Mail Tribune Sports - Lee falls in NCAA wrestling
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Lee falls in NCAA wrestling ST. LOUIS -- Crater High product Doug Lee fell short in his bid to become Oregon's first NCAA individual wrestling champion since 1969, losing in Friday's 184-pound semifinals to Vertus Jones of West Virginia, 3-2. Despite the loss, the Pac-10 Conference champion has assured himself of All-American status by finishing among the top eight in his weight class. Lee had a chance to win near the end of his semifinal match, which was tied 1-1 with about 10 seconds remaining. Lee got behind Jones and went for a takedown, but Jones had hold of Lee also, negating the move. A scramble ensued and Lee gave up a takedown. The Oregon junior quickly escaped to make it 3-2 but ran out of time. "He wrestled an outstanding match today," said Oregon coach Chuck Kearney. "He put himself in a position to win and kept the pressure on the entire match. The ref could have given him two points on that last move but didn't, and he came up just short. He has had an excellent tournament and has proved himself as one of the top wrestlers in the country. People will know who he is now that he's an All-American." The match marked the second straight season Jones has eliminated Lee at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Lee now has an 0-4 all-time mark against Jones. Lee still has a chance to finish as high as third if he's successful in today's session. Live updates of the tournament can be found on the Internet at www.ncaawrestling.com/local/brackets.html Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA