Oklahoma State University Athletics
Smith and Cowboys Preview Wyoming
November 23, 2018 | Cowboy Wrestling
Wyoming Notes
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State wrestling team hosts its first home dual of the 2018-19 season on Sunday. The Cowboys take on Big 12 opponent Wyoming at 2 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys of Wyoming are ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/NWCA DI Coaches Poll but are left out of the Intermat team rankings.
Head Coach – John Smith
On the matchup with Wyoming:
"You look at those bouts going, 'Oh, Daton Fix has another tough match.' Three matches in a row, he's had guys who were All-Americans last year. They have several guys at a couple of other weights that are pretty good. Branch has done a good job of bringing this team along from what I've seen the last couple of weeks."
On wrestling at GIA:
"I think a lot of our guys look forward to this. It's kind of odd being the first time we've wrestled during Thanksgiving at home in a dual meet. We haven't done that in the past, but it kind of just fell that way for us this year. We encourage people to get out. It's going to be a good match with key matches that really make a difference in rankings."
Senior – Chandler Rogers
On his matchup this weekend:
(Brandon Ashworth) beat me in the Wyoming dual last year at Wyoming, so I'm actually really looking forward to this weekend getting the chance to wrestle him again and get some payback from that. I was going to wrestle him at Big 12s, but he got beat by the North Dakota State guy who I wrestled in the finals. I'm excited to wrestle this dual just because this is my last, first home dual."
On his role on the team:
"There have been a couple of guys who have taken on leadership roles. It's cool because we've been meeting before practice once a week and talking about the roles on our team. As an upperclassman, it's kind of a given that you're a leader, and I've tried my best to be a leader and so are a lot of guys. It isn't a bad thing. We're just really motivated right now."
Watch the Cowboys
The Cowboys dual can be streamed at FloWrestling.com, and fans can follow along with stats at TrackWrestling.com.
Listen Live
Fans can listen to the dual live on 93.7 KSPI-FM or okstate.com with Roger Moore on the call.
In the Polls
The Cowboys entered the 2018-19 season with wrestlers ranked at each weight and have no shortage of depth. Intermatranks the Cowboys as the No. 2 dual meet team in the country.
Nick Piccininni stayed at No. 4 after a dominating performance at South Dakota State and a hard-fought win over No. 5 Sean Russell at Minnesota. Redshirt freshman Daton Fix jumped three spots in most rankings to No. 6 after defeating Minnesota's Ethan Lizak last week. Senior Chandler Rogers moved into the rankings at 165 pounds to No. 5, and Jacobe Smith appeared in the 184-pound class at No. 8 this week.
Kaid Brock returns to the lineup for the Cowboys steps in at 141 pounds in place of two-time NCAA Champion Dean Heil. After a tough loss to No. 8 Mitch McKee, Brock moves to No. 6. Returning All-American Boo Lewallen and redshirt freshman Kaden Gfeller split the ranked spot for the Cowboys at 149 pounds Lewallen was sidelined for the Minnesota dual after suffering an injury at South Dakota State. Gfeller stood in and defeated No. 18 Tommy Thorn in a 9-3 decision. He enters the rankings at No. 15 this week.
At the upper weights, Preston Weigel looks to rebound from a difficult year at 197 pounds. The Cowboy missed the majority of the season with various injuries, but comes in at No. 6 in the polls. Heavyweight Derek White knocked off Youssif Hemida at the NWCA All-Star Classic the first weekend of Nov., but lost his bout with Gable Steveson, 8-2; he holds steady at No. 3 in the Intermat rankings.
Andrew Shomers is ranked No. 20 at 157 pounds and looks to have an immediate impact for the Cowboys. Dakota Geer steps in at 184 as a redshirt sophomore and garners a No. 14 Intermat ranking heading into week two.
Cowboy Connections - Wyoming
The Wyoming Cowboys' coaching staff includes a couple of familiar faces for Cowboy fans of the Oklahoma State variety, including head coach Mark Branch and associate head coach Ethan Kyle.
As a wrestler, Branch was a two-time NCAA Champion and four-time NCAA finalist at Oklahoma State from 1994-97. In 1997, he was named the Big XII Athlete of the Year, OSU Student-Athlete of the Year and the top graduating senior for OSU wrestling. He was a four-time NWCA Academic All-American, received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and a Big XII Post-Graduate Scholarship. After graduation, he served as associate head coach in Stillwater for six years, helping the Pokes to titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Kyle wrestled at Oklahoma State from 2003-07. He was a member of OSU's four national championship teams from 2003-06 and was a team captain as a senior in 2007.
The Series: Wyoming
Last Time Out
The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up three ranked-wins in its meeting with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Pokes took seven of ten bouts, including upsets from redshirt freshmen Daton Fix and Kaden Gfeller.
Gfeller stepped in for injured Boo Lewallen at 149 pounds and defeated No. 18 Tommy Thorn, 9-3. Daton Fix upended 2017 NCAA finalist and No. 6 Ethan Lizak 6-1.
Chandler Rogers, Jacobe Smith and Dakota Geer won consecutive major decisions from 165 pounds to 184.
No. 4 Oklahoma State 23, No. 13 Minnesota 9
Nov. 18, 2018 | Maturi Pavillion | Minneapolis, Minn.
125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. No. 5 Sean Russell (MINN), 3-0
133: No. 9 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 6 Ethan Lizak (MINN), 6-1
141: No. 8 Mitch McKee (MINN) dec. No. 5 Kaid Brock (OSU), 6-3
149: Gaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 18 Tommy Thorn (MINN), 9-3
157: No. 11 Steve Bleise (MINN) dec. No. 20 Andrew Shomers (OSU), 8-5
165: Chandler Rogers (OSU), MD Carson Brolsma (MINN), 10-2
174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) MD Devin Skatzka (MINN), 11-2
184: Dakota Geer OSU) MD Owen Webster (MINN), 10-0
197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. Brandon Krone (MINN), 2-0
285: Gable Steveson (MINN) dec. No. 3 Derek White (OSU), 8-2
400 and Counting
Last season, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith assumed the title of winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I wrestling.
After the Cowboys' win over Minnesota in November, Smith reached dual win No. 400 for his career, becoming the seventh head coach in DI history to reach that benchmark. He is also only the fifth coach to win all of his duals at the same school. Currently sitting at 411 career wins, Smith is 10 wins away from tying Jack Childs and T.J. Kerr for fifth on the list. Impressively, of his 411 wins, 142 have come over top-10 teams.
A look at the full 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 State1984-2013
7. 411 John Smith Oklahoma State 1992-Pres.
* Includes only DI wins
OSU Statistical Leaders
Overall Wins: 5, three wrestlers
Dual Wins: 2, six wrestlers
Ranked Wins: 1, three wrestlers
Bonus Point Wins: 5, Chandler Rogers
Wins by Fall: 4, Chandler Rogers
Wins by Technical Fall: 3, Daton Fix
Wins by Major Decision: 2, Dakota Geer
Dual Takedowns: 8, Jacobe Smith
Dual Nearfalls: 3, two wrestlers
* Does not include redshirt athletes
Get Your Fix
Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Daton Fix spent 2017-18 competing internationally as a member of the USA Junior World team.
Fix took gold at the 2017 Junior World Championships in August 2017, outscoring his five opponents by a combined score of 53-1 and leading the United States to its first team title since 1984. With the win, Fix became the first Cowboy wrestler to take gold at the event since Alan Fried in 1991.
After blazing through the 2018 Senior World Team Trials, the Sand Springs native fell to world bronze medalist Thomas Gilman at Final X. Fix then participated in a special wrestle-off with Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. The Cowboy outscored Courtney 21-0 in the two matches, sealing a spot on his third-straight World Team.
After storming through the first two rounds in Trnava, Slovakia, Fix lost to Asia Junior Championships runner-up Naveen Naveen, 5-4, in the semifinals. He returned to the mat to collect his third technical fall of the tournament over Kyrgyzstan's Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu and bring home a third-place finish. The win marked his fourth-consecutive top-three finish in world competition.
Fix picked up his third technical fall of the season at South Dakota State with a 16-1 win over Spencer Huber and turned around Sunday to defeat Minnesota's No. 6 Ethan Lizak, 6-1.
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State wrestling team hosts its first home dual of the 2018-19 season on Sunday. The Cowboys take on Big 12 opponent Wyoming at 2 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys of Wyoming are ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/NWCA DI Coaches Poll but are left out of the Intermat team rankings.
Head Coach – John Smith
On the matchup with Wyoming:
"You look at those bouts going, 'Oh, Daton Fix has another tough match.' Three matches in a row, he's had guys who were All-Americans last year. They have several guys at a couple of other weights that are pretty good. Branch has done a good job of bringing this team along from what I've seen the last couple of weeks."
On wrestling at GIA:
"I think a lot of our guys look forward to this. It's kind of odd being the first time we've wrestled during Thanksgiving at home in a dual meet. We haven't done that in the past, but it kind of just fell that way for us this year. We encourage people to get out. It's going to be a good match with key matches that really make a difference in rankings."
Senior – Chandler Rogers
On his matchup this weekend:
(Brandon Ashworth) beat me in the Wyoming dual last year at Wyoming, so I'm actually really looking forward to this weekend getting the chance to wrestle him again and get some payback from that. I was going to wrestle him at Big 12s, but he got beat by the North Dakota State guy who I wrestled in the finals. I'm excited to wrestle this dual just because this is my last, first home dual."
On his role on the team:
"There have been a couple of guys who have taken on leadership roles. It's cool because we've been meeting before practice once a week and talking about the roles on our team. As an upperclassman, it's kind of a given that you're a leader, and I've tried my best to be a leader and so are a lot of guys. It isn't a bad thing. We're just really motivated right now."
Watch the Cowboys
The Cowboys dual can be streamed at FloWrestling.com, and fans can follow along with stats at TrackWrestling.com.
Listen Live
Fans can listen to the dual live on 93.7 KSPI-FM or okstate.com with Roger Moore on the call.
In the Polls
The Cowboys entered the 2018-19 season with wrestlers ranked at each weight and have no shortage of depth. Intermatranks the Cowboys as the No. 2 dual meet team in the country.
Nick Piccininni stayed at No. 4 after a dominating performance at South Dakota State and a hard-fought win over No. 5 Sean Russell at Minnesota. Redshirt freshman Daton Fix jumped three spots in most rankings to No. 6 after defeating Minnesota's Ethan Lizak last week. Senior Chandler Rogers moved into the rankings at 165 pounds to No. 5, and Jacobe Smith appeared in the 184-pound class at No. 8 this week.
Kaid Brock returns to the lineup for the Cowboys steps in at 141 pounds in place of two-time NCAA Champion Dean Heil. After a tough loss to No. 8 Mitch McKee, Brock moves to No. 6. Returning All-American Boo Lewallen and redshirt freshman Kaden Gfeller split the ranked spot for the Cowboys at 149 pounds Lewallen was sidelined for the Minnesota dual after suffering an injury at South Dakota State. Gfeller stood in and defeated No. 18 Tommy Thorn in a 9-3 decision. He enters the rankings at No. 15 this week.
At the upper weights, Preston Weigel looks to rebound from a difficult year at 197 pounds. The Cowboy missed the majority of the season with various injuries, but comes in at No. 6 in the polls. Heavyweight Derek White knocked off Youssif Hemida at the NWCA All-Star Classic the first weekend of Nov., but lost his bout with Gable Steveson, 8-2; he holds steady at No. 3 in the Intermat rankings.
Andrew Shomers is ranked No. 20 at 157 pounds and looks to have an immediate impact for the Cowboys. Dakota Geer steps in at 184 as a redshirt sophomore and garners a No. 14 Intermat ranking heading into week two.
Cowboy Connections - Wyoming
The Wyoming Cowboys' coaching staff includes a couple of familiar faces for Cowboy fans of the Oklahoma State variety, including head coach Mark Branch and associate head coach Ethan Kyle.
As a wrestler, Branch was a two-time NCAA Champion and four-time NCAA finalist at Oklahoma State from 1994-97. In 1997, he was named the Big XII Athlete of the Year, OSU Student-Athlete of the Year and the top graduating senior for OSU wrestling. He was a four-time NWCA Academic All-American, received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and a Big XII Post-Graduate Scholarship. After graduation, he served as associate head coach in Stillwater for six years, helping the Pokes to titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Kyle wrestled at Oklahoma State from 2003-07. He was a member of OSU's four national championship teams from 2003-06 and was a team captain as a senior in 2007.
The Series: Wyoming
- The Cowboys meeting on Sunday marks the 24th in a series that dates back to 1956.
- OSU has never lost a bout with Wyoming but did have one contest result in a tie.
- John Smith is undefeated against his former wrestler, Mark Branch.
- OSU and Wyoming have met 11 times in Stillwater and held nine contests in Laramie.
- Saturday will mark the 12th contest between Smith and Branch.
Last Time Out
The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up three ranked-wins in its meeting with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Pokes took seven of ten bouts, including upsets from redshirt freshmen Daton Fix and Kaden Gfeller.
Gfeller stepped in for injured Boo Lewallen at 149 pounds and defeated No. 18 Tommy Thorn, 9-3. Daton Fix upended 2017 NCAA finalist and No. 6 Ethan Lizak 6-1.
Chandler Rogers, Jacobe Smith and Dakota Geer won consecutive major decisions from 165 pounds to 184.
No. 4 Oklahoma State 23, No. 13 Minnesota 9
Nov. 18, 2018 | Maturi Pavillion | Minneapolis, Minn.
125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. No. 5 Sean Russell (MINN), 3-0
133: No. 9 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 6 Ethan Lizak (MINN), 6-1
141: No. 8 Mitch McKee (MINN) dec. No. 5 Kaid Brock (OSU), 6-3
149: Gaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 18 Tommy Thorn (MINN), 9-3
157: No. 11 Steve Bleise (MINN) dec. No. 20 Andrew Shomers (OSU), 8-5
165: Chandler Rogers (OSU), MD Carson Brolsma (MINN), 10-2
174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) MD Devin Skatzka (MINN), 11-2
184: Dakota Geer OSU) MD Owen Webster (MINN), 10-0
197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. Brandon Krone (MINN), 2-0
285: Gable Steveson (MINN) dec. No. 3 Derek White (OSU), 8-2
400 and Counting
Last season, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith assumed the title of winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I wrestling.
After the Cowboys' win over Minnesota in November, Smith reached dual win No. 400 for his career, becoming the seventh head coach in DI history to reach that benchmark. He is also only the fifth coach to win all of his duals at the same school. Currently sitting at 411 career wins, Smith is 10 wins away from tying Jack Childs and T.J. Kerr for fifth on the list. Impressively, of his 411 wins, 142 have come over top-10 teams.
A look at the full 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 State1984-2013
7. 411 John Smith Oklahoma State 1992-Pres.
* Includes only DI wins
OSU Statistical Leaders
Overall Wins: 5, three wrestlers
Dual Wins: 2, six wrestlers
Ranked Wins: 1, three wrestlers
Bonus Point Wins: 5, Chandler Rogers
Wins by Fall: 4, Chandler Rogers
Wins by Technical Fall: 3, Daton Fix
Wins by Major Decision: 2, Dakota Geer
Dual Takedowns: 8, Jacobe Smith
Dual Nearfalls: 3, two wrestlers
* Does not include redshirt athletes
Get Your Fix
Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Daton Fix spent 2017-18 competing internationally as a member of the USA Junior World team.
Fix took gold at the 2017 Junior World Championships in August 2017, outscoring his five opponents by a combined score of 53-1 and leading the United States to its first team title since 1984. With the win, Fix became the first Cowboy wrestler to take gold at the event since Alan Fried in 1991.
After blazing through the 2018 Senior World Team Trials, the Sand Springs native fell to world bronze medalist Thomas Gilman at Final X. Fix then participated in a special wrestle-off with Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. The Cowboy outscored Courtney 21-0 in the two matches, sealing a spot on his third-straight World Team.
After storming through the first two rounds in Trnava, Slovakia, Fix lost to Asia Junior Championships runner-up Naveen Naveen, 5-4, in the semifinals. He returned to the mat to collect his third technical fall of the tournament over Kyrgyzstan's Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu and bring home a third-place finish. The win marked his fourth-consecutive top-three finish in world competition.
Fix picked up his third technical fall of the season at South Dakota State with a 16-1 win over Spencer Huber and turned around Sunday to defeat Minnesota's No. 6 Ethan Lizak, 6-1.
Players Mentioned
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
/ Cowboy Wrestling
Tuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
