Fix Makes USA U23 World Championships Roster

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Oklahoma State wrestling freshman Daton Fix will compete for the U23 World Championship at 57 kg after going unbeaten Sunday at the U23 Freestyle World Team Trials.

Fix's OSU teammates Boo Lewallen and Gary Wayne Harding, as well as former Cowboy Anthony Collica, also made the trip up north to vie for a World team spot. Aside from Fix's big win, Lewallen advanced to the finals in his draw and Collica made the semifinals.

Fix opened his day with a pair of 10-0 tech falls over Alexander Mackall and Liam Cronin to advance to the semis, where he edged Joshua Rodriguez, 8-3. In the finals, he faced his toughest test of the event, squaring off with 2015 NCAA Champion and three-time All-American Nathan Tomasello in a best-of-three series. After outlasting Tomasello, 8-7, in the first match, Fix pulled away late in the second to win, 7-4, and claim his World team spot.

The Sand Springs native will look to win his second World title of the year after he took gold at the Junior World Championships in August, outscoring his five opponents by a combined score of 53-1.

Lewallen posted an impressive performance, winning a couple of thrillers in the opening rounds to move into the 65 kg finals. The Cowboy sophomore opened with a shootout win over Robbie Mathers, 13-11, before unleashing a late scoring burst on Missouri All-American Jaydin Eierman to finish off a 15-5 techincal fall. Matched up with Ohio State's Joey McKenna in a best-of-three finals, Lewallen battled but fell short by scores of 5-1 and 8-4 thanks to late runs from McKenna.

Collica finished just a match short of making the finals. Wrestling at 70 kg, the former Cowboy recorded a couple of decisions over Matthew Zovistoski and Blake Clevenger to advance to the semis where he collided with Richard Lewis. The match was tight early on, but Lewis would pull away late to take the 10-3 decision.

After dropping his first match of the day, Harding advanced into the 57 kg consolation semifinals with an 8-4 win over Liam Cronin. The Cowboy couldn't advance to the third-place match, however, falling 11-6 to Timothy Lambert.

The U23 World Wrestling Championships are set for Nov. 21-26 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Anthony Collica

Daton Fix

Gary Wayne Harding

Boo Lewallen

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