Cowboy Wrestling Season in Review: 2015-16

Oklahoma State celebrated 100 years of wrestling history as well as 25 years of John Smith at the helm of the program, ending the season with a second-place finish at NCAAs, a 50th team conference championship, six All-Americans, two NCAA individual champions and a Hodge Trophy recipient.
OSU opened the 2015-16 campaign with a bang, traveling to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the No. 4 Hawkeyes in Iowa's Kinnick Stadium for the first outdoor wrestling dual between Division I programs. The event drew in more than 42,000 spectators, shattering the previous attendance record of 15,996, which was set by Penn State in 2013. The Cowboys found themselves in a hostile Hawkeye environment but battled hard. After giving up bonus points at 125 pounds and 184 pounds, Oklahoma State fell to Iowa, 18-16.
"Starting the season in front of more than 42,000 people is exciting," coach John Smith said. "It was a tough match that we ended up losing, but in the end, the experience for all of us was one that will be remembered for a long time."
In its first four duals, OSU went 2-2, picking up wins against South Dakota State and Minnesota, while suffering a surprising loss to North Carolina State, a team that would go on to notch 23 dual wins.
Changes in the lineup set the Cowboys up for an explosive showing against in-state rival Oklahoma in a road dual. The day was highlighted by a fall from true freshman Kaid Brock, who stepped in at 133 pounds, where he met up with 2015 NCAA Champion Cody Brewer. Brock made a statement, notching a takedown within the first 15 seconds. Brewer, a senior, escaped and was on the attack, but a fearless Brock put the Sooner to his back to get the fall in 42 seconds. Five more Cowboys went on to score bonus points as the Pokes toppled the Sooners, 37-3.
"After the OU match, we really focused on trying to create a better chemistry with the team," Smith said. "It seemed like there was something missing. We made some changes and the team started wrestling for each other. There was a really good spirit among everyone."
Rolling through their opponents week after week, the Cowboys notched 10 more consecutive wins. The streak included two shutouts over quality teams and wins over seven ranked teams, including a dominating 23-9 performance over No. 4 Mizzou, where the Cowboys ended the Tigers 37-match win streak in Stillwater.
With the impressive wrap up to the dual season, OSU was invited to compete against No. 1 Penn State in the NWCA National Duals finals in Rec Hall in mid-February. Unfortunately, due to several circumstances, the Pokes took a depleted lineup into State College and dropped a 29-18 match to the Nittany Lions.
The Cowboys finished the dual season with a 13-3 record.
"At one point in the season, we were 2-2, and we take dual meets seriously," Smith said. "You prepare for championships by having a great season. We really put up a strong performance after Christmas to put ourselves at 13-3, even after wrestling our two toughest competitors on the road. Although we lost those matches, they ultimately prepared for a good run at the NCAA Championships."
Held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri the Big 12 Championships were hosted at a neutral site for the first time. It also featured six new teams as Big 12 affiliates for a 10-man bracket at each weight. OSU sent nine wrestlers to the finals and clinched the team title before day one had concluded. Seven Cowboys claimed Big 12 titles and just weeks later, all 10 Pokes stepped onto the mat in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York City.
Feeling no pressure from the big stages, several Cowboys shined this season, with some producing breakout performances.
Nolan Boyd's season saw him defeat seven top-10 opponents, three of which were ranked in the top five. His most notable win came over defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Gabe Dean in the dual at Cornell. Boyd controlled the match and came out on top 14-9. He went on to win his second Big 12 title and earn his first All-America honor, finishing fourth at 184 pounds.
Anthony Collica also produced a fourth-place finish after a solid year at 149 pounds, a weight class down from last season. He went on an impressive run that started in late-January, where he won nine of his last 10 matches leading into NCAAs, including his Big 12 finals match against OU's Davion Jeffries, 11-3. At the NCAA tournament, he advanced to the semifinals, but fell in a tough bout to the No. 2 seed. He battled back for a fourth-place finish and first All-America honor.
After earning his third Big 12 championship, senior Austin Marsden entered the NCAA tournament with only one loss, which came from eventual NCAA finalist Nick Gwiazdowski early in the season. After a strong showing, Marsden went on to finish sixth at the championships, earning his second-career All-America honor.
Joe Smith, a true freshman and son of head coach John Smith, stepped into the lineup in January, burning his redshirt. After a small injury setback that put him out for a few weeks, Smith finished the season strong, claiming his first Big 12 title with an 8-4 win over top-seeded Cody Pack of South Dakota State in the 157-pound finals. Smith went on to finish seventh at the NCAA tournament and earn All-American status.
The other freshmen in the lineup proved to be threats at their respective weight classes as Chandler Rogers, who stepped in for an injured Kyle Crutchmer at 174 pounds, won a Big 12 title alongside Preston Weigel, who spent the season battling for the starting spot at 197 pounds. Both freshmen qualified for the NCAA championships, where they were both one win away from All-American status.
Those Pokes brought home two national champions, increasing Oklahoma State wrestling's total to 141 NCAA champions.
Dean Heil, a sophomore for the Cowboys, put up a 32-1 record on the season, dominating the 141-pound weight class. He entered the season ranked No. 1 and maintained the ranking despite suffering a sudden-victory loss to Joey Ward of UNC at home in February. He avenged the loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, controlling No. 8 Ward, 8-3. Another 8-3 win in the semifinals sent him to the championship bout, where he faced new Big 12 rival Bryce Meredith of Wyoming. The Cowboy edged out Meredith with a 4-3 effort. He finished the season an NCAA champ, a two-time All-American and a two-time Big 12 champion.
"It was definitely an exciting time to watch Dean Heil win an NCAA championship," Smith said. "It goes back to his commitment of taking shots, finishing shots and being the aggressor. Any time he struggled, it was because he wasn't being the aggressor. He put it all together at the end and he had to win five very tough matches. It was a weight class where many people thought a lot of different guys could win, but in the end, it was the guy scoring points. That guy was Dean Heil."
Alex Dieringer lived up to the country's expectations, winning his third NCAA championship.
The Cowboy senior served up a 33-0 record this season, recording bonus points in all but six matches. His 27 bonus-point wins included 12 falls—10 of which came in the first period—eight major decisions and seven technical falls. He proved his dominance even more as he allowed only one takedown this season and just three takedowns the past two seasons.
Dieringer wraps his career with an impressive 133-4 overall record and an 82-match win streak, dating back to January 2014. He leaves behind an impressive legacy, becoming the 14th four-time All-American and the seventh four-time conference champion at OSU, in addition to the 16th three-time NCAA champion after a convincing 6-2 win over Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan in this year's NCAA finals.
Just a week later, Dieringer received the highest honor a wrestler can be adorned with—the Hodge Trophy. He became only the second Cowboy and 23rd recipient overall of the prestigious award given to the nation's most dominant collegiate wrestler, receiving 27 of 46 first-place votes from a committee that included all previous Hodge winners, national wrestling media, retired college coaches from different regions of the country and a representative of each of the national wrestling organizations.
"Alex Dieringer is a guy who will definitely be missed," Smith said. "He will always be a part of this program and his legacy will last for a long time. He is definitely considered one of our five greatest collegiate athletes to ever wrestle here, and when you think of our storied history, it tells you how much he really did."
Next season, the Pokes will return one NCAA champion, four All-Americans and five Big 12 champions.
"Going into to next year, we have several guys returning who will make an impact," Smith said. "It looks exciting. It's about what you do from now until then that really makes the difference. I look forward to seeing some of these spirited, young guys perform. They're in the room, they're focused and they're really excited about the sport. That's a great start going into this next season."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Nolan Boyd

Kaid Brock

Anthony Collica

Kyle Crutchmer

Alex Dieringer

Dean Heil

Austin Marsden

Chandler Rogers

Joe Smith

Preston Weigel

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