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    Mark Palmer •

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    Vote for Gutches, Sanders, Reed in Oregon's Greatest Athlete poll

    Three wrestlers from colleges in Oregon are still in the running for Oregon's Greatest Athlete, with two all-time greats -- Les Gutches and the late Rick Sanders -- facing off against each other in head-to-head competition in an online poll open to voters all day Monday, July 27.

    Also up for a vote today is early 20th century mat star Robin Reed who is going up against women's soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett.

    Knowledgeable wrestling fans may have a tough decision in choosing between Gutches and Sanders.

    Rick Sanders
    Gutches, the No. 6 seed, wrestled for Oregon State in the 1990s, earning NCAA All-American honors three times. Gutches won back-to-back NCAA Division I titles in the 177-pound weight class in 1995 and 1996. As a senior, he was presented with the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best collegiate wrestler of 1996. After college graduation, Gutches won the gold medal at the 1997 Wrestling World Championships in the freestyle competition.

    Sanders, the third seed, compiled a 103-2 record at Portland State. He is the only collegiate wrestler to win National Championships in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), NCAA College Division, and the NCAA University Division, and be designated an Outstanding Wrestler in each. In addition, Sanders won silver medals in freestyle at both the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. Weeks after competing at the Munich Games, Sanders was killed in a car accident in Yugoslavia in October 1972.

    Reed, the No. 2 seed, wrestled and coached at what is now Oregon State. More than a couple college wrestling coaches of the first half of the 20th century declared Reed to be the best they saw. While at Oregon State, he won three AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships. (This was before the NCAA championships had been established.) Reed won the Olympic gold medal in 1924 at 134.5 pounds, winning every match at the Olympics by fall. He later coached at his college alma mater, leading the Beavers to the 1926 AAU team title. Reed died in 1978 at age 79.

    Last week, The Oregonian newspaper launched its online poll, asking readers to determine the greatest athlete with ties to a college within the state of Oregon. Their initial online ballot featured 64 athletes from various sports, including five amateur wrestlers. After the first week of Round of 64 voting, four of the five wrestlers on the ballot survived their first-round matches. In addition to today's three contestants already mentioned, Oregon State heavyweight great Jess Lewis also made it to the Round of 32. He'll be on the ballot later this week. Sadly, Brock Gutches -- four-time NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) champ for Southern Oregon University, and nephew of Les Gutches -- lost in his Round of 64 match-up last week.

    In last week's voting, Les Gutches received 64% of the vote (288 votes) over No. 11 seed Jordan Hasay, described by The Oregonian as "the most decorated runner" in University of Oregon history, who received 188 votes for 36% of the vote. Sanders edged out No. 14 seed Joni Huntley, Oregon State track star, by just two votes, 211 to 209 (50.24%-49.76%). No. 2 seed Reed got a dominating victory over No. 15 Michael Conforto, a Major League Baseball prospect from Oregon State, 66.67% (290 votes) to 33.33% (145).

    To cast a vote in The Oregonian online poll, click here.
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