Cowboys to Wrestle in Back-to-Back Home Duals

Friday, January 17

Stillwater, OK

7 PM

Oklahoma State University

West Virginia

Buy Tickets

Boo_Lewallen_JohnSmith_OSU_Princeton_Dual

January 15, 2020 | Cowboy Wrestling

West Virginia Notes

STILLWATER –The No. 9 Cowboy wrestling team (5-1 overall, 2-0 Big 12) is set to host Big 12 foe West Virginia and an ACC matchup with No. 9 Pittsburgh this weekend in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Mountaineers pay a visit to Stillwater on Friday at 7 p.m., and the Cowboys take the mat 24 hours later against the Panthers.

Dual Details
Dates/Times:
vs. West Virginia - Jan. 17, 2020/7 p.m. CST
vs. No. 10 Pittsburgh - Jan. 18, 2020/7 p.m. CST
Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM
Live Stats: Trackwrestling.com

The Basics
The 9th-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team (5-1 overall; 2-0 Big 12) is set to host a pair of home duals this weekend, beginning with Big 12 program West Virginia on Friday at 7 p.m. and nonconference opponent Pittsburgh on Saturday at 7 p.m. In their previous outing, the Cowboys beat Northern Colorado, 36-3, to open the home conference slate giving the team its second Big 12 victory of the season.

The Series - WVU
Oklahoma State and West Virginia have met for 14 dual contests in the programs' histories. OSU has won all of those meetings, the first coming in 1927 and the most recent a year ago on Jan. 18 in Morgantown. Since John Smith took over the program in Stillwater, the Pokes are 10-0 against WVU. In those 10 meetings, the Cowboys have collectively outscored the Mountaineers, 362-52, with an average margin of victory of 31 points.

The Series - Pittsburgh
Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh have met for six dual contests in the programs' histories. OSU has won all but one of those meetings. The series with Pitt began in 2013, and in that time the Pokes are 5-1 against the Panthers. In those wins, the Cowboys have collectively outscored the Panthers, 159-50, with an average margin of victory of 24.6 points.

An Oklahoma State Win against West Virginia Would…
• Move the Cowboys to 5-1 on the season
• Improve coach Smith's record against UNC to 7-0
• Give the Pokes their second conference win on the year
• Mark OSU's 11th consecutive win against Northern Colorado
• Give the Cowboys their 15th straight win in Gallagher-Iba Arena
• Push Smith's career coaching record to 431-63-6.

Cowboys in the Polls
This week, the Oklahoma State lineup features nine wrestlers ranked in various polls at eight different weights. Freshman Travis Wittlake cracked the top 10 among Intermat's 165-pound ranked wrestlers landing at No. 9 after taking third at the Southern Scuffle with wins over No. 11 Jake Wentzel (PITT) and No. 8 Thomas Bullard (NCSt.). His only loss came against No. 7 Shane Griffith (STAN). Senior 125-pounder Piccininni comes in across Intermat, The Open Mat, Flo and Win rankings at No. 4 again this week. Returning All-American Lewallen remains at No. 3 position at 149 pounds across Intermat, Open Mat, Win and Flo rankings after his third ranked victory of the season against Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez. Reece Witcraft (133) fell to No. 20 in the Win rankings and 25 in The Open Mat polls after a tough loss to 19th-ranked Mosha Schwartz last weekend. Cowboy Wyatt Sheets comes in at No. 15 in The Open Mat's 157-pound poll. Senior Joe Smith (174) is position as Intermat's 12th-ranked wrestler, and Dakota Geer (197) came in at No. 10 this week. Geer notched his third technical fall of the year in the Pokes' latest outing. Redshirt sophomore Kaden Gfeller landed at No. 11 this week at 141 pounds in the Intermat polls. Dusty Hone remains in Win's rankings at No. 12 this week following a major decision against Northern Colorado's Chris Sandoval.

Chasing 100
Senior Nick Piccininni has the opportunity to join an elite group of Cowboys this weekend with 100 career wins in the OSU orange singlet. He sits only two wins away from the milestone, with 14 victories to his credit this season. In 2019, the Cowboy earned 34 victories over the course of the season, including a perfect regular season, and a 10-2 mark against ranked opponents. The landmark win would add Piccininni to a list of only 43 wrestlers to surpass 99 wins at Oklahoma State including current Poke, Kaid Brock, who has exactly 100 wins to his name.

Winning Wittlake
Cowboy Wittlake leads all Cowboy wrestlers with 16 wins to date in his inaugural season. The redshirt freshman finished third at the Southern Scuffle with two ranked wins, topping NC State's Thomas Bullard (No. 8) and Pitt's 11th-ranked Jake Wentzel. The two victories gave him the most wins (3) against ranked opponents of any Cowboy starter this season alongside teammate Boo Lewallen. Wittlake gets a second shot at Pittsburgh's Wentzel (No. 11) on Saturday at home.

What to Watch
Two home duals give fans plenty to look forward to with multiple ranked matchups Friday and Saturday for the Pokes, beginning with a test for No. 11 Geer on Friday evening. He is slated to take on an undefeated opponent in WVU's No. 2 Noah Adams. The Mountaineer is 22-0 on the year and claimed the title at 197 pounds at the Southern Scuffle.

The Pokes' bout with Pittsburgh marks the Cowboys' first top-20 contest since No. 12 Princeton visited Stillwater at the beginning of December. The 10th-ranked Panthers' lineup holds five ranked wrestlers, with three landing in the top 10. Freshman Witcraft (133) will get another shot at No. 6 Micky Phillippi on Saturday evening. The Cowboy came up just short against the Panther at the Southern Scuffle, losing that match, 4-3. At 165 pounds through 184, Pitt has ranked athletes. Ninth-ranked Wittlake is set to take on No. 11 Jake Wentzel for the second time this season. Additionally, Shomers, No. 11 Smith or Stika will face No. 17 Gregg Harvey, and Montalvo has a shot at No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi. The Panthers list two wrestlers at heavyweight with Demetrius Thomas coming in at No. 8.

Fans can follow along with the Cowboys' bout against the Mountaineers and Panthers via @CowboyWrestling on Twitter or follow the live stats at Trackwrestling.com.