The Cowboys got five bonus point wins to put the Mountaineers away early, including a first-period fall from senior Kyle Crutchmer to go along with technical falls from Nick Piccininni, Nolan Boyd and Austin Schafer.
After a rough go in last week's match against top-ranked Thomas Gilman of Iowa, Piccininni got back on track and up to speed Friday night, setting the tone for the dual with a second-period technical fall over Devin Brown at 125 pounds. The redshirt freshman took a 14-1 lead into the second period after a pair of takedowns followed by three nearfalls in the first. After Brown escaped from the down position to open the second frame, Piccininni dropped the Mountaineer for another takedown and the four-point nearfall that would seal up the 20-2 tech in 4:03.
"It's a little bit of pressure, but it's definitely a pacesetter,†Piccininni said. “I'm looking to set the pace high. Not just for myself, but for the rest of the guys following behind me. It's very important for me to start it off. Just go hard and feed the energy to my teammates and the crowd.â€
At 133 pounds, Kaid Brock recorded an 11-5 decision over West Virginia's Cory Stainbrook. Brock did most of his scoring in the first two periods, scoring on three takedowns in the first and opening the second with a reversal to take an 8-2 lead into the third. Stainbrook scored a quick three points in the opening minute of the third, escaping and converting two on a takedown, but it wouldn't be enough as Brock reversed yet again to lock up the victory.
“Kaid Brock again scored points in the first period and not sustain it on the second and third,†head coach John Smith said. “Those are things we have to recognize and be hard on ourselves. Not that he wrestled badly, but you just need to make sure you are taking care of the second and third period and being a little more solid with it. He scored three take downs in the first and the second and third period won four to two. Try to judge it that way.â€
Dean Heil scored bonus points for the Cowboys in a 14-4 major decision over Joe Wheeling at 141 pounds. Leading, 7-1, after two periods, the Cowboys' reigning national champion made moves in the third, scoring a trio of takedowns and picking up the riding time point to secure the major.
Senior Anthony Collica handled Christian Monserrat at 149 pounds, recording five takedowns in the match with two in each of the first two periods to score a 13-5 major decision for the Pokes.
At 157 pounds, Joe Smith came out on top to defeat West Virginia's Dayton Garrett in a 3-0 decision, thanks to a decisive takedown in the third period that would seal the match.
Chandler Rogers also won by decision in his matchup with eighth-ranked Dylan Cottrell at 165. Both wrestlers struggled to score in the first two periods, but Rogers managed a takedown in the first and an escape to open the second to lead, 3-0, heading to the final period. Rogers was dinged for locking hands to open the third, but used a two-point nearfall to boost his lead back up to 5-1. Cottrell would score a takedown late, but Rogers would hold on for the 6-4 win.
Senior Kyle Crutchmer came out aggressive in his match at 174 pounds, dropping opponent Ty Millward for a quick score just seconds into the match before rolling the West Virginia junior over his shoulders and onto his back for the pin in 1:39. It was the second fall of the season for Crutchmer, with both coming in the first period.
Nolan Boyd piled on at 184 pounds, recording a quick, 20-3 technical fall in only 4:09 over Kyle Rogers to earn his 99th triumph as a Cowboy. The Cowboy senior got four takedowns and a pair of nearfalls in the first to take a 14-3 lead into the second frame. Boyd would finish off the match quickly, choosing neutral to start the period and converting a takedown and four-point nearfall in just over a minute to wrap up the win.
Austin Schafer also made quick work of his opponent, defeating Brandon Ngati by way of first-period technical fall. Schafer wasted no time, scoring a takedown and turning Ngati four times to end the match in 2:56.
The Cowboys will be back in action this Sunday when they return to Gallagher-Iba Arena to host the 19th-ranked Jackrabbits of South Dakota State at 2 p.m. Tickets can be bought at okstate.com/tickets.
Results:
125: No. 11 Nick Piccininni (OSU) TF Devin Brown (WVU) 20-2
133: No. 2 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. Cory Stainbrook (WVU) 11-5
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. Joe Wheeling (WVU) 14-4
149: No. 2 Anthony Collica (OSU) MD Christian Monserrat (WVU) 13-5
157: No. 6 Joe Smith (OSU) dec. Dayton Garrett (WVU) 3-0
165: No. 6 Chandler Rogers (OSU) dec. No. 8 Dylan Cottrell (WVU) 6-4
174: No. 5 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) fall Ty Millward (WVU) 1:39
184: No. 6 Nolan Boyd (OSU) TF Kyle Rogers (WVU) 21-3
197: No. 6 Jacob Smith (WVU) dec. Derek White (OSU) 2-1
HWT: No.7 Austin Schafer (OSU) TF Brandon Ngati (WVU) 16-0
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