Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host No. 20 Old Dominion Saturday
November 19, 2008 | Cowboy Wrestling
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 20 Old Dominion
Nov. 22, 2008 :: 1 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611 capacity)
TV: None
Radio: 93.7 KSPI-FM (Rex Holt & Roger Moore)
Internet: okstate.com
Live Streaming Video: okstate.com
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics
The Oklahoma State wrestling team opens the 2008-09 season when it welcomes No. 20 Old Dominion to Gallagher-Iba Arena for a 1 p.m. dual on Saturday.
Ticket Information
Ticket information for the season is as follows: season tickets for general public are $75. For senior citizens and OSU faculty and staff, season tickets are $60. Individual tickets to duals against Old Dominion, Northern Colorado and UC Davis are $10, with individual tickets to duals against Iowa, Missouri, Binghamton and Wyoming and Oklahoma $12. Oklahoma State students are admitted free of charge with valid identification.
On The Air
Saturday's dual will be broadcast live on 93.7 KSPI-AM radio Stillwater with Rex Holt and Roger Moore calling the action. Their broadcast can also be accessed live online at the official web site of Oklahoma State athletics, www.okstate.com.
Live Streaming Video Online
As an additional service to Cowboy wrestling fans, Saturday's dual will be streamed live online at the official web site of Oklahoma State athletics, www.okstate.com. The live video will incorporate the audio from KSPI's broadcast.
Live Stats
Live play-by-play stats and match results will be available on www.okstate.com.
What to Watch For
Saturday's dual between Oklahoma State and Old Dominion features some intriguing matchups, none of which is bigger than the 125-pound bout between No. 6 Obenson Blanc of Oklahoma State and No. 5 James Nicholson of Old Dominion.
Both wrestlers have All-America credentials on their respective resumes, with Blanc earning the honor with a sixth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships and Nicholson taking eighth at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
Two other weight classes also feature head-to-head clashes of ranked wrestlers, with No. 11 Tyler Shinn of Oklahoma State facing No. 12 Kyle Hutter of Old Dominion at 133 pounds and No. 10 Brandon Mason of OSU facing No. 16 Chris Brown of Old Dominion at 165 pounds.
Cowboys 273-66-5 All-Time vs. Ranked Opponents
Entering Saturday's dual ranked No. 20 in the nation, Old Dominion is one of the nation's better teams and a dangerous opponent that is not to be taken lightly.
That said, Oklahoma State has feasted on ranked opposition throughout its history. The Amateur Wrestling News has produced college rankings since the 1974-75 season. Since that time, Oklahoma State is 273-66-5 vs. ranked opponents (.801 winning percentage).
Cowboys in the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 7 in the nation by InterMat and No. 6 by W.I.N. Magazine.
Several Cowboy individuals are ranked as well. A closer look:
........................................................ InterMat.... AWN....... WIN
Obenson Blanc-125............................ 6............. 5............. 9
Tyler Shinn-133.................................. 11........... 13........... 13
Jamal Parks-141................................ NR.......... NR.......... 15
Newly McSpadden-157...................... 12........... 13........... 10
Brandon Mason-165.......................... 10............ 6............. 9
Clayton Foster-197............................ 18........... 13........... 12
Jared Rosholt-285.............................. 1............. 1............. 1
Last Time Out - Central Missouri Open
The Oklahoma Sate wrestling team crowned eight of a possible 10 champions at the Central Missouri State Open Sunday. Obenson Blanc (125 pounds), Tyler Shinn (133 pounds), Jamal Parks (141 pounds), Brandon Mason (165 pounds), Kyle Griffin (174 pounds), Jared Shelton (184 pounds), Clayton Foster (197 pounds) and Jared Rosholt (285 pounds) all emerged as the best of their respective weight classes.
Fellow Cowboys Jordan Oliver (125 pounds), Chris Notte (133 pounds), Luke Silver (149 pounds), Newly McSpadden (157 pounds) and Cody Hill (174 pounds) all advanced to the final round in their respective weight classes as well.
A closer look at how the Cowboys did at the CMSU Open:
OSU Results By Weight Class
125 pounds: Obenson Blanc (1st), Jordan Oliver (2nd), Drew Partain (5th), Andre Taylor (6th), Kyle Torkleson (Did not place)
133 pounds: Tyler Shinn (1st), Chris Notte (2nd), Ricky Dellagatta (Did not place)
141 pounds: Jamal Parks (1st), Luke Ashmore (3rd)
149 pounds: Luke Silver (2nd), Quinten Fuentes (5th), Jake Peck (Did not place)
157 pounds: Newly McSpadden (2nd), Neil Erisman (3rd)
165 pounds: Brandon Mason (1st), Alex Meade (3rd), Ace Adamson (Did not place)
174 pounds: Kyle Griffin (1st), Cody Hill (2nd), Kevin Wainscott (5th)
184 pounds: Jared Shelton (1st), Chris McNeil (4th)
197 pounds: Clayton Foster (1st), Adam Rosholt (Did not place), Tyson Yoder (Did not place), Elliott Hellwege (Did not place)
285 pounds: Jared Rosholt (1st)
A New Era At Oklahoma State
The 2008-09 season may be a special one in that the Cowboys do not several veteran returners with NCAA championship credentials or high All-America honors, so an opportunity is there for new faces to emerge. Only heavyweight Jared Rosholt was ranked among the top five wrestlers in his weight class going into the season.
Among those to watch from Oklahoma State's next generation are sophomore 197-pounder Clayton Foster and redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jamal Parks. Those two have the chance to plant seeds this year for an exciting wave of seasons to come.
Two of the top high school wrestlers in the nation last year, freshmen Jordan Oliver and Alex Meade, are both slated to redshirt this season. Combine them with Foster, Parks, sophomore Kyle Griffin and redshirt freshman Chris McNeil, plus a bumper crop of incoming recruits and it becomes clear that John Smith and the Cowboys are building something special down the road.
Top-Notch Recruiting Class On The Way
Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. The incoming class of signees is regarded as one of the nation's top recruiting classes and is heavy on in-state recruits.
The incoming class is highlighted by Chris Perry (Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater), Jon Morrison (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), Dallas Bailey (Catoosa, Okla./Catoosa) and Albert White (Lynwood, Ill./Northern Iowa Area Community College), all of whom are considered blue chip national recruits. Both Perry and Morrison are ranked by major national publications as the No. 1 wrestlers in their respective weight classes going into their senior year, with Bailey ranked as the preseason No. 2 prep in the nation in his weight class. White is a 2008 junior college national champion who was 200-4 during his prep career at St. Rita HS in Chicago and has a Fargo national title on his resume.
Perry (No. 3), Bailey (No. 6) and Morrison (No. 9) are all ranked among revwrestling.com's top 10 recruits in the nation, regardless of weight class. No other school in the country has more than one wrestler from that list signed as part of this year's class.
This year's group of prep wrestlers in the state of Oklahoma is considered to be one of the best in recent memory, and the Cowboys succeeded in keeping the homegrown talent in-state, with Perry, Bailey, Blake Rosholt (Ponca City HS), Ladd Rupp (Perry HS), Stephen Swan (Perry HS) and Zach White (Woodward HS) all signing on to continue their wrestling careers at Oklahoma State.
Perry, Bailey, Rosholt and Zach White all have family connections to Cowboy wrestling. Perry's father Mark was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma State in 1984 and 1985 and he is the nephew of John Smith. Bailey's father was a Cowboy All-American in 1983 and 1986. Rosholt's oldest brother Jake was a three-time NCAA Champion for OSU and his older brothers Jared and Adam both currently wrestle for the Cowboys. Zach White is the nephew of OSU coach John Smith.
All tolled, Oklahoma State's incoming group of recruits have won 17 state championships between them and that number should increase when they wrestle at the state championships at the end of this coming season.
Next Up For The Cowboys
Oklahoma State travels to Troy, N.Y., to participate in the Northeast Duals on Nov. 29.
The Cowboys will face Lehigh, Virginia, Appalachian State and American at the event.
