Oklahoma State returns to the mat on Friday evening when it hosts Cal Poly and Fresno State with the first dual set to begin at 6 p.m. The Cowboys are coming off of a runner-up showing at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals after losing to Minnesota, 21-14, in the championship match. The loss snapped a 30-match dual winning streak for the Cowboys and are 9-1 on the season. The Cowboys are a combined 39-0 against Cal Poly and Fresno State. OSU has won all 22 meetings with Cal Poly and is 17-0 against the Bulldogs. The Cowboys won both duals last year handily defeating the Mustangs 32-9 and Fresno State 34-6.
Scouting the Mustangs
Cal Poly comes into the dual with a 7-2 record and a No. 20 national ranking. The Mustangs won the Nebraska Duals back in December, including a 21-19 victory over Nebraska who recently finished third at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Cal Poly is led by third-ranked Darrell Vasquez. Vasquez comes into the contest with a 13-1 record. Vasquez will meet his former high school teammate Nathan Morgan in the 133-pound bout. The Mustangs also boast No. 16 Ryan Halsey at 184. The Mustangs have been battling injuries and will be without 10th-ranked Chad Mendez at 125. CPU is also short at 197 where its top two wrestlers are out with injuries.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Fresno State comes into the dual with a 3-3 record. FSU is coming off of a 36-10 loss to Cal-State Bakersfield on Wednesday. The Bulldogs forfeited three weights and were forced to take an injury default in another. Fresno State currently does not have any wrestlers ranked in the individual national rankings. FSU did compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions where it finished 15th out of 27 teams. Oklahoma State took the team title of the event.
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 101-7 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.
Bedlam Revisited
Kevin Ward enjoyed wrestling against Bedlam rival Oklahoma during the 2004-05 season. He went 3-0 against Oklahoma's Charles Jones, including a 13-2 major decision. Jones will return to Stillwater, but this time he is donning the blue and red singlet of Fresno State. Ward will take on Jones again in the 157-pound match.
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 18-1 and is ranked second by the NWCA/Intermat Individual Rankings at 133 after defeating fourth-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota.
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