Fix Takes Top Honors in Collegiate Debut

Sunday, December 17

Reno, NV

All Day

Oklahoma State University

Reno Tournament of Champions

Photo by: Jeremy Cook

December 18, 2017 | Cowboy Wrestling

RENO, Nev. – Competing unattached as a redshirt, Oklahoma State wrestling freshman Daton Fix took home the 125-pound title Sunday afternoon at the Reno Tournament of Champions in his first collegiate event.

Fix started the day hot, racking up two technical falls and a major decision in his first three matches to advance into the semifinals, where he would match up with the first of two top-10 opponents in No. 9 Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State. With Fix leading, 1-0, heading into the third period, Bresser chose down to open the final frame. Fix was able to ride Bresser for the majority of the period to lock up riding time and denied a couple of late shots from Bresser to advance to the finals.

In the finals, Fix went toe-to-toe with No. 8 Sean Fausz of North Carolina State in another tight battle; however, this time Fix found himself trailing, 1-0, after two periods. The Cowboy freshman elected to start the period neutral, meaning he would need a takedown to claim the win. Sure enough, with 12 seconds remaining in the match, Fix was able to convert on a shot for the takedown to finish off the 2-1 victory.

A handful of other Cowboys placed at the event, including Eli Hale, who took third at 125 pounds. Hale was unstoppable to open the day, outscoring his first three opponents, 47-0, with three tech falls to move into the semifinals. While Hale came up short to eventual runner-up Fausz, he defeated Bresser by injury default in the third-place match to wrap up the event.

Competing unattached, freshman Kaden Gfeller finished fourth in a stacked 141-pound weight class. Gfeller posted a tech fall and two major decisions in his first three matches to advance to the semifinals as well. In the semis, he was handed a tough, 7-2, loss by No. 2 Kevin Jack of North Carolina State before giving up another tightly-contested match to No. 5 Jaydin Eierman of Missouri in the third-place bout.

Cowboy redshirt sophomore Boo Lewallen took third at 149 pounds, going 4-1 on the day with his lone loss coming in a narrow, 3-2 bout to former NCAA Champion Jason Tsirtsis in the semifinals. Lewallen would go on to knock off Campbell's Josh Heil, 12-8, in the third-place match.

Andrew Marsden came up with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds. Marsden advanced to the quarterfinals with a fall and tech fall in his first two rounds, but was pinned late in the third period of his match against Corey Griego of Oregon State. The Cowboy streaked through the consolation bracket with a major decision and first-period fall to claim the fifth spot at the weight.

Also of note, 133-pounder Gary Wayne Harding bounced back from a tough loss in the first round of the day to win five matches on the backside of the bracket and advance to the fifth-place bout; however, that match was not contested.

The Cowboy starters will continue Big 12 action Monday at 8 p.m. CT against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. The Pokes will then head to Cheyenne, Wyo., for a matchup against Wyoming Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT.