Fresno State Athletics
Wrestling Takes a Week Off
12/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 4, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - FIRST DUAL MEET
Fresno State will host the first dual meet action of the season as number 4 Oklahoma State travels to the North Gym Sun., Dec. 17, 200. The `Dogs have not seen Oklahoma yet in competition this year, but the Cowboys are 13-0 all-time. Oklahoma has five returning All-Americans, senior Daniel Cormier (184), senior Mark Munoz (197), senior Charles Walker (133), senior Reggie Wright (149) and junior Ty Wilcox (149). Oklahoma State has already beat number one Iowa this season.
BULLDOGS IMPROVE FROM 15TH TO 9TH AT LAS VEGAS INVITE
Fresno State placed inthe top 10 at the Las Vegas Invitational, improving upon last year's 15th place finish. The Fresno State wrestling team placed 9th at the Las Vegas Invitational with 70.5 points Sat., Dec. 1-2, 2000. The Bulldogs scored higher than 43 of the teams participating in the tournament, including seven schools they will face in dual meets this season. Arizona State, Oregon and Boise State were the only schools they will later wrestle that placed higher than the `Dogs. Stephen Abas (Hayward, Calif. placed first in the 125 division, Derrick Hayes (Seaside, Calif.) placed fifth in the 133 division, Nathan Vasquez (Bakersfield, Calif.) placed sixth in the 157 division and Eddie Gifford (Las Vegas, Nev.)placed eighth in the 165 division. Abas was seeded first going in to the tournament and went 5-0 to earn the title. He defeated A.J. Grant of Michigan by decision (10-2) in the final round. Hayes, seeded ninth, went 3-0 before losing to Brian Watson from Oregon by decision (6-4) in the semi-final round. Hayes was then defeated by Rad Martinez from Clarion, putting him in fifth place. Vasquez, seeded seventh, went 3-0 before Bryan Snyder of Nebraska, second seed, won by decision in the fourth round. Vasquez went 1-1 in the consolation rounds to place sixth. Gifford was seeded tenth and went 3-0 before a loss to second seed Chris Martin of Virginia. He went 1-1 in the consolation rounds to finish eighth.
FRESNO STATE DOMINATES FULLERTON OPEN
Fresno State wrestlers swept the top three spots in the 141 division and earned four first place finishes at the All-California Open tournament at Cal State Fullerton Sunday. And that was without 1999 National Champion Stephen Abas. Abas did not participate in the tournament due to soreness in his elbow and Nathan Vasquez also did not wrestle because of an infection in his eye that should be better by this week. Derrick Hayes won by decision over Ben Martinez, (Pixley, Calif.) for the first place win in the 133 division (7-4). In the 141 division Ralph Lopez, (Fresno, Calif.) beat former Fresno State wrestler Paris Ruiz by default, and George Moreno, (Firebaugh, Calif.) took third place. Jim Medeiros, (Fremont, Calif.) placed fourth in the 149 division and Peter Le, (San Jose, Calif.) took sixth. In the 165 division Eddie Gifford placed third. Jason Rossotti, (Selma, Calif.) took first place for the second year in a row at the tournament in the 184 division. Billy Blunt, (Modesto, Calif.) won first place in the heavyweight division and Marcio Botelho, (Lemoore, Calif.) took fifth. Fresno State placed a total of 11 wrestlers in the top six. Other Bulldog wrestlers that competed were: Justin McLelland, (Atwater, Calif.) in the 125 division, Darrick Duran, (Fresno, Calif.) in the 149 division, Darnell Williams, (Hayward, Calif.) in the 157 division, Jon Farley, (Fowler, Calif.) and Mike Mellor, (Diamond Springs, Calif.) in the 174 division, Landon Seefeldt, (Modesto, Calif.) in the 184 division, Mike Bridges, (Lake Mathews, Calif.) and Mike VanWorth, (Dos Palos, Calif.) in the 197 division, and Jon Boyer, (Joshua Tree, Calif.) in the heavyweight division.
