Team of the Year: Wrestling
As a former wrestler for UC Davis, I’m happy to see the wrestling program’s accomplishments this year (Team of the Year and Athlete of the Year). Go Aggies!
By Ivan Ilagan The California Aggie
Davis, CA (CSTV U-WIRE) — In the final year of transition to Division I, UC Davis witnessed a number of tremendous seasons from its teams. Women’s water polo made another run at the WWPA Title and the NCAA Championships, softball just about doubled its win total for the second consecutive season, and men’s soccer turned in a magical upset over eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara.
However, no team made more of an impact in the 2006-2007 season than the wrestling team, which turned in the Aggies’ first-ever D-I champion, two wrestlers consistently ranked among the top six in the nation and a school-record five entries into the NCAA Championships.
For all their accomplishments in the 2006-2007 season, The California Aggie has named the Aggie wrestlers its Team of the Year.
Quite literally headlining the wrestling team’s success this season were the performances of 141-pound senior Derek Moore. However, the squad’s success went beyond that of its captain.
Fellow senior Ken Cook spent much of the season as one of the top-six-ranked 174-pound wrestlers in the nation. Despite falling just short of his second Pac-10 title, Cook finished with a 26-6 record on the year and led the team in dual points with 53.
He also finished unbeaten in bonus-point situations, earning five pins, seven major decisions and two technical falls.
Senior 133-pounder Omar Gaitan joined Moore and Cook at the NCAA Championships for the second-straight season, earning a wildcard berth after finishing fourth at the Pac-10 Championships.
Sophomores Dustin Noack and Marcos Orozco turned in their best seasons thus far, rounding out the Aggie field at the NCAA Championships with their first career appearances.
As the team’s starting 165-pounder, Noack rode a late season surge to a 23-10 record and a second-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships. Noack also earned a spot on the NWCA All-Academic Team and the Pac-10 All-Academic Second Team.
Orozco’s second season as the squad’s incumbent 133-pounder produced an 18-14 record, including two pins and two major decisions. “Those two really did a tremendous job of stepping up from their freshman years to their sophomore years,” said head coach Lennie Zalesky of Noack and Orozco.
Riding the strength of a balanced roster, UC Davis tallied eight dual victories this season, including blowout victories over San Francisco State, Oregon, Portland State and Utah Valley State.
The most satisfying of those eight victories came Feb. 2, when the Aggies upset Pac-10 rival No. 19 Oregon State, 21-11 at the ARC Pavilion.
The victory was the first for Aggie head coach Lennie Zalesky in three duals against his younger brother Jim and featured thrilling last-second victories by Cook, 147-pound Shawn Haratani and 197-pound Eliot Kelly.
Handing Oregon State its first conference loss of the season helped the Aggies ascend the NWCA rankings, as UC Davis found itself at No. 25 heading into the NCAA Championships. The victory also helped Zalesky win Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors.
The team’s senior class is riddled with many inspirational comeback stories, like Moore’s battles moving up in weight and through injury, and Kelly going from a non-state qualifier in high school to winning 50 matches in his final two seasons.
But before the team turns its attention to rebounding from the loss of its seven seniors, it can take heart in enjoying a season for the ages.
“The team - for the most part [and] all the way through - has done tremendously,” Zalesky said.
Oliver Salud wrote "Team of the Year: Wrestling" on June 8, 2007. This post has 
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