"We were looking for guys with high goals," OSU head coach Jim Zalesky said. "We wanted to go out and get those guys who want to work hard and be aggressive, and who have goals here and even beyond here – Olympic aspirations and world aspirations.
"In these four guys, that's what we found and what we like about them. When we were recruiting this year, we weren't looking for a weight class; we were looking for the overall attitude. Good guys will find their way into the lineup, so we're not really worried about what weight they were. We're looking to build depth on our team. We just felt good about them in talking to them about where they want to go. They're excited, like we are, about where we want this program to go."
Kubec was the 2004 national champion at 112 pounds and was the runner-up this past season at 125 pounds; in its preseason national rankings, Amateur Wrestling News lists him as No. 7 at 130 pounds and Wrestling USA ranked him No. 3 at athat weight. He has a career record of 106-10 for Lake Stevens with a pair of state titles to his credit; Kubec is also a two-time Tri-State champion. In this year's Junior Nationals, Kubec placed second in Greco-Roman and fourth in Freestyle.
Kubec said he chose OSU for "the coaching staff, along with it being close to home. It had the total package of what I was looking for; it was the place I felt I could be successful academically and reach my athletic goals."
Nay was the 2005 Cadet national champion in Greco-Roman; this year he earned Junior Nationals All-America honors in Greco-Roman and in 2004 he earned Cadet All-America honors in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Nay is a three-time Missouri state champion for Oak Park, winning at 145 as a junior and sophomore and 125 as a freshman; he has a 124-3 record with 82 pins. AWN lists him as the nation's No. 5 wrestler at 152 pounds.
Nay selected OSU because he felt comfortable with the coaching staff and because he liked the campus; he felt the coaching staff has a hunger to win and that OSU was the best fit for him.
Phillips is a two-time Oregon state champion, winning for Cascade at 125 pounds as a junior and at 119 pounds as a sophomore; he placed fifth at 112 pounds as a freshman and has a career record of 108-9 with 71 pins. Phillips continues his family's tradition in the OSU program, as both his father, Tom, and older brother, Brett, wrestled for the Beavers.
"I really liked the new coaches and I like the campus and the school – it seemed like a good fit," Phillips said of selecting Oregon State.
Stalcup has won a pair of state titles for Estacada, taking the crown at 152 pounds as a junior and at 140 pounds as a sophomore; he has a career record of 129-2 with 85 pins. Going into this season, AWN ranks Stalcup as the nation's No. 6 wrestler at 152 pounds. Stalcup also earned All-America honors in 2005 in both the Cadet Freestyle and Greco-Roman ranks, and was All-American in Greco-Roman in 2004. At the prestigious Las Vegas Classic he has placed second in Greco-Roman twice and third in freestyle once.
"I liked the coaching staff," Stalcup said of picking OSU. "I want to be part of history, of putting Oregon State back on the map like it used to be."
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now