Wrestlers, Gymnasts Ready for Beauty and the Beast
No. 8 wrestling shares floor with No. 4 women's gymnastics Friday evening.
NORMAN, Okla. - The eighth-ranked Oklahoma wrestling squad (5-1, 0-1) returns to Norman Friday, Jan. 7 to host the Navy Midshipmen (1-0) in the fourth annual "Beauty and the Beast" event at the Lloyd Noble Center at 7 p.m.
The wrestlers will compete alongside the No. 4-ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team who will take on No. 11 Arkansas.
"Beauty and the Beast is a great event," head coach Jack Spates said. "To have two of the nation's premier programs in different sports competing side-by-side is a fans delight."
OU is coming off a strong outing at the Midlands Championships in which the Sooners finished sixth despite resting Zack Bailey and Nathan Fernandez. Sophomore Chase Nelson led the way for the Sooners after posting a 5-0 record and claiming the 157 pound title.
"Navy is going to be a great meet," Spates said. "These guys are disciplined, tough and battle hard. We want to encourage every patriot to come out and root them on to defeat. They have some outstanding wrestlers including 157 pounds. He is the second winningest Navy wrestler of all-time and 184 as well. There will be a lot of good competitive bouts and it will be a great meet."
The Sooners are 8-0 in the all-time series against Navy. The last time the two faced one another was in 2008 when the Sooners rolled to a 28-6 victory.
Seven Sooners are ranked in this week's InterMat individual ranking, led by fourth-ranked Tyler Caldwell at 165 pounds. Two Sooners, Zack Bailey (141 pounds) and Chase Nelson (157), sit at No. 6 among their respective weight classes. Jarrod Patterson is also ranked in the top 10 at No. 9 among 125 pounders.
Nathan Fernandez stands at 11 at 285 pounds, while Erich Schmidtke is 14th at 184 pounds. Jordan Keller (133) enters the rankings at No. 20 for the first time this year.
Navy counters with two ranked wrestlers. Leading the way for the Midshipmen is Bryce Saddoris, ranked No. 8 among 157 pounders. Luke Robertus is ranked 15th at 184 pounds.
Sooner Participants (Weight) Hometown (Year) Record
Jarrod Patterson (125) Cushing, Okla. (So.) 18-4
Jordan Keller (133) Wichita, Kan. (Jr.) 10-6
Zack Bailey (141) Kansas City, Mo. (Sr.) 14-2
Matt Lester (149) Eureka, Mo. (RFr.) 8-7
Nick Lester (149) St. Louis, Mo. (RFr.) 9-4
Chase Nelson (157) Wichita, Kan. (So.) 14-4
Tyler Caldwell (165) Wichita, Kan. (So.) 20-3
Jeff James (174) El Reno, Okla. (RSr.) 3-0
Ben Bridell (174) Birmingham, Ala. (RSo.) 4-4
Erich Schmidtke (184) Aberdeen, Wash. (RSo.) 17-6
Keldrick Hall (197) Dallas, Texas (RSo.) 10-7
Nathan Fernandez (HWT) Lawton, Okla. (Sr.) 13-2
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PROMOTIONS
The OU marketing department has announced promotions for the "Beauty and the Beast" event Friday evening. The OU Athletics Department invites you to celebrate OU football's Fiesta Bowl Championship at the fourth annual Beauty and the Beast Night on Friday, Jan. 7 at the Lloyd Noble Center. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to take their picture with the 2010 Fiesta Bowl Trophy during the meet.
Prizes raffled off to OU fans at the event include a $100 Circle K Gas Card, a $50 Buffalo Wild Wings Gift Card, a $20 Smoothie King Gift Card, two $50 Cane's Gift Cards and an Apple iPad.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the events are on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU. Prices are $8 for public general admission and $5 for student (k-12) general admission. Group tickets are also available for a discounted price.
SOONER NOTES
Spates to Retire at End of Season
Oklahoma Head Wrestling Coach Jack Spates, who is in his 18th season with the Sooners, announced Wednesday, Jan. 5 that he plans to retire from the position at the end of the current season.
"This is something that I had planned for quite a while," Spates said.
"I've been blessed by my tenure at OU. I've worked with the greatest kids, athletic director and president. I will leave with a smile on my face. It's a young man's game and a sport that requires tremendous passion and energy and I feel God is leading me in another direction at this time."
That direction may involve ministerial work. Spates received a master's degree in theology and education from Baptist Bible Seminary in 1980.
Caldwell, Nelson Drop Weight Classes
Sophomores Tyler Caldwell and Chase Nelson have dropped weight classes and will compete at 165 and 157 pounds, respectively. Caldwell, reigning All-American at 165 pounds, has been impressive collecting a 13-2 record after moving up to 174 pounds. Nelson, a JUCO All-American, boasts a 9-4 record in his first season as a Sooner.
Nelson Earns Midlands Championships Title
Chase Nelson win five-straight bouts to earn the 157 pound title at the Midlands Championships.