Eight Cowboys Claim Titles at OCU Open

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Eight members of the Oklahoma State wrestling team claimed titles at the OCU Open on Sunday afternoon to open the 2017-18 season.

Aside from the seven Cowboy wrestlers who earned open titles, OSU also had five Cowboys finish second and another three medal in the division. Kaden Gfeller also earned the 141-pound title in the freshman/sophomore division.

Wrestling unattached, Eli Hale snagged the title at 125 pounds after edging teammate Gary Wayne Harding, 7-3, in the final. Hale went 3-0 on the day, including a 15-0 technical fall over New Mexico Highlands' Brandon Flynn in the first round. Harding went 3-1, racking up a fall, technical fall and major decision on his way to a second-place finish.

Kaid Brock took home the 133-pound title with a 17-1 tech fall of Central Oklahoma's Rio Zamora in the finals. The win was Brock's third tech in as many matches on the day, as he dropped Robb Rodriguez of Lyon College and Taylor Swanson of North Texas on the way to the championship match. Cowboy Donald Cannon also competed at 133, going 1-2 with the win coming by way of 20-8 major decision over Oklahoma's Kristofer Hudson.

Dean Heil claimed the 141-pound title after racking up three bonus point wins to earn the 141-pound title. Heil tallied a pair of first-period falls in the opening two rounds over Siaygnoun Hnamnhouane and Kevin Evans to set up a finals matchup with teammate Mike Magaldo. Heil would get the best of the contest, coming up with a 10-2 major decision. Magaldo had a nice day as well, advancing to the championships after pins over Waylan Baptist's DeMarco Speller and Jon Gonzales of University of the Ozarks.

Boo Lewallen claimed top honors at 149 after facing a tough road to the title. After teching Mario Vazquez of the University of the Ozarks, 21-4, Lewallen registered sudden victory wins over teammates Geo Martinez and Tristan Moran to come out on top. With Moran finishing second after a late takedown from Lewallen in the second sudden victory period, Martinez recorded an 18-3 technical fall over Vasquez to lock up a third-place finish.

At 157 pounds, Jonce Blaylock claimed the title in a sudden victory win over teammate Dalton Moran in the finals. Blaylock knocked off Cowboy Wyatt Sheets in the semifinals as well by way of a 5-3 decision. Sheets completed another one-two-three weight for the Pokes as he edged out Reice Humphrey of New Mexico Highlands, 4-2, in sudden victory in the third-place match.

Jacobe Smith wrestled for a whole 2:49 on Sunday, as he tallied a couple of first-period falls to take home the 174-pound championship. Smith pinned Jacob Sherril of the University of the Ozarks in 1:13 in the semifinals before registering another in 1:36 over Bacone's Joseph McAleavey in the finals.

Derek White earned top honors at heavyweight, knocking off fellow Cowboy Blake Andrews in a 10-0 major decision in the championship match. White opened the day with a pair of tech falls before dropping Oklahoma's Lance Dixon, 8-2, in the semifinals. After a fall and decision in the opening two rounds, Andrews tallied a 16-0 tech fall over OSU redshirt freshman Ethan Andersen in the semifinals. Andersen would bounce back with a pair of wins on the backside of the bracket to finish third.

Andrew Marsden finished second at 197 pounds after dropping a 6-5 match to Oklahoma's Jake Woodley.

In the freshman/sophomore division, Kaden Gfeller won at 141 pounds going 5-0, including three technical falls and two major decisions. Austin Harris finished second at 184 pounds, recording three major decisions on his way to the finals where he was upended by Heath Gray. Finally, Cornelius Putnam finished third at heavyweight, bouncing back from a tough loss in the quarterfinals to win four in the backdraw.

The Cowboys open up the 2017-18 dual season next weekend when they head to Albany, N.Y., to compete in the Journeymen Duals and Journeymen Collegiate Classic, beginning on Saturday, Nov. 4 with a dual against North Carolina.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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