Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set to Grapple with Minnesota
April 16, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
Oklahoma State's top-ranked wrestling team travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on the third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. This marks the 19th time the two teams have grappled, with OSU owning a 13-5 all-time series advantage. Minnesota has taken three of the last four duals, including the last one, 21-15, in Stillwater.
On Minnesota
The two-time defending NCAA Champions are coming off the Las Vegas Invitational, where they captured the team title. Ryan Lewis and Luke Becker both notched individual titles. Minnesota entered the year ranked first, but after a loss to Border-rival Iowa, they dropped to third. The Gophers returned five All-Americans from last years squad, including National Champions Jared Lawrence and Luke Becker.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys completed the first half of the year by defeating No. 12 Boise State, 27-12, on Dec. 21 in Provo, Utah. The Broncos (2-1, 0-0) took an early 3-0 lead after Ben VomBaur edged out Skyler Holman, 2-0.
The Cowboys (4-0, 2-0) knotted up the score when Johnny Thompson decisioned Scott Jorgensen, 11-10. Thompson scored an early takedown to take an early lead. Jogensen then recorded an escape and takedown to record his only lead at 3-2. Thompson then regained the lead after reversing Jorgensen.
With the score tied at 4-4 heading into the second period. Thompson recorded two takedowns in the second and a takedown in the third before notching the victory.
Zack Esposito notched a 5-4 decision over Gabe Vigil to give the Cowboys the 6-3 lead.
Boise State tied the score at 6-6 when Colin Robertson knocked off Jerrod Sanders, 5-3. Sanders and Robertson were tied at 3-3 heading into the third, but Robertson then reversed Sanders to record the victory.
In his first match since the Oklahoma dual, Tyrone Lewis pinned Nathan Ploehn in 1:25, extending the Cowboy lead to 15-6. Chris Pendleton dominated Pat Owens, recording six takedowns en route to a 14-5 major decision, while Jake Rosholt recorded three takedowns before recording the major against Tony D'Amico.
Muhammed Lawal recorded seven takedowns to notch the 17-6 major decision over Casey Phelps.
The Rankings
Nine Cowboy wrestlers are ranked in the top 20 individually by Amateur Wrestling News, with four in the top two. Johnny Thompson is the lone wrestler ranked at the top at 133, while Zack Esposito, Tyrone Lewis and Chris Pendleton are all ranked second at 141, 165 and 174, respectively.
The Unbeatens
Four Cowboys have remained unbeaten heading into the bulk of the schedule. National Champion Johnny Thompson boasts a 10-0 record with tournament wins at the Omaha Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions. Freshman standout Zack Esposito carries a 16-0 record with six of his wins by fall. Tyrone Lewis has recorded six bonus-point wins in his eight victories, while Chris Pendleton garners a 12-0 record with tournament wins at the Omaha Open and the RTOC.
At Reno
Oklahoma State brought back the title at the eight annual Reno Tournament of Champions this year. The Cowboys sent seven wrestlers into the semifinals, with three of them rising to victory. Johnny Thompson, Jerrod Sanders and Chris Pendleton all recorded tournament wins as the Pokes blistered the competition winning by over 40 points.
On the air
Oklahoma State Cowboy 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. 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.
Head coach John Smith
John Smith begins 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 tenur,e 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.
