Feb. 7, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - Tanner Gardner's (125) crucial pin of Eric Stevenson at 6:22 led a dramatic Cardinal comeback against the Oregon State Beavers, who lost to Stanford for the first time in the series history. Paul Gross (133) scored a decision over Tim Norman to secure the 18-17 win for the Cardinal. This was Stanford's fourth straight dual meet victory.
With Oregon State holding a 17-9 lead with only two matches left, Tanner Gardner and Paul Gross had to deliver big wins to give Stanford a chance for a dual victory. Gardner wrestled three intense periods and was leading his match when he pinned OSU's Eric Stevenson at 6:22. The fall brought the Cardinal within two points of the Beavers. Gross and Tim Norman wrestled to a 4-4 tie after two periods, each wrestler taking down the other once. With the crowd on its feet, Gross took down Norman one more time in the final period to clinch the match and the meet.
Oregon State's nationally ranked wrestlers had given the Beavers a lead going into the final two matches. Tony Hook, ranked 19th in the nation, took down Luis Vendrell (149) four times for the 12-4 major decision. Matt Ellis, ranked tenth nationally and first in the conference, defeated Brian Perry (165) in a narrow 6-3 decision. Imad Kharbush (174) fell to 14th ranked Jed Pennell in a close 8-6 match. Kharbush took down Pennell in the final period, but came up just short against Oregon State's star senior.
Stanford's own nationally ranked wrestlers performed well too. In the opening match, Brad Metzler (141) wrestled Kyle Larson dominantly for the 4-0 decision. Matt Gentry, recently victorious at the NWCA All-Star Classic and ranked second in the nation, defeated Orlando Perez by a score of 5-0.
At the upper weights, OSU's Dan Pitsch defeated John Garfinkel (184) 11-7. Larry Ozowara (197), recently returned to the starting line up, won his match against Kurt Willener by a score of 10-4. Shawn Ritzenthaler (285) fell to Jamie Rakevich 15-2 in a major decision. Stanford managed to prevail in the end, however.
This was Stanford's first dual victory against Oregon State in 29 meetings between the two schools. The win stretches Stanford's record to 7-4 on the season and 4-2 in the Pac-10. With only three more duals left before the Pac-10 tournament, the Cardinal have been wrestling very impressively. Their next opponent is Fresno State, who will host Stanford on Sunday, February 8th at 7:00 pm. Stanford's next and final home dual will be on Saturday, February 14th at Burnham Pavilion. Come watch the Cardinal take on Portland State at 7:00 pm.
Stanford (18) vs. Oregon State (17)
141 - Brad Metzler (Stanford) DEC. Kyle Larson (OSU), 4-0.
149 - Tony Hook (OSU) MD Luis Vendrell (Stanford), 12-4.
157 - Matt Gentry (Stanford) DEC. Orlando Perez (OSU) 5-0.
165 - Matt Ellis (OSU) DEC. Brian Perry (Stanford), 6-3.
174 - Jed Pennell (OSU) DEC. Imad Kharbush (Stanford), 8-6.
184 - Dan Pitsch (OSU) DEC. John Garfinkel (Stanford), 11-7.
197 - Larry Ozowara (Stanford) DEC. Kurt Willner (OSU), 10-4.
285 - Jamie Rakevich (OSU) MD Shawn Ritzenthaler (Stanford), 15-2.
125 - Tanner Gardner (Stanford) FALL Eric Stevenson (OSU), 6:22.
133 - Paul Gross (Stanford) DEC. Tim Norman (OSU), 7-3.