Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Wrestling Hosts No. 17 Nebraska
April 16, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
Oklahoma State wrestling takes its top ranking to the mat on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena against No. 11 Nebraska. The Cowboys and Huskers have met 46 times previously, with the Pokes owning a 43-2-1 all-time record against Nebraska.
On Nebraska
The 17th-ranked Huskers prepare for their Oklahoma road trip when they battle the ninth-ranked Sooners on Friday and top-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Last week, Nebraska enjoyed the return of All-American Justin Ruiz in the lineup against Big 12-foe Missouri. The Tigers upset the Huskers, winning six of the 10 matches to take the 23-14 victory.
Mark Manning enters his third season as head coach of Nebraska. The Huskers return two All-Americans, Jason Powell (125) and Justin Ruiz (197), from a team that placed eighth at last year's NCAA tournament.
Last Time Out
Oklahoma State moved to 4-0 in conference after defeating Iowa State on Sunday in Ames, Iowa.
The Cowboys (14-0, 4-0) won eight of the 10 bouts en route to a 26-9 victory over the Cyclones.
Chris Pendleton and Muhammed Lawal propelled the Cowboys to victory with each picking up bonus-point victories. Pendleton recorded six takedowns in a decisive 15-5 major decision over Ken Cook, while Lawal picked up 12 takedowns en route to a 26-10 technical fall over Woodley Milford.
The Cyclones' (5-8, 0-2) only points of the afternoon came at 184 and 285 pounds. Austin Palmer decisioned Chad Reid, 3-2, at 184 pounds, while Scott Coleman pinned Willie Gruenwald in 2:02 at heavyweight.
After its win at heavyweight, ISU took a one point advantage heading into 125 pounds. Skyler Holman put the Pokes out on top at 11-9 after defeating Grant Nakamura, 6-1.
Third-ranked Johnny Thompson slid past fourth-ranked Zach Roberson, 6-4, in sudden victory. Thompson fell behind 2-0 after the second period, but scored a takedown with zero seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 4-4, sending the match into sudden victory.
Top-ranked Zack Esposito and fourth-ranked Aaron Holker squared off at 141 pounds. The match marked the 10th time Esposito wrestled a ranked opponent.
Esposito recorded a takedown late in the first period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the second frame. Holker tied the score at 2-2 after scoring on an escape to start the second. That would be Holker's final scoring of the match, as Esposito went on to record a reversal and a three-point nearfall to pick up the 8-2 decision.
Jerrod Sanders, Shane Roller and Tyrone Lewis all picked up decisions at 149, 157, and 165 pounds, respectively.
Roller and Lawal hit 20-win mark
Seniors Shane Roller and Muhammed Lawal became the first Cowboys to hit the 20-win mark this season. Roller captured his 20th win after defeating Nathan Meyer of Iowa State, 8-5. Lawal captured 20 and 21 last weekend after defeating Sean Stender of Northern Iowa, 5-4, and Iowa State's Woodley Milford, 25-10.
Esposito lone Cowboy ranked No. 1
Freshman Zack Esposito and senior transfer Muhammed Lawal are ranked No. 1 by Amateur Wrestling News. Esposito carries an 19-1 record with nine of his wins coming against ranked opponents. His only setback came against Teyon Ware at the National Duals. The Three Bridges, N.J., native has won two tournaments and notched Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Omaha Open. He has been a vital asset to the Cowboy team and sparked the Cowboys to victory over arch-rival Iowa when he pinned Luke Moffitt to put the Pokes back on top for good. Last week, he dominated his match against Aaron Holker, racking up six points in the third period to take the decisive 8-2 victory.
The Individual Rankings
All 10 Cowboy wrestlers are ranked individually by Amateur Wrestling News, with eight of them being ranked in the top 10. Esposito remains atop the rankings this week, while Muhammed Lawal, Tyrone Lewis and Chris Pendleton are all ranked second. Johnny Thompson, Shane Roller and Jerrod Sanders round out the top five at three, four and five, respectively. Skyler Holman is ranked ninth, while Jake Rosholt and Willie Gruenwald are ranked 13th and 18th, respectively.
Team Rankings
The National Duals shook the rankings up a little this week. Oklahoma State remains atop the rankings with an impressive outing in the tournament, while Iowa is second, even though they were upset by Oklahoma. The Sooners moved up to the third spot after upsetting Iowa and making it into the finals. Ohio State is in fourth after its fourth-place finish at the National Duals, and Minnesota rounds out the top five. *Rankings are by Amateur Wrestling News
The Big 12 and the Rankings
The Big 12 has continuously sent the best in the nation to represent the conference. This year is no different, as four polls have anywhere from 30-35 wrestlers ranked individually, with at least one wrestler ranked first. InterMat has the most wrestlers ranked at 35, while the Wrestling Mall has the least at 30. Oklahoma State has the most ranked wrestlers at 9-10, while Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma all have anywhere from 5-7 wrestlers ranked. Iowa State has five wrestlers ranked in InterMat, while the other three polls only ranked four Cyclones.
Head coach John Smith
John Smith is in his 11th season on the OSU bench with 177-23-3 record. Smith's Cowboys claimed the national title in 1994 and have captured six 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. He is also the only wrestler to win the James E. Sullivan Award, honoring the nation's top amateur athlete for the previous year.
Smith Inducted into FILA Hall of Fame
At the dual against Iowa, FILA and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame were present to announce the new location of the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame will be in Stillwater at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. FILA also introduced the inaugural inductees to the International Hall of Fame, which includes head coach John Smith.
Is this the year the Cowboys capture No. 31?
Oklahoma State has had the richest history in collegiate wrestling. Period. There is no question about which program is stronger. The Cowboys of OSU have made it known that they know what it takes to be No. 1.
In the 72 years of the NCAA tournament, Oklahoma State has captured 30 team championships, more than any other program.
OSU is armed with the team to make a run at the title. All 10 wrestlers should make the tournament, barring injury, and a hand full of them could make the finals.
Defending National Champion Johnny Thompson will look to capture his second title, while Shane Roller, Tyrone Lewis, Muhammed Lawal, Chris Pendleton and Zack Esposito could all wrestle on the raised stage.
Skyler Holman and Jerrod Sanders could get hot when it counts and finish out their career at Oklahoma State on top, but the road for them will be tough.
Don't count out redshirt freshman Jake Rosholt or Willie Gruenwald. Rosholt has the talent and drive to finish as an All-American and if Gruenwald gets hot and wrestles the way he can, then he, too, could All-American this year.
They both have defeated All-Americans this year and have returning National Champions in their weight class. If they stay healthy and wrestleup to expectations, OSU could have 10 all-americans this year.
Oklahoma State has proven itself in duals this year, but are they ready for the tournament?
The Cowboys will enter this year's NCAA tournament as the heavy favorites. Will that make a difference? Nobody knows. But one thing is for sure, head coach John Smith is ready to hoist up that trophy on the raised stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Come March, the wrestling world will find out if the most dominant team in NCAA history will be back on top and capture No. 31.
History of Cowboy Wrestling
In 83 seasons of wrestling, Oklahoma State has compiled an 862-90-20 record; a .886 winning percentage. The Cowboys have 30 national titles, which is 10 more than that of the next closest (Iowa). Their conference record in 43 seasons is a blistering 183-28-5, a .851 winning percentage. OSU owns 27 conference titles with its last one coming in 2001. Seventy-six Oklahoma State wrestlers have won 122 individual NCAA championships, and at least one individual champion has been from Oklahoma State in 56 of the 70 NCAA tournaments.
The Cowboy All-Americans
In the 70 years of the NCAA tournament, Oklahoma State has had more All-Americans than any other school in the nation. OSU has had 197 wrestlers earn All-America honors 378 times, and at least two competitors have been honored in every NCAA tournament except 1993. In 2002, four wrestlers captured All-America honors, with Johnny Thompson notching his first NCAA individual title. Shane Roller and Tyrone Lewis earned their second All-America status, while Skyler Holman captured his first honors. Only seven Oklahoma State wrestlers have been four-time All-Americans. Among the four is current strength and conditioning coach Eric Guerrero, who competed from 1996-99.
Cowboy National Champions
Seventy-six Oklahoma State wrestlers have won 122 individual NCAA championships. Six times in the NCAA, the Cowboys produced four individual champions in eight possible weights, an unparalled record (there are now 10 weight divisions in NCAA competition). OSU's most recent individual national champion is current 133-pounder Johnny Thompson. He defeated Minnesota's Ryan Lewis, 5-4, in the finals to prevail as champion. Dating back to 1994, current head coach John Smith has had at least one wrestler win an individual title every year except 1996. This includes three-time National Champion Eric Guerrero, two-time National Champion Mark Branch and brother Pat Smith, who was the first wrestler in NCAA history to win four NCAA individual titles. All three wrestlers currently coach for 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 once again be the play-by-play voice of the Cowboys in 2002-03. Guymon has won four national awards for his wrestling coverage, being named national writer of the year and national broadcaster of the year twice each. No other wrestling journalist has won both the writing and broadcasting awards. 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.
