Oklahoma State wins Reno Tournament of Champions college title
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Josh Maxson (Oklahoma State SID)
12/21/2000
RENO, Nev. - Top-ranked Oklahoma State dominated the sixth annual Reno Tournament of Champions scoring 192.5 team points and crowning six individual champions Wednesday evening at the Reno Livestock and Events Center. Arizona State finished in second place with 120.5 points and two champions. Indiana was third with 111 team points, while Boise State was fourth. Cal Poly rounded out the top five, registering 75 points. In the most exciting match of the day, No. 2 Steve Blackford of ASU and No. 7 Ty Wilcox of OSU had the spectators in the Livestock and Events center on the edge of there seats. In the end, after two periods of scrambling, Blackford won 6-5 on riding time to claim the title. Another matchup of highly ranked wrestlers took place at 184 pounds where OSU¹s eighth-ranked Daniel Cormier faced off with Indiana¹s No. 2 Victor Sveda. Cormier was in control the entire match,leading 9-3 before pinning the Hoosier in 5:43. Cormier also took home the outstanding wrestler award with his pin of Sveda and a 9-6 semifinal win over Oregon¹s No. 4 Doug Lee. OSU¹s second-ranked Mark Muñoz was also suprised by Boise State¹s eighth-ranked Rusty Cook 7-4. The loss was the first on the season for Muñoz. At heavyweight, Arizona State¹s Kellen Fluckiger locked up the second title of the day for the Sun Devils, winning a 5-3 decision over Oregon¹s Eric Webb. An oddity occurred at 133 pounds where OSU¹s third-ranked and top-seeded Charles Walker battled with teammate Johnny Thompson. The Reno Tournament of Champions allows each team to wrestle 13 wrestlers with 10 counting toward the team totals and three going unattached. Thompson, one of the Cowboys three unattached wrestlers, pulled the upset. Tied at 4-4 at the end of regulation, Thompson shot a double leg 30 seconds into sudden victory and took Walker to the mat for the winning takedown and a 6-4 win. Penn State¹s Nate Parker was hit with a stalling penalty midway through the third period, that proved to be the difference as Oklahoma State¹s Jerrod Sanders held on for a 2-1 win. The Cowboys added another individual title at 149 pounds where No. 3-ranked Reggie Wright decisioned Cal Poly¹s Cedric Waymon 7-2. The first final not to feature an Oklahoma State wrestler took place at 157 pounds. Boise State¹s Kirk White, a 1999 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds, took on Arizona State¹s Rocky Smart. White jumped out to a three-point lead in the second period with an escape and a takedown, those points proved to be vital as White held on for a 3-2 win. At 174 pounds, OSU¹s Tyrone Lewis made quick work of Cal Poly¹s Steve Strange. Lewis arm barred Strange to his back and showed him the lights in just 30 seconds. The finals started at 125 pounds where OSU claimed its first individual title when Matt Brown decisioned Boise State¹s Ben Vonbaur 9-7.