Corvallis, Ore. – The Oregon State wrestling team volunteered over 600 hours last weekend at the USA Wrestling Oregon Freestyle Championships, held in the Merritt Truax Indoor Center on the Oregon State campus.
 
The three-day tournament began on Friday, Apr. 30, with weigh-ins at 7:00 p.m. The competition ranged in ages from five-years-old to high school and drew approximately 2,000 people.
 
“It was a great chance for our wrestlers to give back to the state of Oregon and spend time with the youth wrestlers,” head coach Jim Zalesky said.
 
In preparation for the tournament, the Beavers went to schools all over the Mid-Willamette Valley to pick up the 14 mats used. From there, the team set up them up in Truax – washing and taping them – also setting up bleachers, tables and chairs.
 
During competition, the team manned the doors, officiated and kept score before tearing the event down on Sunday, including hauling all of the trash out of the facility. 
 
“It was a good experience,” senior Colby Covington said. “It’s always good to give back to people that have given to you your whole life, and personally I tried to talk to the wrestlers and to try to help them out. It lets us show the community that we care, and it kind of gave me a little extra motivation for next year. It was a fun time, and I enjoyed it.”
 
The USA Wrestling Oregon Greco Roman Championships were held over the previous weekend in Oregon City, Ore.