Oklahoma State University Athletics
Dieringer Makes Senior-Level Debut for Team USA at World Cup
June 11, 2016 | Cowboy Wrestling
LOS ANGELES – Three-time NCAA champion and 2016 Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer stepped into the lineup for Team USA at 74 kilograms on the first day of World Cup action at the Forum in Los Angeles.
The Cowboy went 1-1 on the day, taking on opponents from India and Azerbaijan.
"It's definitely a cool experience getting to represent Team USA," Dieringer said. "And it's awesome that the event is in LA. It's my first time here and I really like it so far."
In the first match of the day, the United States went head-to-head with India and pitted Dieringer against Parveen Rana.
Dieringer started out with a 3-0 lead as he scored his first point after Rana failed to score when put on the shot clock. With less than 30 seconds left in the first period, Dieringer scored a double-leg takedown to extend his lead to 3-0 going into the break.
Rana came out strong in the second period, scoring a takedown in less than 10 seconds to cut Dieringer's lead to 3-2. Rana was heavy on the attacks, but Dieringer stayed strong on defense until a takedown on the edge for the Indian wrestler gave Rana a 4-3 lead. Dieringer responded with a point for a step out at the 5:33 mark, bringing the score to 4-4 with Rana winning on criteria.
Despite the clock winding down, the Cowboy continued to wrestle and eventually worked for a double-leg takedown as the clock expired; however, no points were awarded. USA challenged the call and the referees decided that no supporting point touched the mat, thus no takedown was given. Although Dieringer lost on criteria, 4-4, the US walked away with a dominating 7-1 win over India.
He redeemed himself in the second dual of the day as he took on Ashraf Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
Dieringer came out the gate looking to score and did so in the first minute after a crazy scramble to go up 2-0. Not long after, he scored again on a step out for another point. The Cowboy closed out the scoring in the first period with a takedown and a gut wrench for a comfortable 7-0 lead, heading into the second period.
The two stayed physical and Dieringer was constantly attacking Aliyev, but it wasn't until there were less than 30 seconds left when Dieringer added another point for a step out and an 8-0 win. Dieringer's victory clinched the match for the United States as the team went on to sweep Azerbaijan, 8-0.
"As a team, we had a good couple of duals today," Dieringer said. "We only gave up one loss on the day and that was my match, but I was able to rebound from that and felt really good about my second match. Overall, we have a team title to win and that's what we're focusing on doing tomorrow."
Team USA will be back in action tomorrow to take on defending World Cup champion Iran. Fans can watch live on flowrestling.org.
2016 Men's Freestyle World Cup Results
74 kg/163 lbs. – Parveen Rana (India) dec. Alex Dieringer (United States), 4-4
74 kg/163 lbs. – Alex Dieringer (United States) dec. Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 8-0
The Cowboy went 1-1 on the day, taking on opponents from India and Azerbaijan.
"It's definitely a cool experience getting to represent Team USA," Dieringer said. "And it's awesome that the event is in LA. It's my first time here and I really like it so far."
In the first match of the day, the United States went head-to-head with India and pitted Dieringer against Parveen Rana.
Dieringer started out with a 3-0 lead as he scored his first point after Rana failed to score when put on the shot clock. With less than 30 seconds left in the first period, Dieringer scored a double-leg takedown to extend his lead to 3-0 going into the break.
Rana came out strong in the second period, scoring a takedown in less than 10 seconds to cut Dieringer's lead to 3-2. Rana was heavy on the attacks, but Dieringer stayed strong on defense until a takedown on the edge for the Indian wrestler gave Rana a 4-3 lead. Dieringer responded with a point for a step out at the 5:33 mark, bringing the score to 4-4 with Rana winning on criteria.
Despite the clock winding down, the Cowboy continued to wrestle and eventually worked for a double-leg takedown as the clock expired; however, no points were awarded. USA challenged the call and the referees decided that no supporting point touched the mat, thus no takedown was given. Although Dieringer lost on criteria, 4-4, the US walked away with a dominating 7-1 win over India.
He redeemed himself in the second dual of the day as he took on Ashraf Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
Dieringer came out the gate looking to score and did so in the first minute after a crazy scramble to go up 2-0. Not long after, he scored again on a step out for another point. The Cowboy closed out the scoring in the first period with a takedown and a gut wrench for a comfortable 7-0 lead, heading into the second period.
The two stayed physical and Dieringer was constantly attacking Aliyev, but it wasn't until there were less than 30 seconds left when Dieringer added another point for a step out and an 8-0 win. Dieringer's victory clinched the match for the United States as the team went on to sweep Azerbaijan, 8-0.
"As a team, we had a good couple of duals today," Dieringer said. "We only gave up one loss on the day and that was my match, but I was able to rebound from that and felt really good about my second match. Overall, we have a team title to win and that's what we're focusing on doing tomorrow."
Team USA will be back in action tomorrow to take on defending World Cup champion Iran. Fans can watch live on flowrestling.org.
2016 Men's Freestyle World Cup Results
74 kg/163 lbs. – Parveen Rana (India) dec. Alex Dieringer (United States), 4-4
74 kg/163 lbs. – Alex Dieringer (United States) dec. Ashraf Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 8-0
Players Mentioned
/ Cowboy Wrestling
Tuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
