Cowboy Wrestling Faces Army, Stanford on Valentine's Weekend

Friday, February 12

Stillwater, OK

7:00:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Army

Cowboy Wrestling Faces Army, Stanford on Valentine's Weekend

February 10, 2016 | Cowboy Wrestling

WR Notes - Army and Stanford

The Basics
The No. 4 Cowboys, who are coming off two big wins against No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 15 Cornell, hope to continue their winning ways this weekend as they host Army West Point on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Stanford on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fans who buy a Stanford ticket can get one free, using the promo code WRBOGO on okstate.com/tickets.

Live Stats And Play-by-Play
Fans can follow the action online through live results and play-by-play on www.trackwrestling.com. Simply go to the site and the link to live results and play-by-play will be prominently displayed.

Watch the Duals Live
The duals will be streamed live online at flowrestling.org, a subscription based service. To easily access the events, fans can visit flowrestling.org and the banner will be prominently displayed.

Listen to the Duals Live
Fans can listen to both duals live on 93.7 KSPI-FM or okstate.com with Rex Holt and Roger Moore on the call.

100 Years of Greatness
Oklahoma State wrestling is celebrating 100 years of history this season. The Cowboys, then known as the Oklahoma A&M Tigers and led by A.M. Colville, wrestled their first match in 1915 against the University of Texas. It was a rough start for OSU as it fell to the Longhorns in its lone dual of the season. But the Cowboys pulled through and went on to win 34 NCAA team championships (the most by any school in any sport), 139 individual champions and 444 All-Americans. Overall, the Cowboys hold an incredibly impressive 1,076-124-23 overall record.

John Smith Enters 25th Year as OSU Head Coach
Not only did John Smith leave his legacy on Oklahoma State wrestling as a competitor, Smith continues to do so as he begins his 25th year as the head coach of the Cowboy wrestling team. In 1992, John Smith, along with Kenny Monday, took over as co-head coaches for the squad, and Smith took over on his own in 1993. Since taking over, Smith has led his squad to five NCAA team championships and 17 conference championships. He leads all active coaches in NCAA champions coached (29), and has also seen his wrestlers earn All-American honors 111 times. He is the Cowboys' winningest coach with a 381-58-6 record entering the weekend.

In the Polls
Oklahoma State enters the weekend ranked No. 4 in the USA Today/NWCA/Division I Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the Intermat rankings.
The Cowboys are the top-ranked team from the Big 12 in both the USA Today/NWCA/Division I Coaches Poll and the Intermat rankings.
Nine of the Cowboys' potential starters are ranked among the top 20 in the nation at their respective weight classes in at least one poll, including a No. 1 rankings in all four polls for two-time national champion Alex Dieringer (165) and 2015 All-American Dean Heil (141). Four other Pokes are ranked in the top-10 in Eddie Klimara (125), Joe Smith (157), Kyle Crutchmer (174) and Austin Marsden (285).
Neither Army nor Stanford are ranked as a team in the USA Today/NWCA/Division I Coaches Poll. The Black Knights bring a No. 18 wrestler in Brian Harvey, who competes at 174 pounds. Stanford has four ranked wrestlers, including No. 2 Joey McKenna, a long-time rival for Cowboy 141-pounder Dean Heil.

Connections
Gallagher-Iba Arena will play host to several former Cowboy wrestlers-turned-coaches this weekend.
Army West Point head coach Kevin Ward wrestled for the Pokes in the early-2000s and was part of four NCAA championship teams in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. He was a Big 12 champion at 157 pounds in 2005 and a two-time NCAA qualifier.
Chris Chionuma is Ward's right-hand man, serving his first season as the Black Knights' assistant coach. Chionuma transferred to OSU for his senior season in 2010-11. He was a Big 12 champion at 184 pounds and went to the NCAA tournament.
Stanford's associate head coach Jamill Kelly graduated from Oklahoma State in 2000. He was a two-year starter and team captain for the Pokes. Although he was never an NCAA All-American, under the direction of Coach John Smith, Kelly won an Olympic silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Another Redshirt Pulled
Cowboy Wrestling coach John Smith has pulled three true freshmen from their redshirts so far this season. Most recently, his son Joe made his varsity debut in the dual against West Virginia. Smith also pulled freshman Andrew Marsden's redshirt on Jan. 1 as Marsden competed as an attached member of the Oklahoma State team at the Southern Scuffle. The Illinois native went 1-2 at the event. Earlier this season, Smith pulled Kaid Brock's redshirt in the dual versus Oklahoma. Brock won his first match in the lineup for the Cowboys with a 42-second fall over OU's defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Cody Brewer.

Last Time Out - Oklahoma
No. 4 Oklahoma State 26, No. 7 Oklahoma 11
Feb. 5, 2016 :: Gallagher-Iba Arena :: Attendance – 6,935
Referee – Josh Briscoe
125: Ryan Millhof (OU) dec. No. 5 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 5-3
133: No. 4 Cody Brewer (OU) TF No. 18 Gary Wayne Harding (OSU), 20-4; 3:55
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) TF Noah Teaney (OU), 16-1; 7:00
149: No. 13 Anthony Collica (OSU) MD Davion Jeffries (OU), 16-6
157: No. 6 Joe Smith (OSU) dec. Shayne Tucker (OU), 11-4
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) MD No. 12 Clark Glass (OU), 16-3
174: Matt Reed (OU) dec. No. 5 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU), 3-2
184: No. 16 Nolan Boyd (OSU) MD Andrew Dixon (OU), 15-2
197: Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. Brad Johnson (OU), 4-3
285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 16 Ross Larson (OU), 2-1

Last Time Out – Cornell
No. 4 Oklahoma State 32, No. 15 Cornell 12
Feb. 7, 2016 :: Newman Arena (Ithaca, N.Y.) :: Attendance – 4,067
125: No. 5 Eddie Klimara (OSU) wins by forfeit over Dalton Macri (CORN)
133: No. 1 Nahshon Garrett (CORN) TF No. 18 Gary Wayne Harding (OSU), 16-1
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) MD Mark Grey (CORN), 9-1
149: No. 13 Anthony Collica (OSU) fall Joey Galasso (CORN), 2:44
157: No. 12 Dylan Palacio (CORN) dec. No. 6 Joe Smith (OSU), 8-4
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall No. 15 Duke Pickett (CORN), 1:18
174: No. 6 Brian Realbuto (CORN) MD Chandler Rogers (OSU), 13-2
184: No. 16 Nolan Boyd (OSU) dec. No. 1 Gabe Dean (CORN), 14-9
197: Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. Owen Scott (CORN), 2-0
285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) MD Jeramy Sweany (CORN), 16-3

Four Cowboys Qualify for Olympic Trials
Eight former Cowboys competed at the US Open last month, which served as a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympic Trials. Four Pokes earned top-seven finishes, securing them a spot for the Trials. Chris Perry, a two-time NCAA champion, took second at 74 kilograms. Also qualifying is 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott (57 kg), Tyler Caldwell (86 kg) and Clayton Foster (86 kg).

FloWrestling, Oklahoma State Sign Live Streaming Agreement
Oklahoma State and FloWrestling announced in late- November a three-year live streaming agreement in which FloWrestling will become the Cowboys' exclusive streaming partner. The agreement includes all of OSU's home duals, with the exception of the Bedlam dual on Feb. 5.
2015-16 Oklahoma State Home Schedule Live On Flo
Feb. 12 - Army West Point
Feb. 14 – Stanford
Feb. 19 - North Carolina

Dieringer's Streak
Two-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer is in the midst of a 70-match win streak, dating back to January 2014. Last season he compiled a perfect 33-0 overall record and currently holds a 21-0 mark in 2015-16. Dieringer sits at fourth all-time for unbeaten streaks in program history. He is four wins away from matching three-time NCAA champion Mike Sheet's record with 74.

75 and Counting
Two Cowboy seniors start the season closing in on the 100-win club. Eddie Klimara boasts 98 career wins, while Austin Marsden sits at 97 wins.
Marsden earned his 75th win when he defeated AJ Vizcarrondo of West Virginia in the heavyweight finals of the Big 12 Championship, 7-0.
Klimara snatched his 75th win at the NCAA tournament when he scored 11 points on Ben Willeford of Cleveland State.

OSU Statistical Leaders
Overall Wins:    27 , Joe Smith
Dual Wins:        12, Alex Dieringer and Dean Heil
Bonus Point Wins:         18, Alex Dieringer
Wins by Fall:     12, Chandler Rogers
Wins by Technical Fall: 6, Kaid Brock
Wins by Major Decision:            6, Joe Smith
Dual Takedowns:           32, Alex Dieringer
Dual Nearfalls: 12, Austin Marsden

Historical Grapple on the Gridiron
Oklahoma State opened the season with a trip to Iowa City to take on the then-No.4 Hawkeyes in a dual that was tabbed as the Grapple on the Gridiron, which marked the first time in NCAA history two wrestling programs competed outside at a Division I football stadium. The dual shattered the NCAA dual attendance record, previously held by Penn State (15,996 vs. Pitt in 2013), with 42,287 tickets sold.

Crutchmer, Heil Compete at NWCA All-Star Classic
Returning All-Americans Kyle Crutchmer and Dean Heil were selected to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic, which was held on Nov. 1 in Atlanta at Georgia Tech University.
Heil fell in the final seconds of a tight, high-scoring bout against 133-pound 2015 NCAA champion Cody Brewer, 13-12.
Crutchmer also fell in a close one, 2-1 to Zach Epperly of Virginia at 174 pounds.
Alex Dieringer was also invited to compete, but was not able to make it to the competition.

All in the Family
This season's squad features four sets of brothers and a father-son combo.
Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Brian and Kyle Crutchmer are both juniors for the Pokes. Kyle is a 174-pound starter, Big 12 Champion and NCAA All-American. Brian is a letterwinner at 133 pounds, who has made five starts. Andrew and Austin Marsden came to OSU from Illinois. Austin, a senior, is the Cowboys' starting heavyweight, who has won two Big 12 titles and was a 2014 All-American. Andrew is a freshman this season. Dalton and Tristan Moran are originally from Arizona. Dalton transferred to OSU last season from South Dakota State, Tristan is a freshman this year. The Rogers brothers, Chandler and Jordan, round out the group of brothers. Both are fighting for starting spots at 174 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively.
Coach John Smith and son Joe, who is a freshman for the Pokes, make up an exciting father-son duo. Under his father's direction, Joe is 27-3 on the season.

Signing Day Recap
In mid-November, John Smith announced the signing of three wrestlers during the 2015 early signing period. Signing with the Pokes are Wyatt Sheets of Oklahoma, Keegan Moore of Minnesota and Ethan Andersen of Iowa.
Son of OSU great Mike Sheets, Wyatt is a three-time state champion for Stillwell High School. Moore, a senior at Jackson County High School, is a two-time state champion and a 2014 Cadet National champion. Ethan Andersen is a two-time state champion for Southeast Polk High School and a 2014 FILA Cadet World team in Greco-Roman.

Big 12 Expansion
This year the Big 12 conference has added six new affiliate members for wrestling, bringing the conference to a total of 10 teams. Joining the Big 12 is Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
With the addition of the new members, the Big 12 Championships will now serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2016 NCAA Championships. The conference championships will be held March 5-6, 2016 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

NCAA Implements New Rules
The NCAA implemented several new rules for the 2015-16 season. Below are a few:
• Awarding two points for a near fall if the referee reaches a two-count. Four points would be awarded if the referee reaches a four-count.
• When wrestlers interlock fingers in the neutral position, the referee will stop the action and call it stalemate, and any subsequent offenses would require the referee to call stalling on the wrestler who initiates the interlocking.
• When wrestling is stopped in the neutral standing position for going out of bounds, the referee can make one of the three following calls:
            • Stalling on one or both wrestlers for leaving the wrestling area.
            • Stalling for pushing or pulling the opponent out of bounds.
            • Wrestling action is taking place.

2015 Recap
The Oklahoma State wrestling team finished the 2014-15 season by producing an individual national champion in Alex Dieringer and three other All-Americans, as well as a Big 12 tournament title. The Cowboys turned in a 12-3 overall dual record and a perfect 3-0 conference record.
At the NCAA tournament, the Cowboys sent five to the quarterfinals, including Eddie Klimara (125), Dean Heil (141), Alex Dieringer (165), Kyle Crutchmer (174) and Austin Marsden (285). Dieringer came out on top, while Klimara, Heil and Crutchmer finished in the top eight.
The Pokes crowned seven Big 12 champions in Klimara, Heil, Dieringer, Crutchmer, Anthony Collica, Nolan Boyd and Austin Marsden.

Look Who's Back
Returning to the Cowboy lineup for the 2015-16 season is a two-time NCAA champion, four other All-Americans and seven Big 12 champions.
Senior Alex Dieringer earned his second NCAA individual title, this time at 165 pounds, during a flawless junior campaign that saw him go 33-0, pick up his 100th career win and his third Big 12 title.
Dean Heil, a sophomore for the Pokes, grabbed his first All-America honor after finishing fourth at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Kyle Crutchmer also received All-American status in 2015, when he finished fifth at the national tournament. In addition, the junior picked up a Big 12 title at 174 pounds. Eddie Klimara claimed All-American status last season, defeating Penn State's Jordan Conaway in the seventh-place bout of the NCAA tourney. The final All-American is Austin Marsden, who finished eighth at nationals in 2014, but fell short of the podium in 2015.
NCAA qualifier and 2015 Big 12 champions Anthony Collica and Nolan Boyd are also notable returners for the Pokes.

Follow Cowboy Wrestling
Stay up to date with the Oklahoma State wrestling team on the following social media:
            Twitter: @CowboyWrestling
            Facebook: facebook.com/cowboywrestling
            Instagram: @CowboyWrestling
            Snapchat: OSUathletics
            YouTube: youtube.com/osuathletics

Buy Season Tickets
To purchase seasons tickets call 877-ALL-4-OSU (877-255-4678) or visit the ticket page on okstate.com. The cost is $75 per season ticket. This season the Cowboys will host Minnesota, Iowa State, Missouri and in-state rival Oklahoma as well as rising programs in NC State, North Carolina, Army and Stanford.

ASICS All-Americans Live Here
There are three different wrestlers on this year's Oklahoma State roster who were ASICS first-team All-Americans during their prep days:
Jordan Rogers               2012
Chance Marsteller         2014
Nick Piccininni               2014 and 2015

Fargo Champs, Too
There are four different wrestlers on this year's Oklahoma State wrestling roster who won titles at the ASICS Junior Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, N.D., during their prep days:
Alex Dieringer   2011
Jordan Rogers   2011
Anthony Collica 2012 and 2013
Joe Smith         2015

Coached by the Best
Members of the Oklahoma State wrestling staff combine for six world championships and two Olympic gold medals.
They also combine for six NCAA championships and 10 All-America honors. The breakdown:
Olympic Medalists
John Smith       1988 and 1992 Gold
Senior World Championships Medalists
John Smith       1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991 Gold
NCAA Individual Championships
John Smith       1987, 1988
Eric Guerrero     1997, 1998, 1999
Zack Esposito   2005