Oklahoma State University Athletics
John Smith Previews Iowa Dual
January 13, 2010 | Cowboy Wrestling
Jan. 13, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith met with members of the media Wednesday to preview this Saturday's dual at No. 1 Iowa. Some of the highlights:
On OSU's improvement
“We've come a long way from the beginning of the year. We've improved as we've gone along and we're getting people healthy. We've wrestled mostly in dual meets; obviously the Reno Tournament was a good outing for us. I felt like we've wrestled some of our better matches last weekend at the Virginia Dual as a team. I see us continuing to get better.”
On improving individually at certain weights
“I see some individual weights that are establishing themselves as very competitive at their weight class, which early on I was questioning rather we could do that. I see some of them doing that and that's been exciting for us. I'm looking forward to the weekend.”
On sophomore Mike Benefiel's recent run of strong wrestling
“He's wrestled well since he traveled with us out to the West Coast right before Christmas. The thing about Mike is when you look at the weight class and what he's done; he's beaten a lot of people who are in the bottom half of that bracket at that weight class. That's a good thing. He's beaten them pretty solidly and with large margins and scores. It tells us that Mike isn't in that group. He hasn't wrestled anyone in the top 10 to this point and he's looking forward to it. Obviously, he's got a chance to get the best wrestler in the country right now at his weight class. He has separated the scores against the bottom half of that weight class.”
On how Iowa's injuries and the injury to Cowboy Albert White will affect the dual
“You don't know if they're out until the actual dual meet. Some of the guys they have out look like they could be inserted into the lineup for the first time this week. Albert White will not be in the lineup for us, there's a possibility he might be out all year.
On the toughness of the Oklahoma State-Iowa wrestling rivalry and his team's chances
“It's a dual meet that really doesn't matter who you're wrestling. It's always a tough dual meet and it's always a very competitive dual meet. From my point of view, we've got to wrestle extremely hard to make it a dual meet. If we don't compete at our very best at this point in the season, we'll have a real tough time winning the dual meet.”
On OSU's success at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
“It's a little bit deceiving. I know it's a pretty long record of winning there in the last several years, but in that time we did win four championships. So, we were probably the better team for the most part. The last win there was an upset. If we win there this weekend, it will be an upset. The next day, Iowa will still be favored to win over us by 50 points at the NCAA Tournament. The key for us has always been we understand what has to take place. We've always been excited about big dual meets. This is a match that I think we get excited for.”
On Iowa's streak of winning 51-straight duals
“I think it's awfully impressive. I think it's extremely tough to do. The one thing they've built up is a lot of depth there. It's pretty impressive throughout their lineup. I'm sure they're a little light at a few weights, but for the most part, that depth makes a difference in being able to win 51 in a row. It takes some time and it takes some effort on the coaching staff's part to create that situation for yourself. It will be tougher as we go forward from here to have that kind of depth for anyone again.”
On Jordan Oliver's progress this season
“He's a young kid, a young freshman, at a very tough weight class. He's been a little bit up and down. There are some pretty good kids in the weight class. He's beaten a lot of people and has a pretty good record, but he's looking for that one big win to break through and build some confidence. Overall, I'm pleased with where he's at as we go down the second half of the season.”
On if OSU holds an advantage coming off Virginia Duals as opposed to the National Duals
“I don't know. I think when you look at schedules; you're going to see that we pretty much have everyone on our schedule. Our next two matches are No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Iowa State. I don't know if it's an advantage or a disadvantage. The tough competition and the better teams at the National Duals prepares you for a little bit of hardness and toughness. If you've had a bad week in there, there's a chance for you to grow from it. As far as injuries are concerned, we all have injuries. We're not exempt from those injuries right now. We've got a couple guys banged up that will wrestle on Saturday. I wouldn't give an advantage or a disadvantage.”
