Oregon State
Reno Tournament of Champions
Beaver Wrestlers Earn Reno Tournament Championship as Pena Claims 157 Pound Title
December 17, 2012 | Wrestling
Dec. 17, 2012
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Seven OSU wrestlers finish in the top five as Beavers claim second straight top five tournament finish
RENO, Nev. – The No. 11 ranked Oregon State wrestling team took the Reno Tournament of Champions name to heart as it became tournament champions for 2012 with 145 total points, Sunday in Nevada. The Beavers finished first out of 27 schools competing in the event and saw 157 pounder RJ Pena claim an individual title of his own, going 4-0 on the day with a bye in the first round. As a unit, OSU boasted seven wrestlers who finished in the top five out of their weight class and finished 26 points ahead of second place finisher and Pac-12 foe Boise State.
Pena is the Orange and Black's hottest wrestler, as he has now won two-straight 157 lb. championships dating back to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite (Nov. 30 –Dec. 1), and three all together during the 2012 season. The junior captain has also won 11 straight decisions since his streak started in Vegas last month.
For Oregon State, this is its second top five finish at a tournament this year as OSU placed fourth with 98.5 points during the Las Vegas Invite.
Also earning top five finishes within their individual weight class included Mike Mangrum (141 lbs.), Ty Vinson (184 lbs.) and Taylor Meeks (197 lbs.) who finished second, as well as Austin Morehead (174 lbs.), Seth Thomas (165 lbs.) in third and Alex Elder (165 lbs.) who placed fifth.
A total of three OSU wrestlers had to bow out of the tournament due to medical forfeits, including Chad Hanke. Despite his early exit from the event, Hanke was still able to secure a six place finish within his weight class.
The first place finish for Head Coach Jim Zalesky is his school's highest in the Reno TOC since it switched to individual competition instead of a dual format in 2003.
Oregon State now rests for two weeks before traveling to the Windy City for the Midlands Championships, which will be hosted by Northwestern University, Dec. 29-30.
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