Mail Tribune Sports - Oregon's Lee earns fourth in NCAA wrestling

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-03-09

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Oregon's Lee earns fourth in NCAA wrestling By KRIS HENRY ST. LOUIS -- Doug Lee rebounded from Friday's heartbreaking loss in the semifinals to place fourth Saturday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.   Lee, already assured of being Oregon's first All-American wrestler since Chael Sonnen and Jeremy Ensrud in 1998, had to fight back in the consolation round to earn Oregon's highest placement at the meet since Ensrud finished third in 1998.   The Pac-10 Conference champion at 184 pounds won his first bout Saturday, an 8-3 victory over Rob Rohn of Lehigh in the consolation semifinals. Brandon Eggum of Minnesota went on to edge the former Crater High standout, 9-5, in the third-place final.   Despite the loss, Lee capped his junior campaign with the third-highest win total in school history at 36-5. His .878 winning percentage for the season ranks Lee ninth overall in the Oregon record books.   Oregon coach Chuck Kearney said he was delighted with Lee's performance throughout the tournament.   "He just had a tremendous week and an even better year," said Kearney. "These championships were his opportunity to make a name for himself on the national stage and I think he accomplished that goal. It was just the capper to an already great season. This should be a great learning experience for him and his senior season, and I think he could be a force next year. We're already thinking of next season."   The Ducks have their entire starting lineup returning, including the All-American Sonnen, who returns after redshirting this season. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA