JOHN SMITH AND JACK SPATES ARE NAMED CO-BIG 12 WRESTLlING COACHES OF THE YEAR

DALLAS - Oklahoma State's head coach John Smith and Oklahoma's Jack Spates have been named Co-Big 12 Wrestling Coaches of the Year in a vote by the conference coaches.  Smith collects his seventh Big 12 Coach of the Year honor, while Spates is named for the third time.

After winning his eighth Big 12 Championship, Smith qualified nine for nationals and led the Cowboys to their fourth consecutive, 34th overall, national team title.  OSU crowned two national champions and finished with 122.5 team points and six All-Americans, the most of any school in the tournament. 

Spates escalated the Sooners to a second place finish at the Big 12 Championship and qualified eight for nationals, after finishing the regular season with a 1-4 Big 12 record.  Oklahoma finished in third place behind Oklahoma State and Minnesota at the NCAA Championships, while Spates was named NWCA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

Big 12 Coach of the Year
1997 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
1998 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
1999 -- Jack Spates, Oklahoma and Bobby Douglas, Iowa State
2000 -- Bobby Douglas, Iowa State
2001 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
2002 -- Jake Spates, Oklahoma
2003 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
2004 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
2005 -- John Smith, Oklahoma State
2006 -- Jack Spates, Oklahoma and John Smith, Oklahoma State

2005-06 ACC Wrestling Awards Announced;
Virginia Tech's Mike Faust Tabbed ACC Wrestler of the Year

GREENSBORO, NC - The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the recipients of its postseason wrestling awards today, as voted on by the league's six head coaches.  Virginia Tech's Mike Faust was named the Wrestler of the Year, while Virginia's Eric Albright was tabbed Freshman of the Year.  North Carolina head coach C.D. Mock garnered Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight year. 

Virginia Tech's Mike Faust was named the Wrestler of the Year, becoming the first Hokie to garner the award.  The heavyweight wrapped up his collegiate career with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors.  The senior from Baltimore, Md., posted a 37-8 overall record, including a 15-2 record in dual competition.  For the second straight year, Faust went undefeated in regular season ACC competition, posting a 5-0 record in his senior campaign.  He also won his second consecutive individual heavyweight title at the 2006 ACC Championship.

Virginia's Eric Albright becomes the first Cavalier to garner Freshman of the Year honors.  Albright compiled an overall record of 29-9, including a 12-3 record in dual matches in his freshman campaign.  The York, Pa., native posted a 4-1 mark in regular season ACC competition.  The top seed at 133 pounds, Albright earned a third-place finish at the ACC Championship.

In just three seasons at the helm of the Tar Heel wrestling program, C.D. Mock has led North Carolina to back-to-back ACC Championships and has been awarded ACC Coach of the Year honors twice.  Seven North Carolina wrestlers earned All-ACC honors, having advanced to the finals of their respective weight class, with three capturing individual titles, as the Tar Heels won the 2006 ACC Wrestling Championship.  Five Tar Heels participated in the NCAA Championship, as North Carolina posted a 47th-place finish.