Halsey leaps to No. 2 at 197 pounds in latest Pac-10 rankings

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006 CSUB Sports Information new release

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Cal State Bakersfield sophomore Brandon Halsey went from unranked to No. 2 in the Pac-10 on Tuesday when the latest Pac-10 individual wrestling rankings were released to highlight a wild shakeup of those rankings after the Reno Tournament of Champions.

As might be expected from a tournament in which nine of the 10 teams from the Pac-10 were competing, there were changes in all 10 weights including three new top-ranked wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Tanner Gardner of Stanford is the new No. 1 at 125 pounds after defeating former No. 1 Chad Mendes of Cal Poly in the final of the Reno Tournament of Champions, and Kenneth Cook of UC Davis displaced Oregon State's Jeremy Larson as the new No. 1 at 174 pounds.

Despite Cal Poly losing its No. 1 at 125 pounds, it gained a new No. 1 at heavyweight when Cody Parker jumped past Ty Watterson of Oregon State after Parker won the Reno tournament last Wednesday.

The biggest jump came from the Roadrunners' Halsey, though, who placed fifth in the Reno Tournament of Champions and defeated former No. 2 Eliot Kelly of UC Davis along the way to move into the No. 2 position.

Bakersfield now has six wrestlers ranked in the Pac-10, which Brandon Doyle being the Roadrunners' other No. 2 wrestler at 149 pounds. Also ranked for Bakersfield is Thomas Kimbrell (No. 6 at 133), Matt Schumm (No. 4 at 141), Daniel Atondo (No. 4 at 165), and Eric Parker (No. 6 at heavyweight).

Cal Poly and Oregon State each have nine ranked wrestlers, with UC Davis close behind with eight wrestlers listed in the rankings. Arizona State has seven, with Oregon and Bakersfield following with six wrestlers each. Stanford and Boise State each have five ranked wrestlers, with Cal State Fullerton adding four and Portland State with one.