by By Micah Thompson, OU Communications Assistant
NORMAN – The No. 7 University of Oklahoma wrestling team finished the 2015 Cliff Keen Invitational in fourth place. The tournament was held at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Sooners, who logged 102 points in the event, finished 52 points behind first-place Missouri. Cornell placed second at 113 and Minnesota finished in third with 105.
“Overall we wrestled well this weekend,” OU Head Coach Mark Cody said. “This is the best field of competitors I’ve ever seen outside of the NCAA tournament. I think the fact that we competed here will be an advantage to us in March. We look forward to bouncing back and putting in a good week to get ready for Bedlam.”
Redshirt senior Cody Brewer was the top finisher for the Sooners, placing second at 133 pounds. Brewer went 4-1 in the event, registering two decision wins, a major decision win and a technical fall win. Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett defeated Brewer in the championship bout by 14-9 decision.
OU’s Ross Larson finished in third place, defeating Arizona State’s Tanner Hall, 3-2, in the 285-pound third-place match. The redshirt junior’s 5-1 record in the tournament was highlighted by three falls, coming in 1:22, 39 seconds and 1:42.
Fellow redshirt junior Clark Glass went 4-2 on the weekend, placing fourth at 165 pounds. Glass took on Missouri’s Daniel Lewis in the third-place bout, dropping an 8-2 decision.
Freshman Davion Jeffries (Musocgeee Creek Nation) and sophomore Ryan Millhof both finished in sixth place. Jeffries recorded two wins by decision, two by major decision and one by fall before Kent State’s Mike Depalma defeated him by 14-6 major decision in the 149-pound fifth-place contest. Millhof dropped an 11-3 major decision to Ohio State’s Nathan Tomasello in the 125-pound semi-finals before medical forfeiting and defaulting his final two matches.
At 174 pounds, redshirt juniors Matt Reed (174 pounds) and Brad Johnson (197 pounds) were both eliminated in the second consolation round of eight. Michigan’s Davonte Mahomes defeated Reed in a 6-4 decision, and CSU Bakersfield’s Ruben Franklin downed Johnson, 12-2.
The Sooners will return to the mat on Sunday, Dec. 13, when they take on in-state rival Oklahoma State in a Bedlam matchup in Norman. For full Cliff Keen Invitational results, visit FloWrestling.com.
