Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Prepares For Bedlam On The Wrestling Mat
February 17, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
Feb. 17, 2001
Oklahoma Sooners
The sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners enter Sunday's Bedlam showdown with a
17-4-1 record. One of the Sooners' losses came at the hands of OSU on Dec.
10, with the Cowboys winning 22-14 in Norman. Oklahoma is coming off of a
33-7 whipping of eighth-ranked Nebraska last Sunday, where OU's 197-pounder
Waymon May upset NU's top-ranked Brad Vering, 3-2. OU's other three losses
came from the state of Iowa, as Iowa State won 19-17 at the National Duals
and 20-19 in Big 12 action, while the Iowa Hawkeyes won 23-18 at the
National Duals. The Sooners' tie came against third-ranked Michigan in the
fifth-place match of the National Duals. Michigan was awarded fifth-place on
criteria.
The Series:
Oklahoma State holds a 108-24-9 lead in the all-time series that dates
back to the 1920-21 season. OSU hasn't lost to the Sooners since the opening
dual of the 1995-96 season, Oklahoma picked up a 16-16 tie in last year's
season opener.
Senior Night/Alumni Night
The OSU program says goodbye to six longtime Cowboys this afternoon.
Daniel Cormier, Billy Gabel, Mark Mu-oz, Pat Popolizio, Charles Walker and
Reggie Wright will be making their last dual apperance in Gallagher-Iba
Arena. Mu-oz, Popolizio and Walker are fifth-year seniors, while Wright is
in his third year in the Cowboy program. The 2001 Cowboy Wrestling Reunion
is also scheduled for Sunday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Stadium O-Club
Room of the Athletics Center.
Bedlam set for Television
The Cowboy Television Network, in cooperation with Learfield
Communications and Cox Communication, has picked up Sundays Bedlam wrestling
match. Rex Holt, a former voice of OSU Wrestling will do the play-by-play
with former Sooner coach Stan Able and OSU Senior Associate Athletics
Director Dave Martin on color. The match will be carried by KSBI channel 52
in Oklahoma City, channel 44 in Stillwater, along with KWBT channel 19 in
Tulsa and KOMI channel 24 in Woodward.
Live Sports Video to webcast dual
Today's dual with the Hawkeyes will be web cast live on
livesportsvideo.com and okstate.com. Livesportsvideo.com is working in
partnership with Oklahoma State to bring you today's match live over the
Internet. To view today's match, you will need a cable modem, DSL, T1 or
Ethernet connection capable of at least 684Kbps download speeds. Also needed
is Internet Explorer 5.0, Windows Media Player 6.4 and an IBM PC Pentium II
400 MHz with 32 MB RAM.
Changes for the Big 12 Wrestling Championships
The 2001 Big 12 Wrestling Championships have undergone a few changes.
The championship, which is being held in Stillwater, has become a two-day
event. Previously scheduled for a one-day championship on Saturday, March 3,
it will now be held on Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3. The first round
is scheduled for 6 p.m on Friday with the semifinals at 7 p.m. On Saturday,
consolations will start at 10 a.m. with the finals at 2 p.m.
Last time out
OSU dispensed 11th-ranked Arizona State in Tempe, 31-7, winning
eight-of-10 matches. The Pokes' 174-pounder Tyrone Lewis opened the match
with a fall in 3:52. The Cowboys then proceeded to win the next five bouts
and take a commanding 25-0 lead.
Head-to-head
Here is a breakdown of how current Cowboy starters have fared against
their rivals to the south.
125: Matt Brown (OSU) vs. Matt Ridings (OU), Ridings leads, 3-1
133: Johnny Thompson (OSU) vs. Witt Durden (OU), Thompson leads, 1-0
141: Charles Walker (OSU) vs. Michael Lightner (OU), Lightner leads, 3-0
149: Reggie Wright (OSU) vs. Jared Frayer (OU), Wright leads, 8-0
157: Shane Roller (OSU) vs. Brian Burrows (OU), First Meeting
165: Chris Pendleton (OSU) vs. Robbie Waller (OU), First Meeting
174: Tyrone Lewis (OSU) vs. Michael Barger (OU), Tied, 1-1
184: Daniel Cormier (OSU) vs. Josh Lambrecht, Cormier leads, 1-0
197: Mark Mu-oz (OSU) vs. Waymon May (OU), Mu-oz leads 2-0
285: James Huml (OSU) vs. Leonce Crump (OU), Crump leads 1-0
Head coach John Smith
In his ninth season on the OSU bench, John Smith owns a career record of
137-20-3.
A win today will tie Smith with Edward C. Gallagher for third on OSU's all-time coaching wins list with 138. 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.
True freshman takes over at 165 pounds
True freshman Chris Pendleton, a native of Lemoore, Calif., has taken
over the starting spot at 165 pounds due to the loss of junior Ty Wilcox.
Wilcox suffered a tear of his ACL and partial tear of his MCL against Joe
Heskett of Iowa State at the National Duals. Since joining the lineup,
Pendleton has posted a 2-1 record in duals, he is 13-1 overall. In his debut
at Gallagher-Iba Arena, Pendleton pinned Oregon State's Jed Penell in 1:17.
Thompson tearing it up at 133 pounds
Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Johnny Thompson (25-2) is making the
country take notice. The Putnam City West product is ranked second in this
week's AWN poll, behind Iowa's defending national champion Eric Juergens. He
will face another challenge on Saturday against fourth-ranked Todd
Beckerman. Thompson owns a 1-0 career record against Beckerman, picking up a
3-2 decision. He won the starting job from senior Charles Walker, who
defeated Juergens earlier in the year. Thompson defeated Minnesota's
second-ranked Brett Lawrence, 4-1, at the National Duals. However, Thompson
lost his first ever match at 133 pounds last Saturday, when fourth-ranked
Todd Beckerman of Nebraska caught Thompson and pinned him in 1:17.
Tyrone Lewis gets hot
Redshirt freshman Tyrone Lewis is beginning to show why he is considered
one of the top freshman in the country. Now 23-4, he just had his 14-match
winning streak broken against Northern Iowa. During that stretch he pinned 5
opponents and picked up a 21-6 technical fall in the another. Lewis has
posted nine pins and two technical falls on the season.
Cormier in top form
OSU's 184-pound senior Daniel Cormier continues a strong season. Now
21-3, Cormier is ranked third at 184 pounds behind two-time national
champion and undefeated Cael Sanderson of Iowa State and Illinois' Nate
Patrick. Cormier may have turned in his most impressive performance 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.
Cowboys second according to NWCA
OSU remained second in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll
for the second-straight week. OSU received 312 votes, falling to second,
while Minnesota received all 13 first-place votes and 325 votes took over
the top spot. Minnesota beat the Pokes in 20-12 in the finals of the
National Duals, the win gave the Gophers a split with OSU in the season
series. Iowa comes in third this week, while Iowa State is fourth. Minnesota
is also ranked atop the Intermat poll following their win.
New addition
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.
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 113-31 along with a 18-5 mark this season.
Mu-oz's 113 wins moves him into 12th place on OSU's career victories chart.
He is 16 wins away from Alan Fried and Mike Farrell for second and 41
victories short of Cowboy head coach John Smith for first.
Gallagher-Iba Arena 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.
OSU finishes second at National Duals
OSU's 2001 National Duals started with 18th-ranked Lehigh. The Mountain
Hawks posted an upset at 197 pounds, where then-No. 4 Jon Trenge beat Mark
Mu-oz 11-9 in overtime. However, in the end, the Cowboys overwhelmed Lehigh
26-12. In the quarterfinals, OSU drew Arizona State, and proceeded to whip
the 10th-ranked Sun Devils, 26-12. The Pokes blew the fourth-ranked Iowa
State Cyclones into the consolation bracket, 25-13, in the semifinals. In
the finals, Minnesota exacted a little revenge on OSU with a 20-12 win and
its second National Duals title.
OSU continues to roll, smokes Oregon State, 35-6
The Cowboys showed little mercy in a 35-6 clobbering of 12th-ranked
Oregon State. Three freshman led the way for the Pokes, 133-pounder Johnny
Thompson and 165-pounder Chris Pendleton registered pins, while 174-pounder
Tyrone Lewis won an 8-4 decision over eighth-ranked Nathan Coy. Daniel
Cormier also picked up a fall at 184 pounds.
Cowboys bag sixth-straight Reno title
The Cowboys dominated enroute 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
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.
Longtime Cowboys depart
All-American Jeff Ragan, Dave Anderton 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,
while Anderton, a junior college transfer, started at heavyweight for two
seasons.
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 841-87-20 (.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 Y-105.5 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. A live webcast can be found on the web at www.wrestlingmall.com.
