Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Battles Cal Poly Tuesday, Travels To Reno Thursday
December 16, 2008 | Cowboy Wrestling
Cowboy Wrestling This Week
Cal Poly/Reno Tournament
Dec. 16/Dec. 18, 2008
San Luis Obispo, Calif./Reno Nev.
TV: None for either event
Radio: None for Cal Poly/93.7 KSPI FM for Reno (Rex Holt and Roger Moore)
Internet Radio: okstate.com for Reno
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The Basics
The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team (5-2 overall) travels to California and Nevada this week. The Cowboys battle Cal Poly at 9 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday before packing up and heading to Reno, Nev., for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Thursday.
On The Air
Tuesday's dual against Cal Poly will not be broadcast in Stillwater.
The Reno Tournament of Champions will be broadcast live on 93.7 KSPI-FM radio Stillwater with Rex Holt and Roger Moore calling the action. The broadcast can also be accessed live online at the official web site of Oklahoma State athletics, www.okstate.com.
Series History vs. Cal Poly
Oklahoma State is 26-0-0 all-time against Cal Poly, including a 10-0-0 mark in San Luis Obispo. The two teams met in Stillwater last year with the Cowboys handing the Mustangs a 36-6 beating.
Last Meeting; OSU 36, Cal Poly 6
125: Tyler Shinn dec. Micah Ferguson (CP); 3-1
133: Coleman Scott dec. Boris Novachkov (CP); 6-0
141: No. 1 Chad Mendes (CP) dec. Nathan Morgan; 4-3
149: Ryan Freeman dec. Eric Maldonado (CP); 7-1
157: No. 14 Chase Pami (CP) dec. Neil Erisman; 7-5
165: Jake Dieffenbach fall Ryan Williams (CP); 6:09
174: Brandon Mason TF5 Mike Williams (CP); 17-0, 2:27
184: Jack Jensen maj. dec. Ernie Varela (CP); 10-2
197: Clayton Foster fall Arturo Basulto (CP); 4:08
285: Jared Rosholt fall Jim Powers (CP); 2:17
About The Reno Tournament of Champions
The Reno Tournament of Champions utilizes an NCAA Championships-style scoring system to crown its team champions, with one wrestler winning the title in each of the 10 respective weight classes as well.
Teams Competing in Reno
In addition to Oklahoma State, here is a look at the rest of the teams competing at the 2008 Reno Tournament of Champions:
No. 13 Boise State, No. 17 Edinboro, Arizona State, Stanford, Oregon State, North Carolina, Navy, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis, The Citadel, Ohio University, Wyoming, Buffalo, Appalachian State, Portland State, Nebraska-Kearney, Adams State, Missouri Valley, Liberty, University of Great Falls, Minnesota State-Mankato, Western Wyoming CC, Clackamas CC and Southwestern Oregon CC.
Top Individuals Competing In Reno
Oklahoma State heavyweight Jared Rosholt and Edinboro 157-pounder Gregor Gillespie are the two highest-ranked individuals in the field, with Rosholt wearing the nation's No. 1 ranking and Gillespie No. 2, according to the Dec. 9 NWCA Intermat rankings.
The weight classes that figure to be the toughest top-to-bottom at the Reno Tournament of Champions are 125 pounds, 184 pounds and 285 pounds, as five ranked wrestlers in each of those weight classes are probable to compete in Reno.
If rankings hold, then the premier matchup of the day would come at 285 pounds, where No. 1 Rosholt could face No. 4 Mitch Montiero of Cal State Bakersfield. The heavyweight bracket is the only weight class with two wrestlers ranked among the top five in the nation.
Last Time Out: No. 20 Oklahoma 18, No. 9 Oklahoma State 15
The No. 9 Oklahoma State wrestling team lost an 18-15 decision at the hands of No. 20 Oklahoma in McCasland Fieldhouse on Dec .7. An injury default at 133 pounds ended up being the difference as both teams won five bouts, but the three additional bonus points from the injury default gave the Sooners the win.
125: No. 17 Joey Fio (OU) dec. Obenson Blanc; 2-1 TB1
133: Tyler Shinn inj. def. to David Armstrong (OU); 3:36
141: Jamal Parks dec. No. 12 Zack Bailey (OU); 10-7
149: No. 15 Kyle Terry (OU) dec. Luke Silver; 10-3
157: Newly McSpadden dec. No. 14 Shane Vernon (OU); 6-5
165: Brandon Mason dec. Ryan Smith (OU); 1-0
174: No. 9 Jeff James (OU) dec. Kyle Griffin; 7-5
184: Pat Flynn (OU) dec. Jared Shelton; 7-2
197: Clayton Foster dec. No. 8 Eric Lapotsky (OU); 12-9
285: Jared Rosholt dec. Nathan Fernandez (OU); 7-2
Foster An Early-Season Buzzsaw
It's still early in the season, but Oklahoma State sophomore Clayton Foster has been dominant for the Cowboys in the early going.
Foster owns a 12-0 record that includes bonus points in 10 bouts. He has pinned four of his opponents to go with two technical fall victories and four major decisions.
His most impressive win to date was a 12-9 victory over No. 8 Eric Lapotsky of Oklahoma in Norman.
Rosholt The Nation's No. 1 Big Man For A Reason
Oklahoma State junior Jared Rosholt is the consensus choice as the nation's top heavyweight. He's been No. 1 since the season started and hasn't done anything to make people think otherwise, rattling off wins in each of his first 13 bouts. Two of his wins are over top-five opponents (No. 3 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin at the NWCA All-Star Classic and No. 4 Kyle Massey of Missouri). Rosholt has seven wins by fall, a technical fall win and one major decision.
Only 12 of his wins actually count on his season record, however, as matches at the NWCA All-Star Classic do not count toward the wrestlers' season records.
More Pins Than Before
If there is one noticable difference between Oklahoma State this year from last year, it may be that this year's team is registering pins at a much higher rate than last year's.
Through one month, this year's team has registered 73 pins. Last year's squad had a season total of 84 pins.
From an individual perspective, 149-pounder Quinten Fuentes and 125/133 pounder Jordan Oliver both have nine wins by fall this year to tie for the team lead. Last season, Jared Rosholt led the team with seven pins. Rosholt has already matched that total this year to rank third on the squad.
Catching Up With The Redshirts
Of the wrestlers pegged to redshirt this season, it comes as no surprise that 165-pounder Alex Meade and 125/133-pounder Jordan Oliver have risen to the top.
Meade sports a 19-2 overall record that includes two wins by fall, nine by major decision and two wins by technical fall. Oliver is 16-1 with nine wins by fall, one by major decision and four by technical fall.
Meade and Oliver have won championships at two open tournaments apiece and neither of the two Cowboy freshmen have placed any lower than third in an open tournament this year.
Rosholt An All-Star Classic Winner
Oklahoma State junior 285-pounder Jared Rosholt was an 8-4 winner over No. 3 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 24.
With his comfortable win over Massey at the All-Star Classic, Rosholt has already beaten two of his top competitors for the NCAA title this year. He beat No. 4 Mark Ellis of Missouri by a 4-1 decision in the title bout of the Central Missouri Open on Nov. 16.
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.
