Oklahoma State University Athletics
Wrestlers head to Reno Tournament of Champions
December 18, 2000 | Cowboy Wrestling
Dec. 18, 2000
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Cowboys eye sixth-straight Reno title
The top-ranked Cowboys opened their west coast road trip on Sunday with a pair of solid wins against Cal Poly and 21st-ranked Fresno State. OSU is now 5-0 on the season heading into the Reno Tournament of Champions. OSU has won the previous five team titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Last year, OSU ran away from the competition, scoring 216 team-points to second-place Nebraska's 157. Three of the Pokes individual champions from last year return in No. 3 Charles Walker (133), No. 3 Reggie Wright (149) and No. 2 Mark Mu?oz (197).
The last two times out
The Cowboys began their west coast swing on Sunday with a sweep of Cal Poly and 21st-ranked Fresno State. OSU opened with a 36-3 thrashing of Cal Poly and followed with a impressive 38-7 win over the Bulldogs. The Pokes' combo of 174-pounder Tyrone Lewis and 184-pounder Daniel Cormier proved deadly as both picked up two pins on the day. Ty Wilcox also picked up a fall at 165 pounds in the Fresno State dual, while Charles Walker won by technical fall against Cal Poly.
Cowboys hold top spot in NWCA
OSU held on to the top spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association coaches' poll for the second-straight week. OSU received 320 votes along with nine of a possible 13 first-place votes. Minnesota follows the Pokes in second with 307 votes and three first-place votes. Iowa comes in third this week, while Iowa State is fourth with one first-place vote.
On the air
Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestling will once again be carried live by Stillwater Radio KSPI 93.7 FM. J. Carl Guymon will be the play-by-play voice of the Cowboys in 2000-01 Fans unable to pick up the over-the-air broadcast will be able to listen to the games via the internet at www.okstate.com.
Gallagher-Iba opening
OSU's men's basketball team opened the newly renovated Gallagher-Iba Arena on Tuesday night. The Cowboy wrestlers will get center stage on Jan. 4 when the Oregon Ducks come to town. Oklahoma State's new Athletic Center, the home of Gallagher-Iba Arena, will now seat 13,611, up from 6,381. The new Athletic Center also houses a new wrestling room for the Pokes. The room includes space for three mats, expanded lockerrooms for the wrestlers and coaches and a lounge. The Cowboy wrestlers also have access to a state-of-the-art training facility and new weight room.
Mu?oz gets win No. 100
Oklahoma State senior 197-pounder Mark Mu?oz recorded his 100th career win with a 3-2 decision over OU's Waymon May. Mu?oz has now improved his career record to 102-26 along with a perfect 7-0 mark this season. Mu?oz moves into a tie for 18th-place on OSU's career victories chart with Mark Perry. He is 27 wins away from Alan Fried and Mike Farrell for second and 52 victories short of Cowboy head coach John Smith for first.
Head coach John Smith
In his ninth season on the OSU bench, John Smith owns a career record of 126-19-3.
Smith's Cowboys claimed the national title in 1994 and have captured five conference championships during his tenure, including the Big 12 title last season. Smith also wrestled for the Cowboys from 1984-88, posting a 154-7-2 record and capturing two national championships. On the international stage, Smith won Olympic Freestyle Gold in 1988 and 1992 along with World Championships in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991. In 1990, Smith was honored as the only wrestler ever to win the James E. Sullivan Award, honoring the nation's top amateur athlete for the previous year.
Bedlam dominance
OSU continued its dominace of Bedlam wrestling with a 22-13 win over sixth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman. The Cowboys' No. 3 Charles Walker got things started with a 4-1 win over OU's 10th-ranked Witt Durden. The Pokes picked up wins at 149, 157, 184, 197 and an upset at 125 pounds, where unranked Matt Brown knocked off OU's then-No. 9 ranked Bo Maynes. OSU now owns a 108-24-9 all-time edge in the series.
Walker registers upset, wins Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
Charles Walker had to make sure he didn't give up bonus points, in order for his Cowboys to beat No. 1 Iowa. However, Walker did one better and upset Iowa's top-ranked and defending national champion Eric Juergens 3-2. With the win, Walker moved up to No. 3 in the AWN poll. Walker continued his strong wrestling with a 4-1 win over OU's No. 10 Witt Durden. Walker is now 6-0 on the season. The quick start earned Walker the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for Dec. 13.
Thompson starts career in style
Redshirt freshman Johnny Thompson made his first start in a Cowboy singlet against Fresno State's 14th-ranked Derrick Hayes on Sunday. A four-point second-period move gave Thompson a 9-6 win, improving his record to 12-0 on the season and 25-0 for his career.
Cowboys Upend Hawkeyes
OSU derailed the mighty Iowa Hawkeyes 21-14 at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Sparked by bonus-point wins at 197 and 285 pounds, OSU's 133-pounder Charles Walker capped off the afternoon with a 3-2 upset win over Iowa's No. 1-ranked Eric Juergens. Walker scored the decisive takedown in the final 30 seconds to seal the match and the dual. OSU also picked up wins at 149, 165 and 184 pounds in the win.
Mu?oz, Wright headline Cowboy lineup
Mark Mu?oz and Reggie Wright highlight the OSU lineup, wrestling at 197 and 149 pounds, respectively. Mu?oz captured All-America honors for the first time in 2000, placing third. He is currently ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat. Wright earned All-America honors for the second time, finishing fourth for the second-straight year. Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat have Wright ranked third.
New assistant
Mark Cody joined the Oklahoma State staff during the offseason. Cody comes to the Cowboys after spending 12 years coaching the upper-weights for Nebraska. At Nebraska, Cody coached two national champions, Brad Vering and Tolly Thompson, along with 23 All-Americans.
Longtime Cowboys depart
All-American Jeff Ragan and Jamill Kelly said goodbye to the Cowboy program in 2000. Ragan spent five years in Stillwater, toiling behind national champions Eric Guerrero and Teague Moore, before placing sixth in 2000. Kelly spent two years in the starting lineup at 141 pounds.
OSU tradition
It ranks right up there with Notre Dame football or UCLA basketball. Few schools in the nation have a tradition in any sport as strong as the one Oklahoma State has built in wrestling. OSU won the first NCAA wrestling championship in 1928 and have won a total of 30 -- more than any other school in the country. The Cowboys all-time record is 830-86-20 (.897) in 81 years of varsity wrestling. The Pokes claimed six Southwest Conference title, 25 of a possible 38 Big Eight titles and three of four Big 12 titles. Seventy-four Oklahoma State wrestlers have won 120 individual NCAA Champions, including the only four-time NCAA Champion Pat Smith.
