Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Wrestling Advances Seven to Big 12 Finals
March 07, 2015 | Cowboy Wrestling
AMES, Iowa - The Oklahoma State wrestling team advanced seven wrestlers to the final round of the 2015 Big 12 Wrestling Championships and added a pair of third-place finishers to wrap up the first of two sessions Saturday.
The Cowboy finalists include Eddie Klimara (125), Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (157), Alex Dieringer (165), Kyle Crutchmer (174), Nolan Boyd (184) and Austin Marsden (285).
The biggest wins of the first session came from back-to-back first period pins by Dieringer and Crutchmer. Dieringer took down West Virginia's Ross Renzi in 2:16 to earn his team-best ninth fall of the season, and Crutchmer dropped West Virginia's Parker VonEgidy in just 1:13 to pick up his second fall of the year.
Marsden and Heil also gave the Cowboys bonus points in the opening session via major decisions. Marsden dominated Iowa State's Tyler Swope from the opening whistle and narrowly missed a technical fall with a 15-1 win to claim his seventh bonus-point win this season. Heil turned in a 10-1 major decision over Oklahoma's Trae Blackwell for his 10th bonus-point win of the year.
Klimara, Collica and Boyd all won comfortable decisions for their spots in the finals, holding true to their higher seeds earned from their performances this season.
Although Cowboy wrestlers Gary Wayne Harding (133) and Austin Schafer (197) fell in the opening round - Schafer by a narrow 2-1 margin - each of them responded with solid victories in the third-place round. Schafer won over No. 4 Andrew Dixon of OU, 5-0, and Harding beat West Virginia's No. 4 Cory Stainbrook, 4-0.
Josh Kindig (149) suited up for the Cowboys, but defaulted each of his matches due to injury.
The final round of the 2015 Big 12 Wrestling Championships begins at 6 p.m. Saturday night. Dieringer will be gunning for his third career Big 12 title, while Marsden, Collica and Klimara are going for their second. Collica, Dieringer and Marsden each won titles at last year's conference championship, while Klimara and Boyd finished runner-up. It is the first time Heil and Crutchmer have reached a Big 12 final.
2015 Big 12 Wrestling Championships
Team standings entering the finals
1. Iowa State - 63 pts.
2. Oklahoma State - 61 pts.
T3. Oklahoma - 35 pts.
T3. West Virginia - 35 pts.
Oklahoma State semifinal results
125: No. 1 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. No. 4 Kyle Larson (ISU), 10-4
133: No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU) dec. No. 3 Gary Wayne Harding (OSU), 9-3
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) MD No. 4 Trae Blackwell (OU), 10-1
149: No. 4 Roman Perryman (WVU) inj. def. No. 1 Josh Kindig (OSU)
157: No. 1 Anthony Collica (OSU) dec. No. 4 Brutus Scheffel (WVU), 15-9
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall No. 4 Ross Renzi (WVU), 2:16
174: No. 1 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) fall No. 4 Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 1:13
184: No. 2 Nolan Boyd (OSU) dec. No. 3 Bubba Scheffel (WVU), 3-0
197: No. 2 Jake A. Smith (WVU) dec. No. 3 Austin Schafer (OSU), 2-1
285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) MD No. 4 Tyler Swope (ISU), 15-1
Oklahoma State third-place bout results
133: No. 3 Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) dec. No. 4 Cory Stainbrook (WVU), 4-0
149: No. 2 Gabe Moreno (ISU) inj. def. No. 1 Josh Kindig (OSU)
197: No. 3 Austin Schafer (OSU) dec. No. 4 Andrew Dixon (OU), 5-0
Big 12 finals schedule (6 p.m.)
125: No. 1 Eddie Klimara (OSU) vs. No. 2 Zeke Moisey (WVU)
133: No. 1 Earl Hall (ISU) vs. No. 2 Cody Brewer (OU)
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) vs. No. 2 Dante Rodriguez (ISU)
149: No. 3 Shayne Tucker (OU) vs. No. 4 Roman Perryman (WVU)
157: No. 1 Anthony Collica (OSU) vs. No. 2 Justin DeAngelis (OU)
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) vs. No. 2 Michael Moreno (ISU)
174: No. 1 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) vs. No. 3 Tanner Weatherman (ISU)
184: No. 2 Nolan Boyd (OSU) vs. No. 1 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU)
197: No. 1 Kyven Gadson (ISU) vs. No. 2 Jake A. Smith (WVU)
285: No. 1 Austin Marsden (OSU) vs. No. 3 Anthony Vizcarrondo (WVU)
