Oklahoma State University Athletics
Top-ranked Pokes travel to Minnesota
January 05, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
Jan. 5, 2001
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota, ranked second nationally, enters Sunday's dual with a 5-0 record on the season. The Golden Gophers downed 24th-ranked Northern Iowa 36-3 to pick up their only win over top-25 competition. The Maroon and Gold feature eight wrestlers ranked in the top-10 at their weight classes after winning the team title at the Midlands. Of those eight wrestlers, four sport No. 3-rankings, including Leroy Vega (125), Brett Lawrence (133), Jared Lawrence (149) and Brad Pike (165). At 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Damion Hahn is ranked fourth and fresh off of a third-place finish at the Midlands. The Gophers' Jared Lawrence won the 149-pound title at the Midlands, while Vega and Pike both finished second.
The Series:
OSU owns a commanding 12-4 advantage in the all-time series. The series, dating back to 1941, has been very tight the last two seasons with both teams garning two wins apiece. OSU swept both matches during the 1998-99 season, winning 21-17 in Minneapolis and 20-17 at the National Duals. A year ago, Minnesota ended OSU's 73-match unbeaten streak when eventual national champion Brock Lesnar pinned Cowboy heavyweight Dave Anderton in 3:48. Lesnar did the Pokes in again at the National Duals, picking up a major decision over Anderton as Minnesota escaped with a 16-15 win. In those four duals the winning margin has never exceeded four points. Here's a look at the all-time series.
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. Fourth-ranked senior Charles Walker and redshirt freshman Johnny Thompson are still in fierce competition for the final starting nod. Thompson has gotten the best of Walker two of three times this year. Thompson's last win, a 6-4 overtime affair in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions, earned him the right to start against Oregon's 10th-ranked Brian Watson, Thompson continued to roll, winning 7-4. 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. Both wrestlers will make the trip to Minneapolis, a match-time decision will determine the starter.
Cowboys hold top spot in NWCA
OSU held on to the top spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll for the second-straight week. OSU received 321 votes along with nine of a possible 13 first-place votes. Minnesota follows the Pokes in second with 312 votes and four first-place votes. Iowa comes in third this week, while Iowa State is fourth.
Wright vs. Lawrence -- again
Although No. 3-ranked Jared Lawrence is just a sophomore, he and OSU's second-ranked Reggie Wright have already become very familiar with each other. The two faced each other four times a year ago with Wright winning three times. Wright picked up a 6-1 decision at the Las Vegas Invitational and a 11-4 win in the school's first dual, a 19-15 Minnesota win. However, Lawrence picked up his lone win against Wright at the National Duals, winning a 4-3 decision that proved costly to the Pokes as the Golden Gophers won 16-15. At the NCAA Championships, Wright held on for a 13-12 win to advance to the third-place match.
Cormier continued to be tested
Another top-ranked 184-pounder? It's nothing new for OSU's No. 3-ranked 184-pound senior Daniel Cormier. Today, Cormier is set to square off with the Gophers' highly-touted and fourth-ranked redshirt freshman Damion Hahn. At 13-0, Cormier has five wins over top-20 competition.Those wins include a fall over Indiana's then-No. 2 Victor Sveda, a win over Iowa's 10th-ranked Jessman Smith and two decisions over Oregon's sixth-ranked Doug Lee.
New edition
Head coach John Smith's wife Toni gave birth to their third child early Tuesday morning 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 Smith's 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 127-19-3.
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.
Pokes shoot down Ducks
The top-ranked Cowboys won the first seven matches and cruised to an easier-than-expected 33-3 win. Five-of-10 matches appeared to be tossups going in, but OSU won all but one en-route to the win. Oregon's 10th-ranked heavyweight Eric Webb was forced to injury default due to an eye injury, while OSU's second-ranked 197-pounder Mark Mu?oz soundly defeated the Ducks' No. 7 Chael Sonnen 10-3. At 184 pounds, OSU's No. 3 Daniel Cormier beat No. 6 Doug Lee for the second-straight time. At 125 pounds, Oregon's Shaun Williams notched the Duck's lone win, coming from behind to pick up a 9-7 overtime win.
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.
Cal Poly and Fresno St.
The Cowboys began their west coast road trip with a sweep of Cal Poly and 21st-ranked Fresno State. OSU opened with a 36-3 thrashing of Cal Poly and followed with an 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.
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 13-3, he has won seven-straight matches, pinning 5 of 7 opponents during his string. Lewis has posted nine pins and one technical fall on the season.
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 106-27 along with a 11-1 mark this season. Mu?oz's 106 wins moves him into 17th-place on OSU's career victories chart. He is 23 wins away from Alan Fried and Mike Farrell for second and 48 victories short of Cowboy head coach John Smith for first.
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 831-86-20 (.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.
