Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Wrestling Announces 2007-08 Schedule
September 21, 2007 | Cowboy Wrestling
The Big 12 Wrestling Championships coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena along with home duals against reigning NCAA champions Minnesota, 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State, in-state rival Oklahoma, Penn State, Northern Iowa and Cal Poly highlight the 2007-08 Oklahoma State wrestling schedule that was announced by Head Coach John Smith today.
The Cowboys also take the mat against Nebraska at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City for a match that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
"I have made some schedule changes compared to the past that I feel this current team needs," Smith said. "I like the fact we will see some new competition through the year."
The season starts on the road when Oklahoma State competes in the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha on Nov. 17. Selected Cowboys will then move on to compete at the NWCA All-Star match Nov. 19 in Eugene, Ore. The early-season road swing comes to an end when OSU travels to Albany, N.Y., to take part in the Northeast Duals on Nov. 24.
Oklahoma State opens the home schedule with a bang, as in-state rival Oklahoma visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2 for the first of two Bedlam Series matches. The Cowboys have won 18 straight dual matches over the Sooners and own a commanding 123-24-9 advantage in the all-time series with OU.
After finishing 11th at last year's NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 9. The Cowboys are then back on the road for the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18.
Jan. 6 shapes up to be one of the biggest days in collegiate wrestling as all eyes will be on Iowa City for the Cowboys' dual with inter-conference rival Iowa out of the Big Ten. Oklahoma State and Iowa have a combined 54 NCAA team championships between them, with the Cowboys claiming 34 crowns and the Hawkeyes winning 20 of their own. The rest of the nation has combined to win 24 national championships.
Oklahoma State then travels to Hampton, Va., to take part in the Virginia Duals from Jan. 11-12 before heading to Columbia, Mo., on Jan. 19 for a Big 12 dual at Missouri set to start at 1 p.m. Big 12 runners-up last year, the Tigers finished third at the 2007 NCAA Championships and pose a formidable challenge again in 2007-08.
There will be no rest for the Cowboys following their dual at Missouri, as they take the mat at 2 p.m. the next day at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City to host Nebraska for a dual that is part of a Ford Center doubleheader that also includes a dual match between Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
A pair of consecutive home duals against Northern Iowa (7 p.m. on Jan. 25) and reigning Big 12 champion and 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State (2 p.m. on Jan. 27) set up a much-anticipated home dual with reigning NCAA champion Minnesota at 1 p.m. on Feb. 3 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys and Golden Gophers are the only two teams to have won a national championship since 2001, as OSU claimed the title in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Minnesota winning the championship in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
A brief west-coast swing in early February pits Oklahoma State against Oregon at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Eugene, Ore., and at UC Davis at 1 p.m. on Feb. 10 in Davis.
The west coast returns the favor when Cal Poly visits Gallagher-Iba at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 in what will be the final regular-season home dual for Cowboy seniors and returning All-Americans Nathan Morgan and Coleman Scott, among others.
Oklahoma State puts a cap on the regular season when it travels south to Norman to face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The Cowboys will pursue their 42nd conference championship when they play host to the 2008 Big 12 Wrestling Championships on March 8. In addition to OSU's 41 team conference titles, 204 Cowboy wrestlers have been crowned as individual conference champions through the years.
The NCAA Championships are set for March 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo., with the Cowboys looking to pick up their fifth national championship in the last six years and their 35th overall NCAA team championship.
Smith returns four All-Americans and eight NCAA qualifiers from last year's team that finished fifth at the NCAA Championships. The Cowboys have won five of their 34 team national championships under Smith and have crowned 132 individual national champions through the years. No collegiate program in any sport in the nation can boast the level of success enjoyed by Oklahoma State wrestling.
