-1, 6-0 beating of Craemer Hedash put Swan into the wrestleback semifinals, where he then pitched a 4-0, 4-0 shutout against Wisconsin freshman Kalvin York. Swan's run came to an end in the third-place bout, where he suffered a 2-0, 2-0 loss at the hands of incoming Missouri freshman Drake Houdashelt.
