Cowboy Wrestling Heads West

Complete Release in PDF Format

Dec. 15, 2009

Cowboy Wrestling This Week

at UC Davis

Dec. 18, 2009; The Pavilion (Davis, CA)

-and-

at Reno Tournament of Champions

Dec. 20, 2009 :: Reno Convention Center

TV: None

Radio: 93.7 KSPI-FM (Rex Holt & Roger Moore)

Internet Audio: www.okstate.com

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The Basics

The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team (2-0-1 overall) hits the road to take on UC Davis (0-1 overall) at 8:30 p.m. Central time on Friday, Dec. 18, then packs up and goes directly to Reno, Nev., to compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

On The Air

Both events will be aired live on KSPI 93.7 FM radio in Stillwater with Rex Holt and Roger Moore on the call. The radio broadcast will also be available worldwide via the internet at www.okstate.com.

Last Meeting vs. UC Davis (1/4/09) Oklahoma State 29, UC Davis 7

125: Obe Blanc (OSU) dec. No. 15 Marcos Orozco (UCD); 4-2

133: Chris Notte (OSU) wins by forfeit

141: Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Nexi Delgado (UCD); 11-5

149: Barrett Abel (UCD) MD Luke Silver (OSU); 16-4

157: Neil Erisman (OSU) TF Joey Wilson (UCD); 20-5; 4:58

165: Brandon Mason (OSU) dec. Dustin Noack (UCD); 2-0

174: Tyler Bernacci (UCD) dec. Cody Hill (OSU); 7-4

184: Chris McNeil (OSU) dec. Jon Clark (UCD); 9-4

197: Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. Abe Otrambo (UCD); 11-5

285: Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. Ricky Alcala (UCD); 6-4

Series Capsule vs. UC Davis

Series Record: OSU leads, 3-0-0

In Davis: OSU leads, 1-0-0

In Stillwater: OSU leads, 3-0-0

At Neutral: Never Met

First Meeting (11/12/06): OSU 22, UC Davis 9

Last Meeting (1/4/09): OSU 29, UC Davis 7

John Smith vs. UC Davis: 3-0-0

Lennie Zalesky vs. Oklahoma State: 0-3-0

Last Year At Reno: Cowboys Win Team Title

Oklahoma State won the 2008 edition of the Reno Tournament of Champions by racking up 146.5 team points to beat second-place Edinboro by a 14-point margin. Jared Rosholt won the heavyweight bracket by claiming an impressive 5-4 win over Duke's Konrad Dudziak in the title bout. Obenson Blanc (125 pounds), Jamal Parks (141 pounds), Neil Erisman (157 pounds) and Brandon Mason (165 pounds) were all second-place finishers in their respective weight classes.

Teams Included In 2009 Reno Tournament Field

Adams State, Arizona State, Boise State, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Clackamas CC, Eastern Michigan, Edinboro, Liberty, Minnesota State-Mankato, Montana State Northern, Newberry, Ohio, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Southern Oregon, Southwestern Oregon CC, Stanford, Navy, UC Davis, Wyoming, Great Falls, North Carolina, Upper Iowa, West Virginia.

Benefiel Now Eligible To Compete

Sophomore 174-pounder Mike Benefiel will be eligible to suit up for the Cowboys when they take on UC Davis this week.

It was originally thought that Benefiel would not be eligible until classes started for the spring, 2010 semester. After further review, Benefiel's transfer paperwork indicates that he will be eligible to compete for OSU beginning Dec. 18.

Benefiel redshirted as a true freshman at Northwestern in 2007-08 before transferring to St. Louis CC in Meramec, Mo. Benefiel enrolled at Northern Oklahoma College for summer school in 2009 before coming to OSU in time for the fall, 2009 semester.

Last Time Out: OSU 21, No. 5 Minnesota 8

125: No. 4 Zach Sanders (MINN) dec. No. 8 Chris Notte (OSU); 11-5

133: No. 2 Jayson Ness (MINN) dec. No. 11 Jordan Oliver (OSU); 3-0

141: No. 16 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 10 Mike Thorn (MINN); 4-1

149: No. 12 Mario Mason (MINN) dec. Quinten Fuentes (OSU); 13-9

157: No. 9 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Joe Grygelko (MINN); 7-0

165: No. 17 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. No. 2 Dustin Schlatter (MINN); 3-2

174: Chris McNeil (OSU) dec. Cody Yohn (MINN); 9-6

184: No. 9 Clayton Foster (OSU) MD No. 17 Sonny Yohn (MINN); 13-1

197: No. 9 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Brent Eidenschink (MINN); 13-6

285: No. 3 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 10 Ben Berhow (MINN); 8-6 SV

* One team point was deducted from both sides for unsportsmanlike conduct during the 141-pound match.

Meade Takes Home Wrestler of the Week Honor

After his upset win over No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota on Dec. 4, Oklahoma State redshirt freshman 165-pounder Alex Meade was recognized as the Big 12 wrestler of the week for the first time in his young career.

Meade's upset win came as part of the Cowboys' 21-8 dual match victory over the No. 5 Golden Gophers. The OSU freshman recorded a takedown against the former NCAA champion and three-time All-American just over a minute into the bout in what ended up being the key point of the match. A pair of escapes from Schlatter and an escape from Meade capped the scoring.

Earlier in the week, Meade was a 5-1 winner over Oklahoma's Tyler Caldwell in the first Bedlam dual of the season.

Rosholt Joins Cowboy Century Club

Senior Jared Rosholt, already a Big 12 champion and two-time All-American, continues to etch his name into the OSU record books.

Rosholt claimed his 100th career win when he toppled No. 10 Ben Berhow of Minnesota by an 8-6 score in sudden victory on Dec. 4.

A total of 33 Cowboys have hit the 100-win mark for their careers, with coach John Smith's 152 victories from 1984-88 topping the list.

Foster Making Smooth Transition

After spending the first two years of his career at 197 pounds, junior 184-pounder Clayton Foster is showing that he is more than capable of handling the cut down to 184.

At 10-0 on the year, not only is Foster one of only two Cowboys with a perfect record, but he has won convincingly. Of Foster's 10 wins, eight have included bonus points (three pins, a technical fall and four major decisions) and he is tied for the team lead with nine dual match takedowns.

Parks Getting Results vs. The Ranked

Sophomore 141-pounder Jamal Parks has won his last two bouts against opponents ranked higher than himself. The Tulsa Union HS graduate was a 5-3 winner over No. 12 Zack Bailey of Oklahoma on Dec. 1 before coming back to hand No. 10 Mike Thorn of Minnesota a 4-1 defeat on Dec. 4.

Updating The Redshirts

An update on selected Cowboy true freshmen:

Chris Perry: 11-1 record with two open tournament titles. Only loss is to teammate Clayton Foster in the title bout of the Central Missouri Open.

Ladd Rupp: 13-3 record highlighted by a title at the Central Missouri Open.

Jon Morrison: 9-1 record with a title at the Fort Hays State Open. Lone loss came to Northwestern two-time All-American Brandon Precin, who placed third at last year's NCAA Championships.

Zach White: 12-8 record highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the Central Missouri Open.

Blake Rosholt: 11-8 record highlighted by a third-place finish at the OCU Open.

Winning Is The Family Business

Jared Rosholt is the second member of his family to hit the 100 career win mark at OSU, as older brother Jake was 104-21 from 2003-06.

The only other set of brothers to win 100 for the Cowboys were the Smiths. John's 152-8-2 record from 1984-88 leads all OSU wrestlers, with brother Pat going 122-4-2 from 1990-94 and Lee Roy going 114-13-4 from 1977-80.

Speaking Of Family...

John Smith is coaching a pair of his nephews this year in true freshmen Chris Perry and Zach White. Perry is the son of John's sister, Cathy and White is the son of Smith's sister Mary Ann.

Both Perry and White are expected to redshirt this season.

Trading Spaces

Three returning OSU starters from last year are suiting up at new weight classes this year, with Chris Notte moving from 133 pounds to 125 pounds, Chris McNeil moving from 184 pounds to 174 pounds and Clayton Foster moving from 197 pounds to 184 pounds.

All three were NCAA qualifiers last year, but are cutting down this year as a result of the increased talent in the OSU wrestling room.

Red, White and OSU

A quartet of Cowboys represented the United States on the international scene during the summer of 2009, with John Smith coaching the USA senior freestyle team at the FILA World Championships in Herning, Denmark, head assistant coach Eric Guerrero serving as head coach for Team USA at the FILA junior freestyle world championships in Ankara, Turkey and Jordan Oliver and Chris Perry both suiting up for Team USA at the FILA junior freestyle world championships.

Oliver won bronze in the 60-kilogram bracket and Perry placed sixth in the 84-kilogram bracket at junior worlds.

Foster Has Team USA Experience As Well

Though he did not suit up in the Stars and Stripes this past summer, 184-pounder Clayton Foster represented the USA at the 2008 FILA junior world freestyle championships and had a nice showing, winning the bronze medal at the event.

Call Him "Z"

One of the most talked-about wrestlers in the country during the preseason was Oklahoma State 197-pounder Alan Gelogaev.

Born in Chechenya, Gelogaev claims Moscow, Russia as his hometown. Prior to enrolling at OSU, he trained for five years under Russian wrestling legend and nine-time world champion Buvaisar Saitiev in Siberia.

During his training in Siberia, he connected with former Cowboy Olympian Daniel Cormier and followed Cormier to Stillwater, where he is now mentored by six-time world champion John Smith.

His nickname, "Z" comes from his middle name, Zelim.

Fargo Champions Everywhere

The 2009-10 Oklahoma State roster includes a staggering seven different Fargo junior freestyle national champions. The list:

Clayton Foster: 2006

Albert White: 2006

Mike Benefiel: 2007

Jon Morrison: 2007

Jordan Oliver: 2007

Jamal Parks: 2007

Chris Perry: 2008