Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Travel to Missouri for Conference Action
November 20, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
Oklahoma State and Missouri face off in the first conference matchup this season in Hazelwood, Mo. The dual will feature 16 ranked wrestlers and five returning All-Americans. The Cowboys and Tigers face off for the 30th time in history, with OSU owning the series at 29-0.
The Tigers
Missouri enters the dual as the ninth-ranked team in the country. Head Coach Brian Smith returns four national qualifiers, including All-American Tyron Woodley. The Tigers finished second at last year's Big 12 tournament and 16th at the NCAA tournament, and posted a 15-6 dual record.
Team Rankings
When the preseason rankings came out, every poll listed the Cowboys first. The defending national champions return four All-Americans, including national champions Johnny Thompson and Jake Rosholt. All five Big 12 schools are currently ranked in the top 20. Three conference teams are ranked in the top 10, according to NWCA, while WIN-Magazine ranks four Big 12 teams in the top 10.
Individual Rankings
When the rankings came out this year, the Cowboys boasted a pair of wrestlers at the top, Johnny Thompson and Jake Rosholt. However, when Thompson lost his first match of the season he dropped to second behind 125-pound NCAA champion Travis Lee. Rosholt, the 184-pound NCAA champions, is the lone Cowboy ranked first in every poll. Zack Esposito is ranked third in every poll, while Tyrone Lewis and Chris Pendleton are ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News. Heavyweight senior Will Gruenwald and junior 141-pounder Ronnie Delk each dropped to No. 10 and 19, respectively, after losses at Michigan State.
Thompson closes in on Century mark
Senior Johnny Thompson is closing in on 100 career victories. With his first win on the season against Tony Greathouse of Michigan State, Thompson moved his career record to 98-7. He is currently seventh on the career winning percentage behind Tom Erickson.
John Smith nears 200 career victories
In the 12 years John Smith has been coaching Cowboy wrestling, he has amassed a 196-23-3 record, including the two dual wins this season. He is currently second on Oklahoma State's all-time win list behind former coaching legend and hall of famer Tommy Chesbro. Chesbro coached the Cowboys for 15 season and built up a career record of 227-26-0.
