March 29, 2007
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2007 PAC-10 WRESTLING AWARDS:
UC DAVIS' DEREK MOORE NAMED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
UC DAVIS' LENNIE ZALESKY NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR
STANFORD'S ZACK GIESEN AND CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD'S BRANDON HALSEY NAMED CO-FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- UC DAVIS senior Derek Moore has been named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year, UC DAVIS' Lennie Zalesky garners Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors, and CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD'S Brandon Halsey and Stanford's Zack Giesen share the Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year award, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.
PAC-10 WRESTLER OF THE YEAR - DEREK MOORE, UC DAVIS
Moore, a senior from Redding, Calif., capped off a perfect 24-0 season by winning the NCAA title at 141-pounds on March 17 in Auburn Hills, Mich. Moore came to the NCAA Championships as the No. 2 seed, but left no doubts as to the identity of the real top wrestler when he crushed No. 1-seed Ryan Lang of Northwestern with a 17-2 technical fall at the 5:41 mark of the final match. Lang, who had been undefeated heading into the final, was the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation all season at 141 pounds, a two-time All-American and Big Ten champion. For his dominant performance, Moore was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships. Moore is the first UC Davis student-athlete to capture an NCAA national championship at the Division-I level, and becomes the first UC Davis wrestler to earn All-American status. His perfect season also included his second-consecutive Pac-10 Championship at 141 pounds, becoming the first Aggie to take back-to-back Conference crowns, and the first to go undefeated in a season. Moore ends his historical career with a record of 92-21. He is the first UC Davis wrestler to be named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year.
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PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR - LENNIE ZALESKY, UC DAVIS
Zalesky, in his sixth year at UC Davis, guided the Aggies to unprecedented heights in both the Conference and on the national stage. Zalesky coached Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year Derek Moore to the program's first national championship and undefeated season by an individual. But the Aggies were hardly a one-man show this season. A school-record seven Aggies placed at the Pac-10 Championships in February, helping UC Davis finish a program-best third overall with 96.5 points, also a record. Five Aggies earned bids to the NCAA Championships, including Moore at 141-pounds, Marcos Orozco (125), Omar Gaitan (133), Dustin Noack (165), and Ken Cook (175). The group combined for 10 wins and 29 points, putting UC Davis in a three-way tie for 22nd place, another new record. UC Davis was the top placing team from the Pac-10 at the national meet. Under Zalesky's watch, UC Davis has earned its first four Conference champions, and sent 21 student-athletes to the NCAA Championships. By comparison, UC Davis sent only eight wrestlers to the D-I national meet in its first eight years of membership (1993-2001). Zalesky becomes the first UC Davis coach to earn Coach of the Year honors.
CO-PAC-10 FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - ZACK GIESEN, STANFORD
Giesen, a true freshman at 184-pounds, planned to redshirt the season until injuries forced him into action. Instead of easing his way into collegiate wrestling, Giesen wound up wrestling a whopping 45 matches, going 29-16 overall. Giesen came in second at the Pac-10 Championships, earning a trip to the NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Mich. A native of Grants Pass, Ore., Giesen was second on the Cardinal with a 12-4 dual record, scoring 45.0 points for Stanford. His 29 wins are the third-most for a freshman in Stanford history. Giesen also strung together a 12-match win-streak from Jan. 5-Feb. 11. He is the second Cardinal to win Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, joining Matt Gentry who earned the award in 2002.
CO-PAC-10 FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - BRANDON HALSEY, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
Halsey, a redshirt sophomore, came to Cal State Bakersfield from Fresno State after the Bulldogs dropped their program in the summer of 2006. Halsey thrived in his first season of Pac-10 competition, winning the Pac-10 title at 197 pounds with a 10-7 decision over Cal Poly's Matt Monteiro in the final. Halsey then made his first appearance at the NCAA Championships, and shocked observers by upsetting the division's top-seed, Maxwell Askren of Missouri, in the first round with a 5-4 decision. Halsey fell in the second round to Michigan's Nick Roy, finishing with a 28-9 record for the year. Halsey, a native of Vista, Calif., is the first Cal State Bakersfield wrestler to win Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
PAC-10 WRESTLERS OF THE YEAR
1976 Tom Brown, WASH, 158
Greg Gibson, ORE, HWT
1977 Larry Bielenberg, OSU, HWT
1978 Dan Hicks, OSU, 142
1979 Fred Bohna, UCLA, HWT
1980 Howard Harris, OSU, HWT
1981 Marty Ryan, OSU, 150
1982 Bill Nugent, ORE, 142
1983 Gary Bohay, ASU, 126
1984 Jim Baumgardner, OSU, 190
1985 Eddie Urbano, ASU, 150
1986 Adam Cohen, ASU, 150
1987 Mike Davies, ASU, 190
1988 Mike Davies, ASU, 190
1989 Dan St. John, ASU, 158
1990 Dan St. John, ASU, 167
1991 Paul Keysaw, CSUB, 190
1992 Ray Miller, ASU, 158
1993 Ray Miller, ASU, 158
1994 Babak Mohammadi, OSU, 134
1995 Les Gutches, OSU, 177
1996 Les Gutches, OSU, 177
1997 Stephen Neal, CSUB, HWT
1998 Stephen Neal, CSUB, HWT
1999 Stephen Neal, CSUB, HWT
2000 Steve Blackford, ASU, 165
2001 Eric Larkin, ASU, 141
2002 Eric Larkin, ASU, 141
2003 Eric Larkin, ASU, 149
2004 Matt Gentry, STAN , 157
2005 Cain Velasquez, ASU, HWT
2006 Ben Cherrington, BSU, 157
2007 Derek Moore, UCD, 141
PAC-10 COACHES OF THE YEAR
1976 Dale Thomas, OSU
1977 Dale Thomas, OSU
1978 Darren Sipe, WASH
1979 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1980 Ron Finley, ORE
1981 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1982 Ron Finley, ORE
1983 Dale Thomas, OSU
1984 Dale Thomas, OSU
1985 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1986 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1987 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1988 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1989 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1990 Bobby Douglas, ASU
1991 T.J. Kerr, CSUB
1992 Mark Johnson, OSU
1993 Lee Roy Smith, ASU
1994 Joe Wells, OSU
1995 Joe Wells, OSU
1996 T.J. Kerr, CSUB
1997 T.J. Kerr, CSUB
Lee Roy Smith, ASU
1998 Lee Roy Smith, ASU
1999 Mike Young, BSU
2000 Mike Young, BSU
2001 Lee Roy Smith, ASU
2002 Mike Young, BSU
2003 Thom Ortiz, ASU
2004 Steve Buddie, STAN
2005 Thom Ortiz, ASU
2006 Thom Ortiz, ASU
2007 Lennie Zalesky, UCD
PAC-10 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
2000 TJ Hill, CSF
2001 Jed Pennell, OSU
2002 Matt Gentry, STAN
2003 Ryan Halsey, CP
2004 Darrell Vasquez, CO
2005 Andrew Hochstrasser, BSU
2006 Tyler Sherfey, BSU
2007 Zack Giesen, STAN
Brandon Halsey, CSUB
