2007-08 Men's Wrestling Season Review
HE'S
A LOCKE: After two seasons of having his season cut short by injuries,
Nick Locke finally got the full season he needed to prove he is a top level
wrestler. Moving up to 197 pounds for his junior season, Locke wrapped
the season with a 31-15 record and never had to miss a competition due
to injury.
Locke opened the season in strong fashion, winning the 197-pound class at the Mike Clock Open and finishing fourth at the Best of the West Open. The team's only starter in dual meets at 197, Locke amassed an 8-2 record, which included a pair of wins over Southern Oregon wrestlers in both duals against the Raiders and a pin over Jacob Antoine of Division I Portland State. He wrapped up the season with a second place finish at the Boxer Open and his first placing finish in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, coming in fifth in the 197-pound bracket after going 4-2.
In his 31 victories, Locke finished with five victories over Division I competitors. He led the team with nine pins and also finished with three technical falls and four major decisions.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Thanks to a number of injuries to a number of the team's expected returners, Pacific found themselves once again faced with a lineup that lacked significant on-the-mat experience. Of the team's 10 dual meet starters, only four entered the season with significant dual meet experience.
That made for a rough first two months of the season, with the Boxers dropping duals to Arizona State, Portland State and Clackamas CC. Pacific hit their stride midway through the schedule, winning five straight matches, including two over Yakima Valley CC, Simon Fraser, Douglas and Highline CC, before dropping a pair with a loaded Southern Oregon team to close out the season.
Pacific finished the season with a 5-5 record for their first .500 or better dual meet season since the 2004-05 campaign.
AT
THE REGIONALS: Pacific once again were faced with entering the
NCAA Great Lakes Regional with a lineup dotted with newcomers. Of the 10
wrestlers representing the Boxers, a total of six were competing at the
tournament for the first time. Despite that, the Boxers were able to improve
one place over their finish in 2007, placing 11th out of 15 teams. In addition,
Pacific would have needed just six more points to move up to ninth place.
Nick Locke ran his record to 31-15 with his fifth place finish, going 4-2 in the 197-pound class. Locke was bounced from the championship bracket with a quarterfinals loss to James Carlson of St. John's (Minn.), but turned around to win his next two matches by technical fall and major decision. Locke met Carlson again in the fifth place match, taking his revenge by scoring a 14-2 major decision.
Justin Barden also earned a fifth place finish in the 157-pound bracket. After pinning Michael Walton of Maranatha to open his run, Barden was bumped into the consolation bracket and fifth place match in a pair of close losses. Barden wrapped up fifth place and a final record of 15-11 with a 5-4 decision over Cowan Brown of North Central.
BARDEN'S SOLID FINISH: Head Coach Scott Miller counted on senior Justin Barden to come through with some big victories and experience to help bolster the young lineup. Barden delivered with a 15-11 record, which included a 5-3 mark in dual matches. Barden finished with 12-10 mark at his normal 157-pound class, but also racked up a 3-1 mark at 165 pounds.
Barden found his best success in the tournament setting. In addition to placing fifth at the Great Lakes Regional, Barden finished second at the North Country Tournament (Pacific's only placer) and finished third in the 165-pound class at the season-opening Mike Clock Open. With the 15 victories, Barden finishes his Pacific career with 47 wins, topped by 25 victories during the 2006-07 season.
VIVA
LA VIVAS: A strong start to the season made the 2007-08 campaign
look like a career one for Bryson Vivas. The sophomore 165-pounder opened
the season with a 7-4 record in November, placing third at the Mike Clock
Open and finishing just one match from placing at the Best of the West
Open. His ledger included a pair of wins over Division I foes. The grind
of December and January brought Vivas' record back to earth. A string of
four victories in the Boxers' five dual meet victories lifted Vivas to
16-10 overall.
An injury late in the season limited Vivas' success in the stretch run. He lost his final eight matches of the season to complete the season with a 16-18 mark. The ledger included a 12-17 mark at 165 pounds and 4-1 record at 174 pounds, all in dual meets. A healthy Vivas, however, should make a significant impact for the Boxers next season.
STUNTED BY INJURY: The 2007-08 season held some great promise for Andrew Wolfe. After seeing action in just two matches as a freshman, the 125-pounder came alive in the Mike Clock Open, going 3-1 to finish in second place. Unfortunately, an injury suffered towards the end of that tournament stunted what could have been a breakout season. Wolfe did not compete again until the Oregon Classic, and never quite regained form. The sophomore finished with a 5-7 record and appeared in just one dual meet for the Boxers.
SHIFTING LINEUPS: Thanks to youth and injuries, a number of Pacific wrestlers found themselves wrestling at more than one weight class for much of the season. Of the 17 grapplers to compete for the Boxers this season, 11 saw action at more than one weight class. Freshman Chad Asato saw the most movement, wrestling matches at 157, 165 and 174 pounds.
MILLER RESIGNS: Head Men's & Women's Wrestling Coach Scott Miller announced following the season that he was retiring from coaching. Miller had spent six seasons with the Boxers and a total of 17 seasons coaching at the NCAA Division I and NCAA Division III levels. He finishes with a 144-137-1 as head coach at Pacific, Syracuse, Campbell and Eastern Washington. A native of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, Miller and his family plan to return to the Spokane area and will enter private business.