Oklahoma State University Athletics
Top-ranked Wrestlers Prepare for National Duals
January 17, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
Jan. 17, 2001
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NWCA National Duals
Top-ranked Oklahoma State ventures to University Park, Pa. for the 2001 Cliff Keen/NWCA Natioanl Wrestling Duals. The Cowboys are five-time champs of this event, claiming titles in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997 and 1999. This year's event features nine of the top 10 teams nationally. The Illinois and Michigan State are the only top-10 teams not in the 16-team field.The field also includes defending Division II Champion Nebraska-Omaha, Division III Champion Montclair State and NAIA Champion Montana State Northern. Last year's finals saw Iowa State edge Minnesota 17-16 and OSU knock off the Sooners, 19-13.
The Cowboys at the Duals
With five, Oklahoma State more National Duals titles than anyone. The Iowa Hawkeyes have caputred three titles (1992, '95, '96), while Penn State has won two (1991, '93) and Iowa State (2000) and Minnesota (1998) have captured one apiece. The Pokes knocked off Minnesota for the title in 1999, beating the Golden Gophers 20-17 in Iowa City.
Seedings and times for the National Duals
The top eight teams will be seeded straight from the NWCA Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday. The remaining eight teams will draw for their first round opponents. The first round duals are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST on Saturday morning with the quarterfinals to follow. The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST Saturday night. Consolations will begin at 11a.m. EST Sunday morning with the championship round starting at 2 p.m. EST.
Thompson, Walker battling at 133
A lot of coaches around the country would like to have the problem John Smith has: two top-caliber 133-pounders. Senior Charles Walker and redshirt freshman Johnny Thompson are still in fierce competition for the final starting nod. Thompson took over Walker's spot in the AWN poll, entering at No. 4, while Walker fell out of the rankings. Thompson has gotten the best of Walker three of four times this year. Thompson's last win came last Thursday during a ranking match at the OSU wrestling room. Thompson won the overtime affair, 4-3, in a tiebreaker. However, experience and a win over No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Eric Juergens of Iowa, gives the incumbent Walker a strong argument as well.
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 on Dec. 10th. Mu?oz has improved his career record to 108-27 along with a 13-1 mark this season. Mu?oz's 108 wins moves him into a tie for 15th-place on OSU's career victories chart with Kirk Mammen. He is 21 wins away from Alan Fried and Mike Farrell for second and 46 victories short of Cowboy head coach John Smith for first..
Cormier in top form
OSU's 184-pound sophomore Daniel Cormier continues dominated his opposition. Now 15-0 on the season, Cormier moved up to No. 2 at 184 pounds behind two-time national champion and undefeated Cael Sanderson of Iowa State. Cormier may have turned in his most impressive performance last Sunday against second-ranked Minnesota, picking up a 19-7 major decision over fourth-ranked Damion Hahn. Cormier took the highly-touted redshirt freshman down seven times and just missed a pin at the end of the second period. Cormier also shared Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors with Sanderson this past week.
OSU rolls Michigan State
OSU took care of business early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead and never looking back in a 31-3 thrashing of the Spartans. The Cowboys picked up bonus points at 197, 157 and 174. The highlight match at 133 pounds looked like afirst-period route, redshirt freshman Johnny Thompsontook seventh-ranked Pat McNamara down four times and then held on for a 11-9 win.
Cowboys hold top spot in NWCA
OSU held on to the top spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll for the sixth-straight week. OSU received 325 votes along with all 13 first-place votes. Minnesota follows the Pokes in second with 307 votes. Iowa comes in third this week, while Iowa State is fourth. The Cowboys are also ranked atop the Intermat poll following their win over previously No. 1-ranked Minnesota.
New edition
Head coach John Smith's wife Toni gave birth to their third child on the morning of Jan. 2 at 1:55 a.m. Cecelia Rene Smith weighed in at six pounds and 11 ounces, she was the first baby born in the new year at Stillwater Medical Center. Cecelia is the Smiths' third child, Joseph is now four and Isabella was born in March of 1999.
Head coach John Smith
In his ninth season on the OSU bench, John Smith owns a career record of 129-19-3.
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.
Tyrone Lewis gets hot
Redshirt freshman Tyrone Lewis is beginning to show why he was considered one of the top freshman in the country. Now 15-3, he has won nine-straight matches, pinning 5 opponents and picking up a 21-6 technical fall in the another during his string. Lewis has posted nine pins and two technical fall on the season.
Gallagher-Iba Arean opening
The Cowboy wrestling team christened the OSU Athletic Center, home of Gallagher-Iba Arena, with a 33-3 thrashing of the 16th-ranked Oregon Ducks. Senior All-American Reggie Wright picked up the first win in OSU's new digs with a 15-8 decision of Tony Overstake. The first pin came at 174 pounds, redshirt freshman Tyrone Lewis stuck Oregon's Luke Larwin in 1:03. The evening's estimated attendance of 3,047 was the largest crowd for an OSU dual this season.
Cowboys bag sixth-straight Reno title
The Cowboys dominated en-route to their sixth-straight Reno Tournament of Champions title. The Pokes scored 192.5 points and crowned six individual champions. Arizona State finished second with 120.5 points and two titlest. Matt Brown (125), Johnny Thompson (133), Jerrod Sanders (141), Reggie Wright (149), Tyrone Lewis (174) and Daniel Cormier (184) finished first, while Ty Wilcox lost a heartbreaker, 6-5, to ASU's third-ranked Steve Blackford.
Pokes romp over second-ranked Golden Gophers
The question of number one was answered in Minneapolis last Sunday. Top-ranked Oklahoma State won six of 10 matches and cruised past second-ranked Minnesota in front of 9,625 fans at the Williams Arena. OSU picked up bonus points at 184, 197 and 285 pounds, including falls from Mark Mu?oz (197) and James Huml (285). At 125 pounds, OSU's No. 9-ranked Matt Brown pulled the upset of the day with a 4-3 win over third-ranked Leroy Vega.
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 second.
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 833-86-20 (.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.
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. You can also catch the John Smith Show on KSPI 93.7 FM every Monday night at 6 p.m.
