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SOU looking to pull off a few upsets By Kris Henry Although not favored to bring an NAIA team championship back to Ashland, the fourth-ranked Southern Oregon wrestling team still has that hardware trained in its sights. The Raiders take the first step today in the opening round of the 44th annual NAIA Championships at Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Mo. The 20-team meet runs through Saturday night. "I think we�re sitting in a situation where we can upset the tournament," says SOU coach Mike Ritchey. "That�s the only way we can win it is to upset people. We have to wrestle well to get there, but we did the best we could in the seeding meeting. We�ll just have to wrestle now." Southern Oregon came out of the midweek meeting with nine seeded wrestlers, second only to top-ranked Montana State-Northern�s 10. Second-ranked Lindenwood and third-ranked Missouri Valley also have nine seeded wrestlers. Senior two-time All-American Dan Sturgell earned SOU�s highest seed, being slotted at No. 2 seed at 184 pounds. Sturgell, who finished second in 1999 and third last year, is ranked second in the nation and enters the tourney with a 23-5 record. The Raiders also received four No. 4 seeds in Jeremy Wynia (141), Ryan Schumann (174), Abe Haddon (184) and heavyweight Devin Cole. Gaining a sixth seed were Nolan Harris (125), John Sills (165) and Devin Parks (197), while Colin Murphy is seeded seventh at 149. Seventeen SOU wrestlers qualified for the national tournament, but only 12 can compete. Beyond the nine seeded wrestlers, Ritchey opted to have Brian Wilson (165), Zach Mock (174) and Wesley Balensifer (197) accompany the team. Also included is alternate Jason Chao at 133. With a new tournament scoring format that offers extra team points for wrestlers who make the top six, Ritchey will need each grappler to remain alive in the tournament as long as possible. "You have to put guys in the finals to break into that glass ceiling at the top," says Ritchey. "Dan (Sturgell) is obviously expected to get to the finals, but I think all of our seniors have a legitimate shot. It�s their last tournament, and they really want to go out with a bang. At least that�s what I�m hoping their motivation will be." Those seniors include Schumann, Sturgell, Wynia and Cole, who could be a surprise performer for SOU after getting a cast taken off his left hand last Friday. Cole, who broke his left thumb Jan. 27 in a dual meet against San Francisco State, will have the thumb taped down for the tournament. "His left hand will be more of a club than anything, but he doesn�t do a lot of grabbing, so he can still grip and should be OK," says Ritchey. "Hopefully it won�t slow him down, and he can get some confidence with it early." SOU enters the national tournament buoyed by eight weight-class champions in the Northwest Conference. Ritchey also was named league coach of the year, while freshman John Sills garnered MVP accolades from the meet that had the Raiders capturing their 22nd league or district title. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.