Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Wrestling Hosts No. 5 Missouri Saturday
February 06, 2009 | Cowboy Wrestling
Next Up For Cowboy Wrestling
No. 5 Missouri
Sat., Feb. 7, 2009 :: 7 p.m. :: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611 capacity)
TV: None
Radio: 93.7 KSPI-FM (Rex Holt and Roger Moore)
Live Audio Broadcast: okstate.com
Live Video Feed: okstate.com
Live Stats and Play-by-Plays: okstate.com
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The Basics
The No. 15 Oklahoma State wrestling team (12-6 overall) competes at home for the first time since Jan. 18 when it hosts No. 5 Missouri at 7 p.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
On The Air
The dual 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 www.okstate.com, as can live streaming video and live stats and play-by-play.
OSU vs. Top Five Opponents Under John Smith
During the John Smith era, Oklahoma State has toppled 47 opponents that were ranked in the top five nationally at the time of the dual.
Series Capsule: Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
Overall: OSU leads, 33-3-1
In Stillwater: OSU leads, 18-1-0
In Columbia: OSU leads, 12-1-1
At Neutral: OSU leads, 3-1-0
John Smith vs. Missouri: 14-3-1
Brian Smith vs. OSU: 3-8-1
Top-10 Clashes At Four Weight Classes
Saturday's dual is highlighted by top-10 matchups at 157 pounds between No. 10 Neil Erisman of OSU and No. 8 Michael Chandler of Missouri, at 165 pounds between No. 10 Brandon Mason of OSU and No. 5 Nick Marable of Missouri, at 197 pounds between No. 8 Clayton Foster of OSU and No. 4 Max Askren of Missouri and potentially at heavyweight, where No. 3 Jared Rosholt could face No. 1 Mark Ellis of Missouri.
Head to Head Matchups
There is a level of familiarity between the Cowboys and the Tigers. Among the list of Saturday's probable starters, there have been previous head-to-head clashes at five of the weight classes. No two wrestlers are more familiar with one another than heavyweights Jared Rosholt and Mark Ellis, with Rosholt holding a stout 5-0 advantage in the all-time series between the two, including a 4-1 win in the title bout at this year's Central Missouri Open.
At 133 pounds, Missouri's Todd Schavrien was an 8-6 winner over Chris Notte in the third-place bout at this year's Missouri Open. Cowboy 157-pounder Neil Erisman lost a 7-3 decision to Missouri's Michael Chandler at this year's Central Missouri Open and a 5-1 decision to Chandler at the Missouri Open the next week.
Missouri's Raymond Jordan knocked off OSU's Cody Hill with a 14-5 major decision at last year's Missouri Open and Tiger 197-pounder Max Askren was an 18-8 major decision winner over Cowboy Clayton Foster in last year's dual in Columbia.
Last Meeting vs. Missouri - No. 2 OSU 16, No. 11 Missouri 16
Jan. 19, 2008 :: Hearnes Center (Columbia, Mo.)
184 - No. 6 Raymond Jordan (MU) dec. Jack Jensen (OSU); 8-2
197 - No. 9 Max Askren (MU) MD No. 20 Clayton Foster (OSU); 18-8
285 - No. 7 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 12 Mark Ellis (MU); 5-3
125 - Tyler Shinn (OSU) dec. John Olanowski (MU); 7-1
133 - No. 1 Coleman Scott (OSU) MD Nick Velliquette (MU); 17-4
141 - No. 2 Nathan Morgan (OSU) dec. Marcus Hoehn (MU); 8-7
149 - No. 18 Josh Wagner (MU) dec. Ryan Freeman (OSU); 10-6
157 - No. 12 M. Chandler (MU) dec. No. 15 N. McSpadden (OSU); 4-0
165 - No. 3 N. Marable (MU) dec. No. 5 J. Dieffenbach (OSU); 3-1 SV
174 - No. 2 Brandon Mason (OSU) dec. Brock Wittmeyer (MU); 4-0
Cowboys 278-72-5 All-Time vs. Ranked Opponents
Missouri enters Saturday's dual ranked fifth in the nation. The Cowboys have already toppled five ranked teams this year in No. 20 Old Dominion, No. 24 Virginia, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 15 Edinboro and No. 22 Northern Iowa.
OSU 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 278-72-5 vs. ranked opponents.
Last Time Out - No. 4 Nebraska 17, No. 15 OSU 16
133: No. 14 Chris Notte dec. Matt Vacanti; 10-4
141: No. 15 Jamal Parks dec. Curtis Salazar; 10-4
149: Robert Sanders dec. Luke Ashmore; 6-3
157: No. 3 J. Burroughs MD No. 10 N. Erisman; 21-9
165: No. 6 Stephen Dwyer dec. No. 10 B. Mason; 3-1
174: No. 3 B. Browne dec. No. 14 N. McSpadden; 7-5
184: No. 11 Vince Jones maj. dec. Cody Hill; 11-2
197: No. 8 Clayton Foster dec. No. 2 Craig Brester; 5-2
285: No. 3 Jared Rosholt dec. No. 19 Tucker Lane; 2-0
125: No. 15 Obenson Blanc MD Andy Pokorny; 12-3
Rosholt The Outstanding Wrestler At Virginia Duals
Jared Rosholt was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Virginia Duals after going a perfect 4-0 with two of the wins coming by pin and one by major decision. Rosholt did not allow a single point against him in any of his four bouts and he beat a ranked opponent along the way. Other notable wrestlers at the event who Rosholt beat out for Outstanding Wrestler honors included top-ranked 157-pounder Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro and No. 2-ranked 125-pounder Paul Donahoe of Edinboro.
Mason Hits The 100-Win Mark
Cowboy 165-pounder Brandon Mason hit a career milestone when he won his 100th career bout when he pinned Navy's Jason Coyne at the Virginia Duals. Mason enters the Missouri dual with a 102-39 career record. He is the 32nd OSU wrestler to win 100 bouts and he is the 19th to do it under the coaching of John Smith.
Pin Total Already Surpasses Last Year's Season Mark
Entering the Nebraska dual, OSU has registered 95 pins, surpassing last year's season total of 84.
From an individual perspective, Jared Rosholt leads the Cowboys with 12 wins by fall. Quinten Fuentes and Jordan Oliver both have nine wins by fall to tie for second on the team. To put those figures into perspective, Rosholt led last year's team with seven pins.
Rosholt A Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
Jared Rosholt won his first-ever Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honor when he claimed the award on Dec. 22 after knocking off a pair of ranked opponents on the way to winning the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Rosholt beat No. 7 Mitch Monteiro of Cal State Bakersfield by a 13-5 major decision before handing No. 15 Konrad Dudziak of Duke a 5-4 defeat in the title bout.
Catching Up With The Redshirts
Of the wrestlers pegged to redshirt this season, 125/133-pounder Jordan Oliver and 165-pounder Alex Meade have risen to the top.
Oliver is 19-1 with nine wins by fall, two by major decision and five by technical fall.
Meade sports a 19-2 overall record that includes two wins by fall, nine by major decision and two wins by technical fall.
Meade and Oliver have combined for five open tournament titles this year (three for Oliver, two for Meade) and neither of the two Cowboy freshmen have placed any lower than third in an open tournament this year.
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.
