Beavers rout Arkansas-Little in Pac-12 Conference opener
The 28th-ranked Oregon State Wrestling team ended an unbeaten weekend after beating Little Rock 35-3 in the Pac-12 opener Sunday afternoon in the Arkansas capital.
The Beavers (5-5, 1-0 Pac-12) won nine of the 10 fights to equal their season record by 10 games. Mateo Olmos (174) and JJ Dixon (heavyweight) led the Beavers with ranked wins over the Trojans.
Brandon Kaylor, ranked 19th in the nation at 125 pounds, set the pace for Oregon State in the first fight of the competition, making a 21-12 main decision. Kaylor found himself in a tight spot early on but used two near misses to turn the momentum his way en route to victory.
At 133, No. 18 Jason Shaner picked up where Kaylor left off with an 18-12 win by decision. No. 26 Cleveland Belton (141) clocked nearly 90 seconds of driving time and used a pair of two-point near misses to build a big lead early to secure a 16-1 Tech crash.
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After the Beavers lost the 149-pound match, Isaiah Crosby (157) regained the momentum for the Beavers and made an 8-5 decision.
Matthew Olguin (Ranked 21st at 165) started with an early takedown en route to the 4-0 decider.
Olmos – ranked 174th at No. 29 – scored the win in the ranked clash between himself and No. 25 Triston Wills. After a goalless first period, Wills earned one on an escape. Olmos – the reigning Pac-12 wrestler of the week – won the fight via a late takedown.
Trey Munoz — 11th with 184 — was another Beaver who quickly took the lead and didn’t look back. Munoz got on the board quickly with a takedown and extended a 10-2 lead after two near misses. With 3:58 on the clock, Munoz was credited with the tech case at 17-2.
No. 18 Tanner Harvey was trailing 8-2 early and showing heroics in the 197-pound fight. Harvey began turning the tide at 1:02 a second. A takedown halved the lead to four and Harvey secured the fall shortly after.
Dixon ended the fight in an upset against No. 32 Josiah Hill. Stuck before the last frame, Dixon chose to start in the ‘down’ position and his escape was all it took to put the 5-4 To make a decision.
OSU has the weekend off and will be hosting Cal State Bakersfield at the Gill Coliseum on Sunday, January 29 at 12:30 p.m.
Oregon State 35, Little Rock 3
125: Kaylor MD Reno (LR) 21-12
133: 18 Shaner (OSU) DEC Sarpy (LR) 19-12
141:26 Belton (OSU) TF Carson (LR) 16-1
149: J. Bianchi (LR) DEC Gurr (OSU) 10-4
157: Crosby (OSU) DEC M. Bianchi (LR) 8-5
165:21 Olguin (OSU) DEC Brennan (LR) 4-0
174: 29 Olmos (OSU) 25 DEC. Wills (LR) 3-2
184: 11 Munoz (OSU) TF Diel (LR) 17-2
197:18 Harvey (OSU) CASE Lukens (LR) 4:23
HWT: Dixon (OSU) DEC 32 Hill (LR) 5-4
