Oklahoma State University Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
February 21, 2010 | Cowboy Wrestling
Feb. 21, 2010
Oklahoma State Coach John Smith
On his team's performance
“If I can take anything really positive from the dual, which there was a lot of positive to it, I think a lot of things hit us that we didn't really expect. We didn't expect to lose the first three out of our, we didn't expect to get pinned at 197. But, yet, somebody stepped out and overcame it all and got us back on track.”
On Jared Rosholt's win to seal the dual
“Jared Rosholt, I've got to give him a lot of credit. I don't know if he'll wrestle in a tougher situation, even at the NCAA Championships. Don't get me wrong, there are great competitors, but I was pleased. It was his last match in Gallagher-Iba Arena and he watched us get a comfortable 16-10 lead, he probably sees Z put a lot of points on the board and all of a sudden getting pinned. Step out, it's your last match in Gallagher, go get a win. He did just that. I'm very pleased with his effort and definitely something we needed out of a senior.”
On Jared Rosholt's clutch performance
“He's been in a lot of situations where we've needed him and I'll just tell you that was probably one of the biggest ones he's ever delivered for us. He was 1-1 with Fernandez this year. He's a fifth-year senior on senior night. That's a match he'll remember. That's going to be a good memory. We'll be talking in our wrestling circles about that. It's always nice to smile and be able to say 'this is what I did'. Good for Jared and he deserves it.”
On his team's struggles in the third period
“Let's not forget that this team was 17th when the year started. I don't think Mike Benefiel really understood Bedlam yet. He put up a lot of points, but maybe he was a little bit nervous and got a little tight and seemed to mentally fatigue a little bit. That's something you want to see happen this time of year so he can start focusing a little more on his preparation and expect those type of scenarios.”
Oklahoma State Heavyweight Jared Rosholt
On going out with a win at home
“I wasn't really looking forward to it coming down to that match, but I think it's good to have that adversity. It's a great way to win my last home dual here.”
On the dual as a whole
“It was a team effort. What I did was what I was expected to do. I didn't go out there and do anything spectacular. I didn't do anything that wasn't supposed to happen. It was definitely a team effort. Everyone wrestled the way they were supposed to for the most part. It's just like with any dual, there are upsets. You just do what you are supposed to do.”
On Neil Erisman's win at 157 pounds
“That was a big match for Neil because he lost to Vernon down in Norman. Any time you lose to somebody and then walk out there and beat them, it's a big deal. He walked out there when it was 10-3 and turned it around. Neil has matured a lot and has gotten better this year.”
On Alan Gelogaev getting pinned
“I was off to the side watching him. It wasn't expected, but you have your upsets in wrestling. Alan is new to the collegiate side of wrestling so anything can happen. He needs to remember this isn't the end of his season, this is small compared to what's coming up. He needs to just forget about it and move on.”
Oklahoma Coach Jack Spates
On the dual
“We didn't come here to look good. We didn't come here to lose close. We didn't come here to tie. We came to win and didn't get it done. The good news is we put ourselves in position to win. Obviously, we could have won that match, but coulda, woulda, shoulda. It's not horseshoes and close doesn't count.”
On Eric Lapotsky
“In some instances, Eric is the epitome of what we talk about. You're never out of a match, especially the ones where you keep fighting and you keep battling. It was looking bad. It was looking like he was getting embarrassed, but he didn't hang his head. He didn't start thinking, 'Maybe it's not my night.' He just kept fighting and that's what you've got to do.”
On how he felt going into the last match tied 16-16
“I felt good. Once we pinned him at 197, we really thought we were going to win the meet. That's the confidence we have in Nathan Fernandez. Jared Rosholt is a great wrestler. You're not a two-time All American and you're not ranked No. 1 in the country for no reason, so that's no disrespect to Jared at all. We really thought, 'OK, we can win this meet.' It didn't quite turn out.”
On the Big 12 Championships
“This is a team that can win the Big 12s. I don't think anybody in the world thought that coming into this year. I don't think they thought that we would tie a Bedlam and lose one by three points. This is a team that's gotten better and better as we've gone on. Oklahoma State's a team that can win the Big 12s. Iowa State, obviously, was the runaway favorite to win the Big 12s coming into the year. So there are three teams that can legitimately contend and I think that's why it's going to be an incredible Big 12 Championship.”
On how felt after building a 10-3 lead
“Obviously, we were happy because it could have gone differently. We were disappointed at 133 because you can't give anything away here. You've got to get everything. Obviously, we were in a position to win that match, we think we should have won that match. We were not relaxing at all. You can't do that in Bedlam. You can't do that at this level. We were obviously feeling good. We were excited. We were on a little bit of a roll, but we knew every match was going to be tough.”
