OSU roundup

Corvallis Gazette-Times

The Oregon State swim team finishes the first half of its season this weekend at the Husky Invitational at Federal Way, Wash. The four-day meet runs today through Sunday and is patterned after the NCAA Championships.

OSU coach Larry Liebowitz said the meet is a good one to swim right before the break, part of which the Beavers will spend training in Mexico.

“I am hoping that we can go some best times and start getting some NCAA qualifying times,” Liebowitz said. “The meet brings us a lot of exposure to the Northwest swimming community. I think we will be able to get a lot of recognition if we do well.”

OSU has several swimmers who rank in the top 100 in their respective events through Nov. 26.

Freshman Saori Haruguchi is 14th in the 200 butterfly (2:00.78); 70th in the 100 butterfly (56.52); 25th in the 200 backstroke (2:00.39) and 50th in the 200 freestyle (1:50.41).

Freshman Kayla Rawlings is 55th in the 200 butterfly (2:02.90) and 100th in the 100 butterfly (57.14). Also ranked are senior Christina Kinney, 70th in the 100 butterfly (56.47); senior Ausra Pacebutaite, 52nd in the 100 backstroke (56.82); senior Monika Miroslaw, 71st in the 200 butterfly (2:03.62), and junior Felicia Castaneda, 97th in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.33).

The Beavers rank 58th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.35); 57th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:31.18); 43rd in the 200 medley relay (1:46.30), and 47th in the 400 medley relay (3:52.62).

Wrestling

The OSU wrestling team competes at the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate tournament this Friday and Saturday.

The 51-team field features (3) Michigan, (4) Illinois, (9) Cornell, (10) Arizona State, (14) Missouri, (15) Wisconsin, (18) Hofstra, (20) Pittsburgh, (21) Cal Poly, (22) Tennessee-Chattanooga, (23) Edinboro, (24) Boise State, (25) Penn and several nationally-ranked Division II and Division III programs.

“It’s an awesome opportunity,” OSU coach Joe Wells said. “We’ll see quite a few teams from the Pac-10, some teams from the Big Ten, some teams from the East Coast.

“It’s a great chance for us to test ourselves. Each guy is looking at his weight class and seeing who’s going to be there. It’s an opportunity for us to move up in the rankings as individuals and as a team.”

The Beavers, who defeated No. 18 Hofstra on Nov. 17, will be without sophomore Kyle Larson (3-1), who has a shoulder injury.

Seniors Tony Hook (157) and Dan Pitsch (197), and junior heavyweight Ty Watterson are OSU’s ranked competitors.

Hook (4-1) is 18th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/InterMat poll and 13th in the Amateur Wrestling News rankings. Pitsch (3-2) is 18th in the AWN rankings; Watterson (4-1) is 16th in the NWCA/IM rankings and 17th in the AWN rankings.

The Beavers open their home and Pac-10 seasons on Dec. 9 against Oregon.

Men’s soccer

OSU senior forward Ryan Johnson has been invited to the adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine, set for Jan. 12-15, 2006, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. He completed his eligibility this past season and earned Pac-10 postseason honors for the fourth year in a row.

Johnson is one of 54 seniors from Division I programs to be invited. The combine helps teams evaluate players for the Jan. 20, 2006, MLS SuperDraft.

“I’ve been working hard for this and MLS is one of my goals,” Johnson said. “It’s not a surprise to me that I was invited, but it’s definitely a privilege.”

A native of Boston, Johnson was first-team all-conference in 2005 and 2004, second-team in 2003 and honorable mention in 2002. He is OSU’s career leader in assists (30), ranks third in points (66) and is tied for seventh in goals (18).

Former Beavers Alan Gordon (L.A. Galaxy) and Josh Elbaum (Colorado Rapids) played in the MLS in 2005.