Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
NCAA Championships
OSU tied for second after first day
March 15, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
March 15, 2001
IOWA CITY, Iowa. -- Oklahoma State's head coach John Smith believes it was a good day for the Pokes.
"Absolutely it was a good day," said Smith. "With this squad, with this team -- I've still got two freshman in this thing, Daniel (Cormier), Mu?oz (Mark) are wrestling hard and Shane Roller, knocking off a defending national champion -- absolutely it was a good day.
"We are still in the hunt. We are in a little bit of a situation where we are going to have to fight, and we are going to have to scratch, and we are going to have to do everything we can."
OSU is tied for second place with Iowa, while Minnesota leads the tournament with 41.5 points. OSU has six wrestlers in tomorrow's quarterfinals, while both Minnesota and Iowa have eight. Iowa hasn't lost a match so far going 17-0.
The Cowboys got just what they need at 157 pounds. No. 12-seeded Shane Roller got the big win he's been looking for all year -- at just the right time. Roller scored a takedown in the final moments of the third period and beat the fifth-seeded and former national champion, Kirk White of Boise State, 4-2.
A pin at 174 pounds from Tyrone Lewis brightened the outlook for the Pokes. Lewis threw Penn State's Mark Becks to his back and showed him the lights in 1:16. Lewis advances to face Iowa's Gabe McMahan in the quarterfinals.
Top-seed Mark Mu?oz at 197 pounds and third-seed Daniel Cormier at 184 pounds flexed a little muscle in their second-round matches. Mu?oz scored a 21-6 technical fall, while Cormier notched a 22-7 technical fall.
Second-seeded redshirt freshman, Johnny Thompson, took care of business at 133 pounds, winning a 7-3 decision over Brandon York of Maryland.
Thompson advances into tomorrow's quarterfinals against Iowa State's Matt Azevedo. Thompson is 3-0 against Azevedo this season including a fall and a 4-2 win in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.
Unseeded Mike Zadick of Iowa showed why wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye Arena can be a huge advantage for a Hawkeye. Riding the momentum of a packed house, the 149-pounder took OSU's top-seeded Reggie Wright down in the waning moments of the third period and got the back points for a 8-6 win.
Wright drops into the wrestlebacks looking for valuable team points for the Cowboys.
"We still have consolations wrestlers we have to keep in this tournament. That is how you can win this tournaments like this, coming back through. We don't know what is ahead of us tomorrow."
OSU started the second round on a bad note as sixth-seed Matt Brown gave up a reverse to Illinois' 11th-seeded Ryan Escobar with 12 seconds left. The reverse gave Escobar a 5-4 win and a berth in tomorrow morning's quarterfinals.
The Pokes advanced their second quarterfinalist at 141 pounds when senior Charles Walker decisioned Iowa State's Zach Roberson, 5-2.
Oklahoma State returns to action in the quarterfinals tomorrow morning begining at 10 a.m.
Team Scores
1. Minnesota 41.5
T2. Iowa 36.5
T2. Oklahoma State 36.5
4. Oklahoma 28.0
Round 2
125: No. 11 Ryan Escobar (Illinois) dec. No. 6 Matt Brown (OSU), 5-4
133: No. 2 Johnny Thompson (OSU) dec. Brandon York (Maryland), 7-3
141: No. 8 Charles Walker (OSU) dec. No. 9 Zach Roberson (ISU), 5-2
149: Mike Zadick (Iowa) dec. No. 1 Reggie Wright (OSU), 8-6
157: No. 12 Shane Roller (OSU) dec. Kirk White (Boise St.), 4-2
174: No. 4 Tyrone Lewis (OSU) pins Mark Becks (Penn St.), 1:16
184: No. 3 Daniel Cormier (OSU) t.f. Jake Stork (Maryland), 22-7 (5:00)
197: No. 1 Mark Mu?oz (OSU) t.f. Brett Faustman (C. Mich.), 21-6 (7:00)
Wrestlebacks
165: Chris Pendleton (OSU) pins Nick Catone (Rider), 3:45
285: James Huml (OSU) wins by default Brent Lancaster (Geo. Mason), Stalling
