Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Smith Previews Busy Week for Cowboy Wrestling
December 12, 2017 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith met with the media Tuesday to preview the Cowboys' trip West for the Reno Tournament of Champions and duals against Big 12 opponents Wyoming and Northern Colorado.
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On the status of 197-pounder Preston Weigel:
"Preston Weigel will be back in the lineup this week. We'll see him at Northern Colorado and Wyoming. I didn't know if I'd get him back in the month of December but our training staff and (strength coach Gary Calcagno) did a great job getting him back. I don't think we're forcing it. He's prepared and ready to go."
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On setting timelines for injuries:
"Well, they're healthy and physically healthy. They've had injuries and dealt with them, so that gives them a chance to get back quick. With Preston, it was serious enough that he's been out eight weeks, so we gave him plenty of time to get healed up."
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On what Weigel's return means for Andrew Marsden:
"He's going to wrestle in the Reno tournament this Sunday at 197, of course he'll have to weigh a lot less than that in order to make it down the road. With weight certification, he'll weigh in below 197, wrestle 197 this week and then hopefully by Jan. 6, he can wrestle at 184. I'm sure that there are several ranking matches before then, but he could be wrestling in the Southern Scuffle at 184."
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On how important it is to have Weigel back in the bottom half of the lineup:
"The last couple of matches (we've seen) a good effort by Marsden at 197, but when you have another All-American in your lineup, it gives you a level of confidence. That's what Preston does for us."
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On this year's schedule:
"The problem this year is when you have had two dual meets with Oklahoma every year for 50 years, this past weekend was a weekend we were scheduled to have a dual meet so we had to move some things around. We didn't have that. I think it's only a one-year situation where that's the case, so you can't really add someone and expect to go back to them when you bring them here and we have to go back down to Oklahoma next year. For that reason, we added some tournaments and we haven't normally had those on the schedule. I think you'll see that next semester will be nice for us with the standpoint of being able to wrestle at home."
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On Boo Lewallen:
"He's done a good job. He'll wrestle in the Reno tournament. Everyone that is wrestling Reno right now is a redshirt. Daton Fix will be in Reno, Joseph Smith will be in Reno, along with Austin Harris, Jet Taylor. I'm not going to name them all, but guys like Boo Lewallen, Tristan Moran, and several of the guys that aren't starting right now but we plan on giving every opportunity to start need to be at this tournament. It's shaping up to be a pretty tough tournament, so I hope to see guys perform well. Boo Lewallen will be immediately eligible by the end of the week. He will be available probably by Friday. Some of the things he has done early in the season probably gives him a nudge at the starting lineup, but they have been very close matches and we'll continue to evaluate."
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On the duals against Northern Colorado and Wyoming early next week:
"We'll take 10 guys, our normal 10 who have been wrestling, outside of Marsden. We'll wrestle Northern Colorado on Monday night, then turn around and wrestle Wyoming in Cheyenne on Tuesday. That makes it interesting for (Dean Heil). (Heil and Bryce Meredith) have matched up well in the past and it gives Dean an opportunity to wrestle a match in a guy's hometown. I don't know how you're going to take it but you need to be on your toes."
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On the status of 197-pounder Preston Weigel:
"Preston Weigel will be back in the lineup this week. We'll see him at Northern Colorado and Wyoming. I didn't know if I'd get him back in the month of December but our training staff and (strength coach Gary Calcagno) did a great job getting him back. I don't think we're forcing it. He's prepared and ready to go."
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On setting timelines for injuries:
"Well, they're healthy and physically healthy. They've had injuries and dealt with them, so that gives them a chance to get back quick. With Preston, it was serious enough that he's been out eight weeks, so we gave him plenty of time to get healed up."
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On what Weigel's return means for Andrew Marsden:
"He's going to wrestle in the Reno tournament this Sunday at 197, of course he'll have to weigh a lot less than that in order to make it down the road. With weight certification, he'll weigh in below 197, wrestle 197 this week and then hopefully by Jan. 6, he can wrestle at 184. I'm sure that there are several ranking matches before then, but he could be wrestling in the Southern Scuffle at 184."
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On how important it is to have Weigel back in the bottom half of the lineup:
"The last couple of matches (we've seen) a good effort by Marsden at 197, but when you have another All-American in your lineup, it gives you a level of confidence. That's what Preston does for us."
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On this year's schedule:
"The problem this year is when you have had two dual meets with Oklahoma every year for 50 years, this past weekend was a weekend we were scheduled to have a dual meet so we had to move some things around. We didn't have that. I think it's only a one-year situation where that's the case, so you can't really add someone and expect to go back to them when you bring them here and we have to go back down to Oklahoma next year. For that reason, we added some tournaments and we haven't normally had those on the schedule. I think you'll see that next semester will be nice for us with the standpoint of being able to wrestle at home."
Â
On Boo Lewallen:
"He's done a good job. He'll wrestle in the Reno tournament. Everyone that is wrestling Reno right now is a redshirt. Daton Fix will be in Reno, Joseph Smith will be in Reno, along with Austin Harris, Jet Taylor. I'm not going to name them all, but guys like Boo Lewallen, Tristan Moran, and several of the guys that aren't starting right now but we plan on giving every opportunity to start need to be at this tournament. It's shaping up to be a pretty tough tournament, so I hope to see guys perform well. Boo Lewallen will be immediately eligible by the end of the week. He will be available probably by Friday. Some of the things he has done early in the season probably gives him a nudge at the starting lineup, but they have been very close matches and we'll continue to evaluate."
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On the duals against Northern Colorado and Wyoming early next week:
"We'll take 10 guys, our normal 10 who have been wrestling, outside of Marsden. We'll wrestle Northern Colorado on Monday night, then turn around and wrestle Wyoming in Cheyenne on Tuesday. That makes it interesting for (Dean Heil). (Heil and Bryce Meredith) have matched up well in the past and it gives Dean an opportunity to wrestle a match in a guy's hometown. I don't know how you're going to take it but you need to be on your toes."
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