“I did not foresee my career starting zero for three, but I actually was kind of happy it did.”

Oregon State’s head coach Chris Pendleton’s first season was anything but ordinary. Before starting the season with three losses in North Dakota, Pendleton and the Beavers dealt with issues in Corvallis.

"Oregon was one of the most restrictive states, I couldn't go work out at a high school and call it an RTC,” Pendleton said. “We couldn't do anything with contact until September. Then we went out, and it was not a bad start, but a tough start.”

After struggling in their first few duals, the Beavers found a spark. Pendleton earned his first career victory over Little Rock, 33-9. After that, Pendleton watched his most memorable dual of the season.

Although he lost to Oklahoma State 29-8, he proudly observed his team compete with some of the best competitors in the country. Pendleton realized the motivation of the team skyrocketed after the trip to Oklahoma.

However, the Beavers season hit a bumpy road. Oregon State lost the chance to wrestle Cal Baptist and his former squad, Arizona State. The loss of matches began to affect the mentality of the Beaver squad.

It was really tough having that mental roller coaster

“It became a roll of the dice on who was going to be healthy and who is going to be able to compete,” Pendleton said. “It was really tough having that mental roller coaster where you're like, am I wrestling this weekend or am I not wrestling this weekend?”

Unfortunately, Pendleton’s season continued to break down. After splitting two duals on February 7^th, the Beavers did not step onto the mat until the Pac-12 Championships on February 28^th. In addition, Pendleton worried he could not field a team in his first Pac-12 tournament.

“We had about seven out of 10 of our starters get contact traced until Thursday before the Pac-12 championships,” Pendleton said. “My assistant coaches were delivering mats to athletes’ houses and giving them guidance on what they should be doing. But at the end of the day, it was really inspiring because they didn't complain.”

The inspiration flooded onto the mat when the Beavers nearly shocked the wrestling nation. After expecting to finish below Arizona State and Stanford, the Beavers pushed for a team title until the final few matches of the tournament. In fact, the Beavers expected to finish nearly 30 points behind the Devils. Yet, Pendleton stepped to the plate and finished in second place, 15 points behind them.

Besides a dominating run at Pac-12s, the Beavers sent six wrestlers to St. Louis, four automatic qualifiers and two at-large bids. Despite falling short at the NCAA tournament, Pendleton realized more than stats, he realized his team had heart.

“The kids on the team were devastated when they didn't reach our goals and that's not always the case,” Pendleton said. “There is a lot of times you see people lose, and 30 seconds later, with mom and dad having pizza. I didn't really feel like I had anybody like that. That was an indication that we're moving in the right direction for my place.”

After a broken season, Pendleton and the Beavers look to build the dam.