OSU won the Big 12 team title with the largest margin of victory at the event since 2006 and brought home five individual conference championships.
The Cowboys had an individual NCAA champion in 133-pounder Jordan Oliver and two others – Clayton Foster at 197 pounds and Jamal Parks at 149 pounds – joined him in receiving All America honors.
While this is an impressive list of accomplishments for any team in the country, especially one that dealt with as much adversity as Oklahoma State faced last year, OSU wrestling has its sights set on much more entering 2011-12.
“Really, I was not too disappointed with a fourth-place finish last year considering the season and not having two of our starters in the lineup, but fourth won't do it for me this year,†head coach John Smith said. “So, the key is to make sure we continue to grow, and not just on the mat and getting better as wrestlers, but being better people. An important part of winning is becoming better people.â€
If the Cowboys are to make a run at their 35th wrestling national championship, they will need junior Jordan Oliver to be as unbeatable as he was a season ago.
He will continue to wrestle at 133 pounds, where he dominated the rest of the country last year. Oliver returns as the reigning NCAA champion in his weight class after he defeated No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State, 8-4, for the individual title. Not only does he have the distinction of being an individual national champion, he is also a two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 champion.
During the 2010-11 campaign, Oliver posted an unblemished record of 29-0, including an 18-0 dual record. He recorded seven major decisions, six tech falls and 11 falls while beating six ranked opponents.
Oliver looks poised as the frontrunner to take home the 133-pound national championship, but Smith has even loftier visions for the young star.
“Historically, in the last several years, you haven't seen too many people win multiple national championships in a row, and for Oliver, his focus has to be higher than winning championships. I want Jordan Oliver to think about being an Olympic champion in 2012,†Smith said. “I think you have to raise those expectations and not stay at the same level. For him, I think that his season this year is preparation to try to win and to make an Olympic team, possibly.
“Of course, one of the toughest guys that he'll have to face is on our campus training, as well, in (former Cowboy) Coleman Scott. I just think that you have to set higher goals and you have to look at your season as something more than trying to win an NCAA championship, especially after you've won one and had the dominating season you had last year. If you want to keep moving forward, you have to keep raising the bar.â€
Oliver will be joined by two returning All-Americans in seniors Jamal Parks and Alan Gelogaev. Parks is coming off of a season which saw him finish fifth at the NCAA Championships after defeating No. 11 Andrew Nadhir of Northwestern to pick up his sixth victory against a ranked opponent.
Parks finished off the season with a 30-5 record, including a 4-0 victory in the championship match of the 149-bracket at the Big 12 Championships. Smith said if Parks wants to compete for a national championship, he will need to continue to make improvements to his offensive arsenal.
“Offensively, he needs to get a little better,†Smith said. “National champions are very offensive wrestlers. I know there's been a few of them that have won on their defense, but the majority of them win because they're aggressive in their attack rate, and that's where Jamal really has to focus: on his attack rate. He can't let anybody ride him. Even though he's gotten a lot better on bottom, there were one or two guys in the country that could ride him, and those one or two guys are normally the guys that are winning. I want to see his attack rate really increase and his bottom wrestling get better. With the experience he's had, it should get better. It is about winning a national championship for him.â€
The Cowboys will get a big boost with the return of Gelogaev, who sat out virtually all of last season with an injury. Gelogaev, known to his teammates simply as “Z,†earned All-America honors during the 2009-10 season, but only wrestled five times last season, recording four victories before suffering a season-ending injury. In his four wins, he registered one major decision, one fall and one tech fall.
During the 2009-10 campaign, Gelogaev was 30-9, which included four victories against ranked opponents and one fall at the NCAA Championships on his way to a seventh-place finish.
This season Gelogaev looks to continue his transition from 197 to heavyweight, where he aims for a breakout year.
“Z has not had a lot of competition in the last year and a half,†Smith said. “It's a new weight class that he's going to get a full season at. He needs to stay healthy, stay strong during the year and make good decisions in his matches. Let's not try to pin everybody right away. I like his aggressiveness, but some of the positions he gets in, somebody could get hurt. He needs to take care of those positions. It's going to be fun watching him at this weight class.â€
OSU also gets a big lift at the 197-pound weight class in the addition of senior transfer Cayle Byers. The Alaska native comes to Stillwater from George Mason and steps into the role that was vacated with the graduation of All-American Clayton Foster.
Byers was ranked as high as No. 2 at 197 pounds last season, the highest ever of any wrestler at George Mason. In his sophomore season, Byers was one victory away from claiming All-America status at the NCAA Championships.
“Anytime you move a program, there's an adjustment time,†Smith said of Byers. “I'm sure he's excited about what he sees here and what the difference is between here and George Mason. What he has with his workout situations is perfect. He's got a great young guy in Blake Rosholt who's going to be nipping at his heels. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.â€
Sophomore Blake Rosholt, who filled in at heavyweight last season after Gelogaev was injured, returns to 197 this year and could push Byers for a spot in the lineup.
Sophomores Jon Morrison and Ladd Rupp will be competing for the starting spot at 125 pounds. Morrison started for most of last season, compiling a 10-5 dual record and 7-5 record against ranked opponents. Rupp only wrestled six times, but won all of his matches, including two dual victories and two major decisions.
Morrison has put together an impressive list of accomplishments and has been ranked in the top 10 nationally. With a completely healthy season, he has a chance to earn All America honors or more.
Sophomore Josh Kindig will return to the 141-pound spot after a strong freshman campaign that saw him go 26-10 with a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships.
Kindig carried his success into the summer as earned the distinction of being a champion at the 2011 ASICS FILA Junior Freestyle National Championships in the 66 kilogram/145.5 pound bracket. He then went on to a fifth-place finish at the World Championships.
At 157 pounds, there will be much more competition. Senior Albert White looks to be the starter after an injury-plagued career, but sophomores Stephen Swan and freshman Matt White will challenge for the spot.
There should be competition at 174 pounds as well, with three athletes in the mix for the position. Senior Chris McNeil, who finished 11-3 in tournaments last year, senior Mike Benefiel and sophomore Zach White could all challenging for the starting spot.
The starters at 165 and 184 pounds look set after breakout performances by Dallas Bailey (165) and Chris Perry (184) in their freshmen seasons last year. Now sophomores, each wrestler has an entire season's worth of experience under his belt.
Bailey finished the year at 23-9, including a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. He went 12-5 in dual matches and recorded wins over five ranked opponents. He entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 6 seed, but finished 0-2.
Perry put up a record of 25-7 last season, including a 10-7 record against ranked opponents. He took the Big 12 Championship at 184 pounds after defeating No. 10 Josh Ihnen from Nebraska, 3-2, in a tiebreaker. He was also an NCAA quarterfinalist after claiming wins over Tony Dallago of Illinois and Ihnen in the first and second rounds, respectively.
With all these pieces set in place, Smith said he believes he has the talent, experience, depth and leadership to make a real push for a national championship in 2012.
“All you ever hope for is to have that opportunity. You're not hoping to win a national championship – instead, you can kind of control your destiny by what you have, and I think we're in that position right now,†Smith said. “I'm not in the hope mode that things work out, I'm in a pretty good position to be thinking, ‘I need to control our destiny of where we finish.' You're not always in that position and I feel like I'm in it now. I think we can control what we do over this season at a very challenging time when there's several good teams out there.â€
2011-12 Weight Class Breakdown
Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith breaks down each weight class heading into the 2011-12 season.
125 pounds
Probable Starter – Jon Morrison or Ladd Rupp
Keep an eye on – Tyler Dorrell
“At this point, we have a returning starter in Jon Morrison, who was injured a lot last year. It cost him to have some injuries that really hampered him throughout the season. Ladd Rupp has made a commitment to move down. He struggled last year with this weight. I see a lot of maturity with him and he's ready to tackle the responsibility and I'm seeing some good things from him. I think we can see both of those guys wrestling. Tyler Dorrell is kind of a tweener. He's a good wrestler that's between 125 and 133, so we just have to wait and see where he's going to end up.â€
133 pounds
Probable Starter – Jordan Oliver
Keep an eye on – Tyler Dorrell
“Jordan Oliver, obviously, is an NCAA champion and is showing that he can handle the weight class and be responsible with his weight. I'd like to see him even grow more this year in making everything secondary to it – being a little bit more disciplined with his intake. That's what usually happens as you get older. Winning an NCAA title – they don't get easier, they get tougher. He needs to address it in that manner. He's definitely one of our leaders and I believe he'll get even better here this year.â€
141 pounds
Probable Starter – Josh Kindig
“Josh Kindig wrestled as a true freshman and had great year. He's got a great attitude. He finished fifth at the Junior Worlds this summer. I think he's grown a lot over the summer. It's going to allow him to have a really great year this year. He's a hard worker. He's got a great spirit about him and he does a lot for this team.â€
149 pounds
Probable Starter – Jamal Parks
Keep an eye on – Luke Silver
“Obviously our senior Jamal Parks is an All-American. The one thing that's not on his resume is a national championship and I know that's what his goal is this year – to be the best at the end of the year. He has developed nicely and grown a lot over the years. I'm just real excited about his senior season.â€
157 pounds
Probable Starter – Albert White
Keep an eye on – Stephen Swan, Matt White
“It's Albert White as of right now. He's been plagued with injuries most of his career. He broke his neck in the middle of January and was out the rest of the season. I think the key is to stay healthy. We really haven't been able to see him wrestle a whole lot because of the injuries. I look forward to having an injury-free season with him. I think you've got to look at Matt White and Stephen Swan. Both of these guys are going to be on his heels. Matt White is a freshman and Stephen Swan is a sophomore and I think they've both got real opportunities to break in. We'll just wait and see how this weight goes. It would be nice to see Albert have a healthy season.â€
165 pounds
Probable Starter – Dallas Bailey
Keep an eye on – Alex Munoz
“You look at Dallas Bailey as a returning starter. He grew a lot last year. He didn't have a bad year. He had some really exciting matches and is a lot of fun to watch wrestle. He just needs to tighten things up and get focused on what's really going to make the difference at this level. He needs to focus on his position a little bit more – not giving up easy takedowns and letting people get to the legs. I see him stepping in and showing that maturity from a full season of heartaches last year. Alex Munoz is definitely somebody that could see some action as well.â€
174 pounds
Probable Starter – Zach White, Chris McNeil or Mike Benefiel
Keep an eye on – Elliott Hellwege
“This is a weight class where I'm just looking for somebody to step up and show that they want it. I think you start with Chris McNeil and Zach White. Chris McNeil is a senior and Zach White is a sophomore. Both need to mature in their wrestling and be a little bit tougher in critical situations in matches. Those are some things they haven't shown in the past that they really need to show now. They've got some experience of what not to do and they really need to focus on what to do. I'd look for those guys to step out right away. Mike Benefiel is still in the picture, but we'll just wait and see if he can toe the line on rules and regulations. If Elliott Hellwege makes the weight, he could be a threat here.â€
184 pounds
Probable Starter – Chris Perry
Keep an eye on – Elliott Hellwege
“Chris Perry is coming off of a full year as freshman – some good and some bad and some ugly. We've got a year of experience under his belt and I'm excited about his season this year. I'm excited about where he's at right now and he looks like a much more mature individual. For Chris it's going to be about a little bit higher attack rate in his offense.â€
197 pounds
Probable Starter – Cayle Byers or Blake Rosholt
“We have a transfer in Cayle Byers who was an All-American two years ago. What I've seen in his work ethic at this point has been really impressive. We like what we see in his work ethic. I don't know enough yet about him at this point to really make a comment on him. Blake Rosholt, who had a full year after Z got hurt last year, has moved down to this weight class. He's a Rosholt and Rosholts don't give things away. We'll see how this 197 develops, but I do believe we've got two good people. One's a senior and one's a sophomore, in Rosholt, so we've got an upper classman and some youth there. That's real positive for this weight class now and in the future.â€
285 pounds
Probable Starter – Alan Gelogaev
Keep an eye on – Tyson Yoder
"At heavyweight, Z (Gelogaev) was hurt and out for the year in the first tournament last year. That was a real blow to us. When you think about our program having two of our starters injured and out for the year with him and Albert White, it really sets you back and that makes it rough to really finish the way you want. With Z, he just needs to be a little bit more conservative with his offense and try to keep himself in position to not get injured. He's only had one tournament at heavyweight and that was at the Oklahoma City Open and that's not a real indication of the people he's going to hit this year. I'm just looking forward to him being back with the team as a starter. Tyson Yoder is a guy that anytime we need him, he's there. He's been a real important asset to our program. If he's ever needed, he'll get the job done.â€
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now