#4 Men's Wrestling 11/6/2011 5:09:00 PM

Eight Stars place in Oklahoma City Open

Gomez, Peperas and Ream take titles for OCU

Kidd Gomez won his second open tournament championship as a Star, securing his third berth in the NAIA Championships.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Kidd Gomez, Derek Peperas and Cameron Ream of Oklahoma City University became champions in the Oklahoma City Open wrestling tournament on Sunday at Abe Lemons Arena.
The Stars' Kevin Hardy and Andrew Pontikes took runner-up honors. OCU's Nik Turner finished third place, while Will Shelton-Delk and Jared Steinbach picked up fourth-place finishes.
OCU holds the eighth place in the NAIA wrestling team rankings for the Stars' highest preseason ranking ever. Individuals from ranked teams Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Central Oklahoma, Cumberlands (Ky.) and Missouri Valley competed in the event.
Keith Harding, Hunter Muskrat, Delk, Gomez, Hardy, Peperas, Pontikes, Ream, Steinbach and Turner qualified for the NAIA Championships on March 1-3 in Des Moines, Iowa by virtue of their finishes in the tournament.
“It was a great day,” OCU coach Archie Randall said. “We upset a bunch of folks. We could get into the top five of the rankings. We're looking good.
“They don't quit wrestling. They wrestle hard. They pull for each other. Wrestling is a sport of confidence. The more confidence you can build in your team, the better. This was the best performance we've had in this tournament. We have to keep pushing.”
Gomez, a junior from Noble, Okla., picked up his second career title with OCU after winning the Cumberland Open on Jan. 16. Gomez, ranked fifth among NAIA 125-pounders, upended Missouri Valley's Paul Hansen 14-12. Hansen is ranked third.
“Kidd is going to bump up in the rankings,” Randall said. “That was a big-time win.”
Peperas, a senior from Albuquerque, N.M., beat Kelly Henderson of Central Oklahoma 5-1 for the 174-pound crown. Peperas is the seventh-ranked individual at 165 in the NAIA, while Henderson entered the match as the fifth-ranked 174-pounder in NCAA Division II. Peperas won his third tournament title with the Stars.
“He fought off a takedown, then he manned up and picked him up,” Randall said of Peperas.
Ream, a junior from Wentzville, Mo., won by fall in 1:43 over Justin DeAngelis, an Oklahoma wrestler competing unattached. Ream notched his first tournament win at OCU. Ream finished runner-up at 133 as a freshman.
“That's a great win for him,” Randall said.
OCU (0-1 in duals) faces Bacone at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Muskogee, Okla.
Results

Oklahoma City Open
At Oklahoma City
Abe Lemons Arena
Championship Finals
125: Kidd Gomez, Oklahoma City, dec. Paulie Hansen, Missouri Valley, 14-12
133: Cody Brewer, Oklahoma-unattached, dec. Derek Geiges, Oklahoma-unattached, 3-1
141: Ian Fisher, Oklahoma-unattached, dec. Scott Chene, Oklahoma-unattached, 2-0
149: Cameron Ream, Oklahoma City, pinned Justin DeAngelis, Oklahoma-unattached, 1:43
157: Stephen Swan, Oklahoma State-unattached, dec. Zach Skates, Oklahoma State-unattached, 12-5
165: Chase Nelson, Oklahoma-unattached, pinned Kevin Hardy, Oklahoma City, 2:03
174: Derek Peperas, Oklahoma City, dec. Kelly Henderson, Central Oklahoma, 5-1
184: Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma, dec. Andrew Pontikes, Oklahoma City, 7-5
197: Calye Byers, Oklahoma State-unattached, pinned Jarred Edison, Central Oklahoma, 4:32
285: Charlie Gibbs, Missouri Valley-unattached, pinned Kyle Colling, Oklahoma-unattached, 5:04

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