Oklahoma State University Athletics
Sunday, November 19
Stillwater, OK
5 P.M.
Oklahoma State University
vs
Minnesota
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Cowboys Host No. 6 Minnesota in Top-10 Bout
November 17, 2017 | Cowboy Wrestling
Full PDF Notes
Tickets
STILLWATER – Gallagher-Iba Arena will host a top-10 matchup this Sunday at 5 p.m., as the third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team hosts No. 6 Minnesota. Both teams enter the dual undefeated after picking up wins in their opening weekends.
Tickets are available online at okstate.com/tickets or by phone at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
Watch the Cowboys
Sunday's dual against the Gophers can be streamed live on FloWrestling.org.
Listen Live
Fans can listen to Sunday's dual live on 93.7 KSPI-FM or okstate.com with Rex Holt and Roger Moore on the call.
About the Cowboys
With a pair of NCAA individual titles under his belt, Oklahoma State senior 141-pounder Dean Heil leads a young, but talented Cowboy roster into the 2017-18 season. Facing the losses of Anthony Collica and Nolan Boyd, both multi-year staples in the OSU lineup and All-Americans in their own right, head coach John Smith returns Heil along with All-Americans Nick Piccininni, Kaid Brock, Joe Smith, Chandler Rogers and Preston Weigel from the 2017 NCAA Championships.
The Pokes will look to build on a 2016-17 season that saw them tally a third-place finish at the national tournament. Following up an impressive 14-1 dual record, the Cowboys also claimed the program's 51st conference title, shattering Big 12 Championship records for team points and margin of victory.
Smith also brings a new-look coaching staff into the upcoming season. After elevating Zack Esposito to the associate head coach post prior to the 2017 season, Smith made more moves this past summer. Chris Perry was promoted to assistant coach from his previous volunteer assistant position, while Wisconsin standout Isaac Jordan made the move to Stillwater to assume Perry's former role. Four-time All-American Tyler Caldwell was also added to the staff as a recruiting coordinator.
The Cowboy wrestling program enjoyed a number of firsts and record-breaking performances during the 2016-17 season, and they look to continue that trend into 2018. While Dean Heil sets his sights on title No. 3, a slew of other Cowboys and returning All-Americans look to make their mark on program history as well come March.
Last Time Out
The third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up its first win of the 2017-18 season Saturday afternoon at the Journeymen Northeast Duals, defeating No. 22 North Carolina, 25-9, at Shenendehowa High School.
The Cowboys (1-0) never trailed in the dual, as North Carolina forfeited the 125-pound match and OSU took six of the remaining nine matches to lock up the victory. The win puts head coach John Smith one dual victory away from 400 for his career. Under Smith, OSU is 24-2-1 in season openers.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 25, No. 22 North Carolina 9
Nov. 11, 2017 | Shenendehowa High School | Clifton Park, N.Y.
125: No. 3 Nick Piccininni (OSU) wins by forfeit
133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. Zach Sherman (UNC) 5-3
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. A.C. Headlee (UNC) 5-2
149: No. 15 Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Geo Martinez (OSU) 4-3
157: Jonce Blaylock (OSU) dec. Kennedy Monday (UNC) 10-5
165: No. 4 Chandler Rogers (OSU) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC) 9-4
174: No. 9 Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. No. 12 Jacobe Smith (OSU) 13-8
184: Keegan Moore (OSU) dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC) 5-2
197: No. 10 Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. Andrew Marsden (OSU) 13-9
HWT: Derek White (OSU) MD Cory Daniel (UNC) 10-1
In the Polls
The Cowboys enter the 2017-18 season with nine wrestlers ranked at their respective weights. Unsurprisingly, reigning two-time NCAA Champion Dean Heil leads the way for the Pokes, coming in at No. 1 unanimously at 141 pounds.
Four other Cowboys enter this weekend's dual ranked inside the top five after All-American performances a season ago. Nick Piccininni is ranked as high as No. 2 (Trackwrestling), while 133-pounder Kaid Brock is ranked No. 4 and 165-pounder Chandler Rogers is ranked No. 5 by most major publications. At 197 pounds, Preston Weigel is ranked as high as No. 4 (Trackwrestling).
A couple of newcomers to the OSU lineup currentlyhold rankings as well. Geo Martinez is ranked as high as No. 7 at 149 pounds (Trackwrestling). Meanwhile, Jacobe Smith comes in at No. 13 at 174, according to Intermat. Heavyweight Derek White (No. 11, Intermat and Flowrestling) and 184-pounder Keegan Moore (No. 23, Trackwrestling) both enter the rankings for the first time in their careers this week.
Series Notes
- This Sunday's dual will mark the 39th meeting in the series between the Gophers and Cowboys, which dates back to 1941.
- The Pokes took that first meeting, 18-6, in Minneapolis to spark an eight-dual win streak for the Cowboys to open the series.
- Overall, OSU leads the all-time series, 24-14, with a 9-6 edge in Stillwater.
- Head coach John Smith is 17-14 during his head coaching career against the Gophers. Second-year Minnesota head coach is 0-1 against OSU.
- The Cowboys won the last meeting in the series last season in a dominant, 34-3 victory in Minneapolis. It marked two-straight wins over the Gophers for OSU.
- Minnesota has never won more than three straight in the series against Oklahoma State.
Smith Chasing No. 400
With the retirement of former Rider head coach Gary Taylor during the offseason, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith assumed the title of winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I wrestling.
Currently sitting at 399 wins for his coaching career after last Saturday's win over North Carolina, Smith is only one away from the 400-victory mark. With a win over Minnesota on Sunday, he would become the seventh coach to reach that benchmark at the DI level. He would also become only the fifth coach to win all 400 of his duals at the same school. A look at the list:
All-Time Wrestling Coaching Wins*
1. 616 Dale Thomas Oregon State 1957-90
2. 493 Harold Nichols Iowa State /Arkansas St. 1948-85
3. 442 Gary Taylor Rider 1977-2017
3. 440 J Robinson Minnesota 1986-2016
4. 424 Bobby Douglas Iowa St./Arizona St. 1975-2006
5. 421 Jack Childs Drexel 1975-2010
T.J. Kerr CSU-Bakersfield/San Jose State 1984-2013
7. 399 John Smith Oklahoma State 1992-Pres.
* Includes only DI wins
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
- Mark John Smith's 400th career win, making him the eighth head coach all-time in DI wrestling to reach that benchmark.
- Be the third-straight over Minnesota, moving the Cowboys' all-time record against the Golden Gophers to 25-14.
- Improve OSU to 16-1 over its last 17 matches.
- Mark John Smith's 140th career dual win over a top-10 opponent in his 27 seasons.
- Move the Cowboys' record against top-10 opponents to 7-3 since the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
- Mark the Cowboys' 19th 2-0 start to a season in the John Smith era.
- Push OSU's all-time record in Gallagher-Iba Arena to 483-40-6.
Tickets
STILLWATER – Gallagher-Iba Arena will host a top-10 matchup this Sunday at 5 p.m., as the third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team hosts No. 6 Minnesota. Both teams enter the dual undefeated after picking up wins in their opening weekends.
Tickets are available online at okstate.com/tickets or by phone at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
Watch the Cowboys
Sunday's dual against the Gophers can be streamed live on FloWrestling.org.
Listen Live
Fans can listen to Sunday's dual live on 93.7 KSPI-FM or okstate.com with Rex Holt and Roger Moore on the call.
About the Cowboys
With a pair of NCAA individual titles under his belt, Oklahoma State senior 141-pounder Dean Heil leads a young, but talented Cowboy roster into the 2017-18 season. Facing the losses of Anthony Collica and Nolan Boyd, both multi-year staples in the OSU lineup and All-Americans in their own right, head coach John Smith returns Heil along with All-Americans Nick Piccininni, Kaid Brock, Joe Smith, Chandler Rogers and Preston Weigel from the 2017 NCAA Championships.
The Pokes will look to build on a 2016-17 season that saw them tally a third-place finish at the national tournament. Following up an impressive 14-1 dual record, the Cowboys also claimed the program's 51st conference title, shattering Big 12 Championship records for team points and margin of victory.
Smith also brings a new-look coaching staff into the upcoming season. After elevating Zack Esposito to the associate head coach post prior to the 2017 season, Smith made more moves this past summer. Chris Perry was promoted to assistant coach from his previous volunteer assistant position, while Wisconsin standout Isaac Jordan made the move to Stillwater to assume Perry's former role. Four-time All-American Tyler Caldwell was also added to the staff as a recruiting coordinator.
The Cowboy wrestling program enjoyed a number of firsts and record-breaking performances during the 2016-17 season, and they look to continue that trend into 2018. While Dean Heil sets his sights on title No. 3, a slew of other Cowboys and returning All-Americans look to make their mark on program history as well come March.
Last Time Out
The third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up its first win of the 2017-18 season Saturday afternoon at the Journeymen Northeast Duals, defeating No. 22 North Carolina, 25-9, at Shenendehowa High School.
The Cowboys (1-0) never trailed in the dual, as North Carolina forfeited the 125-pound match and OSU took six of the remaining nine matches to lock up the victory. The win puts head coach John Smith one dual victory away from 400 for his career. Under Smith, OSU is 24-2-1 in season openers.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 25, No. 22 North Carolina 9
Nov. 11, 2017 | Shenendehowa High School | Clifton Park, N.Y.
125: No. 3 Nick Piccininni (OSU) wins by forfeit
133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. Zach Sherman (UNC) 5-3
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. A.C. Headlee (UNC) 5-2
149: No. 15 Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Geo Martinez (OSU) 4-3
157: Jonce Blaylock (OSU) dec. Kennedy Monday (UNC) 10-5
165: No. 4 Chandler Rogers (OSU) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC) 9-4
174: No. 9 Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. No. 12 Jacobe Smith (OSU) 13-8
184: Keegan Moore (OSU) dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC) 5-2
197: No. 10 Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. Andrew Marsden (OSU) 13-9
HWT: Derek White (OSU) MD Cory Daniel (UNC) 10-1
In the Polls
The Cowboys enter the 2017-18 season with nine wrestlers ranked at their respective weights. Unsurprisingly, reigning two-time NCAA Champion Dean Heil leads the way for the Pokes, coming in at No. 1 unanimously at 141 pounds.
Four other Cowboys enter this weekend's dual ranked inside the top five after All-American performances a season ago. Nick Piccininni is ranked as high as No. 2 (Trackwrestling), while 133-pounder Kaid Brock is ranked No. 4 and 165-pounder Chandler Rogers is ranked No. 5 by most major publications. At 197 pounds, Preston Weigel is ranked as high as No. 4 (Trackwrestling).
A couple of newcomers to the OSU lineup currentlyhold rankings as well. Geo Martinez is ranked as high as No. 7 at 149 pounds (Trackwrestling). Meanwhile, Jacobe Smith comes in at No. 13 at 174, according to Intermat. Heavyweight Derek White (No. 11, Intermat and Flowrestling) and 184-pounder Keegan Moore (No. 23, Trackwrestling) both enter the rankings for the first time in their careers this week.
Series Notes
- This Sunday's dual will mark the 39th meeting in the series between the Gophers and Cowboys, which dates back to 1941.
- The Pokes took that first meeting, 18-6, in Minneapolis to spark an eight-dual win streak for the Cowboys to open the series.
- Overall, OSU leads the all-time series, 24-14, with a 9-6 edge in Stillwater.
- Head coach John Smith is 17-14 during his head coaching career against the Gophers. Second-year Minnesota head coach is 0-1 against OSU.
- The Cowboys won the last meeting in the series last season in a dominant, 34-3 victory in Minneapolis. It marked two-straight wins over the Gophers for OSU.
- Minnesota has never won more than three straight in the series against Oklahoma State.
Smith Chasing No. 400
With the retirement of former Rider head coach Gary Taylor during the offseason, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith assumed the title of winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I wrestling.
Currently sitting at 399 wins for his coaching career after last Saturday's win over North Carolina, Smith is only one away from the 400-victory mark. With a win over Minnesota on Sunday, he would become the seventh coach to reach that benchmark at the DI level. He would also become only the fifth coach to win all 400 of his duals at the same school. A look at the list:
All-Time Wrestling Coaching Wins*
1. 616 Dale Thomas Oregon State 1957-90
2. 493 Harold Nichols Iowa State /Arkansas St. 1948-85
3. 442 Gary Taylor Rider 1977-2017
3. 440 J Robinson Minnesota 1986-2016
4. 424 Bobby Douglas Iowa St./Arizona St. 1975-2006
5. 421 Jack Childs Drexel 1975-2010
T.J. Kerr CSU-Bakersfield/San Jose State 1984-2013
7. 399 John Smith Oklahoma State 1992-Pres.
* Includes only DI wins
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
- Mark John Smith's 400th career win, making him the eighth head coach all-time in DI wrestling to reach that benchmark.
- Be the third-straight over Minnesota, moving the Cowboys' all-time record against the Golden Gophers to 25-14.
- Improve OSU to 16-1 over its last 17 matches.
- Mark John Smith's 140th career dual win over a top-10 opponent in his 27 seasons.
- Move the Cowboys' record against top-10 opponents to 7-3 since the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
- Mark the Cowboys' 19th 2-0 start to a season in the John Smith era.
- Push OSU's all-time record in Gallagher-Iba Arena to 483-40-6.
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