Oklahoma State will return home for a Sunday afternoon dual against Big 12 rival Iowa State at Gallagher-Iba Arena at 2 p.m. The Cowboys are coming off of a 29-10 victory at Missouri. The win moved the Cowboys to 12-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 duals. The Cowboys got another solid performance from sophomores Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan. Both wrestlers earned solid victories over ranked opponents. Johny Hendricks also put together another solid performance recording a major decision over fifth-ranked Matt Pell. Jake Rosholt and Steve Mocco closed out the dual each recording a fall in 1:11. OSU has won four straight duals over Iowa State. The Cyclones last win came at National Duals during the 2001-02 season. The Cowboys own the all-time series edge at 48-15-3 after winning the only meeting last year, 21-14, at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State comes into the dual with a 9-4 record. Three of the Cyclonnes four losses have come to top 10 opponents, while the other loss was to nationally ranked Missouri at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. The Cyclones are led by NCAA runner-up Nate Gallick. Gallick boasts a 23-0 record on the year and is currently the top-ranked 141-pounder according to W.I.N. Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News. The Cyclones are also represented by the Paulson brothers at 157 and 165. Trent is currently ranked second at 157 with a 16-1 record, while Travis is sitting at No. 9 nationally. The Cyclones also have ranked wrestlers at 133 and 184. Jesse Sundell is currently ranked No. 18 at 133, while Kurt Backes is 11th at 184.
Morgan, W.O.W!
Nathan Morgan earned Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors after for the week of Jan. 17-23 after going 3-0 with two wins over ranked opponents. Morgan defeated third-ranked Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly, just a week after defeating Minnesota's fourth-ranked Mack Reiter. Morgan also posted a major decision over Fresno State's Sean Carlson and Missouri's No. 19 Tyler McCormick.
Morgan Takes Bakersfield Crown
When Nathan Morgan sepped on the mat against Cal Poly, his opponent was someone he was quite familiar with. Darrell Vasquez was a four-time state champion in California out of Bakersfield High School, while Morgan was a three-time state champion and four-time finalist from Bakersfield High as well. Morgan looked up to Vasquez in high school, but now the roles have been reversed when Morgan scored a late takedown in sudden victory to beat his longtime friend. Vasquez will be looking up at Morgan when the new individual rankings are released next week.
A Gopher in the Side
Oklahoma State has dominated collegiate wrestling since the NCAA started conducting a championship in 1928. The Cowboys have been even more dominating of late winning the last three NCAA titles and compiling a 104-7 record over the last six seasons. There has been one team that has continually stuck out and that is Minnesota. The Gophers have handed OSU four of those seven losses and have won six of the last nine meetings in the series. Oklahoma State still leads the all-time series at 16-8, but Minnesota is closing the gap.
Freshmen Become Sophomores
Head coach John Smith made a decision last winter to pull two freshmen out of redshirt because the Cowboys were struggling at both 125 and 133. Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan both became Big 12 champions later on that year, while Scott went on to finish eighth at the NCAA Championships at 125. The freshmen have become sophomores and have turned into two of the better wrestlers at their weight class in the country. Scott recently defeated ninth-ranked Paul Donahoe of Nebraska and avenged an earlier loss to Arizona State's sixth-ranked Jeremy Mendoza. Morgan has the best record on the team at 21-1 and is ranked second by the NWCA/Intermat Individual Rankings at 133 after defeating fourth-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota and third-ranked Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly.
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