"We were flat. We came out a little bit uncomfortable,” coach John Smith. “We didn't want to push through that comfort zone. We didn't hang on to matches or try to steal matches at the end. We had a couple of guys wrestle well, but for the most part we were just really flat. I guess you could figure that we haven't wrestled in 13 days. In the end you feel a little bit more comfortable and make sure you separate your scores. Make sure you recognize that something doesn’t feel right and when something doesn't feel right you wrestle harder and we didn't do that."
At 125 pounds, Eddie Klimara, ranked ninth in the nation, won an 11-9 thriller over No. 15 Tyler Cox. The two were tied after the first period, but Klimara earned a significant lead when he escaped early in the second period and strung together a takedown and back points to lead 8-3. Cox fought back but it was not enough as the OSU Cowboy held on to a two-point lead.
True freshman Gary Wayne Harding notched his third win at Gallagher-Iba with a decisive 8-3 decision against Wyoming’s Drew Templeman at 133 pounds. Harding struck first with an early takedown in the first period. He extended his lead with a second first-period takedown after a crazy scramble. He held on to his lead to improve to 24-7 on the season.
"It was 8-3, you just have to work hard to win,” Harding said. “I kept good pressure, but I can't let people into my legs. I have to work on stuff with the head when someone does get on my legs. That way I don't have to funk like I did. Other than that I felt ok. I have to keep working hard. I have to work hard to win."
At 141 pounds, No. 16 Dean Heil edged Cole Mendenhall. Heil gave up the first takedown, but that didn’t deter the Cowboy as he picked up two takedowns by the end of the first period. The two exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, but a riding time advantage for Heil gave him the win, 6-5.
OSU suffered losses at 149 pounds and 157 pounds, cutting its lead to 9-6.
Top-ranked Alex Dieringer earned the only bonus points of the night, defeating 20th-ranked Dakota Friesth with a 16-7 major decision at 165 pounds. Although Friesth took Dieringer down once, the defending national champion responded, tallying seven takedowns of his own in seven minutes of wrestling. Dieringer had gone 21 matches without surrendering a takedown, a streak dating back to last year’s NCAA tournament.
At 174 pounds, No. 10 Kyle Crutchmer pulled out an exciting win against No. 14 Andy McCulley. The sophomore gave up a quick takedown in the first period and spent most of the match either tied with or trailing the Wyoming grappler. Within the last 10 seconds of the bout, Crutchmer was awarded a point for McCulley stalling and immediately scored a takedown to take his first lead and the win, 5-3.
"We have been training to wrestle through each match, wrestle to the last whistle,” Crutchmer said. “As far as the match went I am not very pleased with myself. A win is a win, but to come out and score on the last takedown, it's a confidence builder. It's my first win in Gallagher. To get the win, it's cool. The last seconds were crucial for me to get the last takedown, to get the win and keep my rank."
OSU losses at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, gave the Cowboys a three-point lead heading into the heavyweight match.
Fifth-ranked Austin Marsden posted a 9-6 win over Tanner Harms to seal the match for Oklahoma State. Marsden picked up three takedowns but his comfortable lead was threatened when Harms scored a takedown late in the third. Marsden held off the Cowboy to earn his 19th win of the season.
The Pokes have a quick turnaround as they travel to Norman, Okla., on Sunday to take on rival OU at 2 p.m. at the McCasland Fieldhouse.
Results:
125: No. 9 Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. No. 15 Tyler Cox (WYO), 11-9
133: Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) dec. Drew Templeman (WYO), 8-3
141: No. 16 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. Cole Mendenhall (WYO), 6-5
149: Austin Brekenridge (WYO) dec. Davey Dolan (OSU), 7-5
157: Archie Colgan (WYO) dec. Anthony Collica (OSU), 6-4
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) MD No. 20 Dakota Friesth (WYO), 16-7
174: No. 10 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) dec. No. 14 Andy McCulley, 5-3
184: No. 19 Ben Stroh (WYO) dec. No. 16 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 7-6
197: No. 18 Shane Woods (WYO) dec. Luke Bean, 3-2
285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. Tanner Harms (WYO), 8-6
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