Oklahoma State University Athletics
Piccininni Receives National Honors Following Pin of Defending National Champion
February 26, 2019 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State wrestler Nick Piccininni received a pair of national honors Tuesday as he was named the TheMat.com's Athlete of the Week by USA Wrestling and was also named The Open Mat's College Wrestler of the Week.
The weekly USA Wrestling honor goes to the athlete with the best performance in said week with a selection committee that considers wrestlers at any level of competition. Fans are able to participate in the vote on Twitter as well. Piccininni is the first Cowboy to receive the honor since Joe Smith in 2015.
Piccininni, who received Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week accolades as well, sent a sold-out crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena into a frenzy Sunday when the undefeated Cowboy junior collected win number 27 on the season in extraordinary fashion, pinning defending NCAA champion No. 2 Spencer Lee late in the second period.
Piccininni's pin gave the Cowboys a 6-0 lead to start the highly anticipated dual against No. 3 Iowa, and marked the first loss by fall in Lee's career, who entered the dual with a 38-3 career record never having lost by more than a decision.
The win moved the Cowboy to 27-0 through the regular season with victories over four top-10 opponents and six ranked wrestlers all together. All but five of his wins have come with bonus points attached, including four pins.
As a result of the victory, Piccininni made the jump to the No. 2 spot at 125 pounds in both Intermat and Win Magazine's weekly rankings. He returns to the mat March 9-10 as the Cowboys compete at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
The weekly USA Wrestling honor goes to the athlete with the best performance in said week with a selection committee that considers wrestlers at any level of competition. Fans are able to participate in the vote on Twitter as well. Piccininni is the first Cowboy to receive the honor since Joe Smith in 2015.
Piccininni, who received Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Week accolades as well, sent a sold-out crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena into a frenzy Sunday when the undefeated Cowboy junior collected win number 27 on the season in extraordinary fashion, pinning defending NCAA champion No. 2 Spencer Lee late in the second period.
Piccininni's pin gave the Cowboys a 6-0 lead to start the highly anticipated dual against No. 3 Iowa, and marked the first loss by fall in Lee's career, who entered the dual with a 38-3 career record never having lost by more than a decision.
The win moved the Cowboy to 27-0 through the regular season with victories over four top-10 opponents and six ranked wrestlers all together. All but five of his wins have come with bonus points attached, including four pins.
As a result of the victory, Piccininni made the jump to the No. 2 spot at 125 pounds in both Intermat and Win Magazine's weekly rankings. He returns to the mat March 9-10 as the Cowboys compete at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
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