Document text
Raider men fall to No. 7 in poll Jan 12, 2006 12:00 AM A A Staff and wire reports Oregon Tech& s overtime win over Southern Oregon caused a shake-up in the NAIA Division II men& s basketball poll, released Wednesday. Southern Oregon, which lost the back-and-forth game 74-71, fell five spots from No. 2 to No. 7 in the weekly poll, while Oregon Tech climbed from No. 12 all the way up to No. 4. The two teams are tied atop the Cascade Conference with identical 5-2 league records. Both are 16-3 overall as well. Fellow Cascade Conference powerhouse Warner Pacific fell from No. 5 to No. 15 after an 0-2 road trip. The Raiders, who have been ranked in the top 10 all season, try to put the breaks on a two-game losing streak Friday night against visiting Albertson. SOU hosts Eastern Oregon on Saturday night. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wrestling The official NAIA team champion won& t be crowned until March, but the country& s most talented and balanced squads will be identified this weekend at the Cliff Keen/National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The first-ever wrestling extravaganza, which takes place at the cavernous UNI Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa, will attract 72 of the nation& s top teams from all classifications. Southern Oregon University serves as the No. 6 draw in the 16-team NAIA field, and the seventh-ranked Raiders (5-2) tangle with unseeded King College of Bristol, Tenn. in the opening round Saturday morning. SOU will then face either No. — Dana, Neb. or Montana State-Northern in the second round. The champion is crowned Sunday afternoon upon conclusion of third-, fifth- and seventh-place duals. Top-ranked Lindenwood, Mo. is the NAIA& s top draw, while No. 2 Dickinson State, N.D. is the favorite on SOU& s side of the bracket. Fans can follow the Raiders live by logging on to www.intermatwrestle.com. Complete brackets are posted on Northern Iowa& s athletics Web page (www.uni.edu). Southern Oregon ended a three-week hiatus with a busy, productive two-day trip to Portland last weekend. The Raiders missed chances to top or tie NCAA Div. II fourth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney at the PSU Duals on Saturday in a 25-19 setback that snapped a three-dual win streak, but Southern bounced back by slamming West Region rival Simon Fraser, 29-6. On Sunday, six Raiders placed at the 14-team Portland State Open, including championship efforts from freshman Trevor Lofstedt (125), sophomore Joey Jannsen (149) and senior All-American Jimmy Grochowsky (165), who went a combined 13-0. Sophomore Junior Valladolid went 3-2 for a fourth-place finish at 125 in his first intercollegiate action in over a year, which qualified the Alaskan for the national meet. Senior Grant Thompson (4th at 197) also qualified for nationals, and senior James Mannenbach placed third at 165. Southern Oregon has formed a murderer& s row of seniors at the upper weight classes that will be formidable come dual time this weekend. Grochowsky (a team-best 21-4 at 165), All-American David O& Brien (18-3 at 174) and Rick Story (17-4 at 184) are a combined 56-11 this year, including 19-2 in duals. A seven-bout win streak has propelled Grochowsky to No. 9 on the school& s career victory list (89-42) and is six wins shy of taking over the No. — spot. O& Brien, who is 83-22 as a Raider, extended his dual-meet win streak to 28 since February 2003 with a 2-0 effort last weekend. Meanwhile, Lofstedt leads the team with nine pins among his 15 wins & a total that already ranks 10th on the single-season list. SOU and King College meet for the first time in intercollegiate competition Saturday. The Tornado defeated NCAA Div. III schools Maryville (39-16) and Belmont-Abbey (25-19) to start the year prior to a setback to Spartanburg Methodist (28-16). King is led by a pair of freshman who have already qualified for nationals: Shayne Funk (149) and David Johnson (157). SOU& s possible quarterfinal foe, Dana, Neb., features six nationally ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Willie Parks (184), No. — Ben Henderson (157) and No. — Kyle Frawley (174). The Vikings are 6-1-1 in duals with a 19-19 tie against Embry-Riddle. NAIA Individual Rankings (Jan 4): & 149; Jimmy Grochowsky (2nd at 165) & 149; David O& Brien (2nd at 174) & 149; Jimmy Ulrey (5th at 149) & 149; Rick Story (6th at 184) & 149; Barry Johnson (8th at 133) & 149; Joey Jannsen (8th at 149) & 149; Josh Fitzgerald (8th at 174) NAIA Team Rankings (Jan. 4): 1. Lindenwood (Mo.) 2. Great Falls (Mont.) 3. Dickinson State (N.D.) 4. Dana (Neb.) 5. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 6. Cumberlands (Ky.) 7. Southern Oregon 8. Menlo (Calif.) Possible Dual Lineup for Jan. 14-15: 125-Trevor Lofstedt (Fr., Roseburg, 15-7) or Junior Valladolid (So., Kodiak, Alaska, 3-2) 133-Barry Johnson (Fr., Dayton, 16-6, NAIA 8) 141-Matt Holt (Sr. Sumner, Wash., 16-6) 149-Jimmy Ulrey (So., Medford, 8-8, NAIA 5) or Joey Jannsen (So., Portland, 9-3, NAIA 8) 157-Kyle Temple (So., Sweet Home, 7-8) 165-Jimmy Grochowsky (Sr., Estacada, 21-4, NAIA 2) 174-David O& Brien (Sr., Kodiak, Alaska, 18-3, NAIA 2) 184-Rick Story (Sr., Spanaway, Wash., 17-4, NAIA 6) 197-Abe Ewing (Jr., Banks, 10-10) or Grant Thompson (Sr., Crane, 6-3) 285-Taylor Wilkerson (So., White City, 9-13)