Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Well-Represented at U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials
April 20, 2012 | Cowboy Wrestling
April 20, 2012
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State wrestling program will try to trade its orange and black for red, white and blue this weekend, as six athletes with OSU ties are set to compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials Saturday and Sunday at the University of Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
Wrestlers competing at the trials with OSU ties include current Cowboy Jordan Oliver, former Cowboys Obe Blanc, Coleman Scott, Chris Pendleton and Steve Mocco, as well as Cowboy assistant coach Bryce Hasseman. These athletes will represent Oklahoma State in five of the seven weight classes at the event.
Oliver is the only current Cowboy at the trials. He will wrestle in the 60 kg weight class and will be one of the Cowboys' most decorated wrestlers entering his senior season. He went 29-0 in 2011 to win an NCAA title and is a three-time All-American and Big 12 Champion at 133 pounds. He is coming off of a runner-up finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships.
Oliver is joined at the 60 kg class by Scott, who wrestled for the Cowboys from 2005-08. Scott is one of just 12 wrestlers in OSU history to be named a four-time All-American. He won a pair of Big 12 titles, as well as an NCAA title at 133 pounds in his senior year. Scott has been competing for USA wrestling since graduating from OSU and is ranked No. 3 at 60 kg for Team USA. In 2009, he was the Hargobind International champion, and he has placed third at the U.S. Open each of the past two years. Scott is currently serving as a club coach on the OSU staff.
Blanc, who competes at 55 kg, lettered at OSU in 2009 after competing three years at Lock Haven University. At OSU, he finished his senior year with a 30-10 record. Blanc ranks No. 3 at 55 kg for Team USA. A three-year member of Team USA, Blanc's highlight came in 2010 when he took first at the U.S. Open. He also notched runner-up finishes at the Pan American Championships in 2009 and 2010. Blanc serves as a club coach at OSU.
Pendleton wrestled at Oklahoma State from 2001-05 and will wrestle at 96 kg. He earned All-America recognition each of his final three years at OSU, including national championships at 174 pounds in 2003 and 2005. He also helped lead the Cowboys to three-straight national titles from 2003-2005. He won two Big 12 titles and accumulated a career record of 118-12. In 2010, the University of Wyoming hired Pendleton as an assistant coach and he has helped the Cowboys to a 17-6 record the past two seasons. He was a member of Team USA in 2006.
The final former Cowboy at the event is Mocco at 120 kg. He wrestled at OSU in 2005 and 2006 and was an All-American both years, including a heavyweight national title in 2005. He also claimed the Big 12 heavyweight championship in each season and helped lead OSU to a pair of team national championships. Mocco, who has been a member of Team USA for seven years, currently ranks No. 2 on Team USA at 120 kg and has taken the top spot in 19 international events since 2003.
Hasseman just finished his first season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. He served as a club coach for the Cowboys for the 2010-11 season. He has extensive experience at the senior level, finishing third in back-to-back years at the U.S. Open in 2008 and 2009. He was also a fourth-place finisher at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Hasseman finished second at the 2009 U.S. World Team Trials, third at the 2009 U.S. Nationals and third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. He was a 2005 NCAA Qualifier for Bloomsburg University.
The trials will kick off Saturday with the 60, 74 and 96 kg weight classes, with the 55, 66, 84 and 120 kg classes set for Sunday. Both days will feature an early session from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and a late session from 6-9 p.m.
2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials - Men's Freestyle
55 KG (121.25 LBS)
Obe Blanc, Gator WC
60 KG (132 LBS)
Coleman Scott, Gator WC
Jordan Oliver, Gator WC
84 KG (185 LBS)
Bryce Hasseman, Gator WC
96 KG (211.5 LBS)
Chris Pendleton, Gator WC
120 KG (264.5 LBS)
Steve Mocco, New York AC
