The victory over the Gophers (1-2; 0-0) marks Oklahoma State's first win against a ranked opponent this season. The Pokes took six of 10 bouts from Minnesota, including a 3-2 win from no. 4 Nick Piccininni to open the dual and a fall from freshman 133-pounder Reece Witcraft in his first dual at Gallagher-Iba.
"It was good to see Reece pick up the escape, get a takedown and change the momentum," Smith said. "You have to create the opportunity to pin someone. You're not going to just go throw them on their backs. You have to score some points… let them know you're coming, and he did a good job of getting back in the match, being competitive and found himself in a familiar position where he took him to his back and held him there."
The 133-pound Cowboy fell behind early in the first period but scored an escape and takedown to close the gap before time expired. He escaped to start the second and turned a low single into a cradle to collect the fall over Brent Jones in 3:56.
"I've been training my whole life for this," Witcraft said. "I was ready for it. It was a dream come true. I've never felt so happy in my life. I got that pin, and I couldn't even be intense I was so happy."
Cowboy Dusty Hone wrestled in the third bout of the afternoon and held his own against No.4 Mitch McKee at 141 pounds but fell short in a hard-fought, 10-5, decision.
The 149-pound matchup featured two undefeated wrestlers in No. 6 Boo Lewallen and No. 10 Brayton Lee. Tied heading into the third period, Lewallen turned Lee for four nearfall points and gained the lead with less than 1:15 remaining. Lewallen secured riding time and won the decision, 8-3.
"I was a little bit concerned when he got taken down at the end of the second, but he took it to another level on top and picked up a turn, and that was the difference," Smith said. "Those are exciting matches to watch. You're always talking about separating the score against your opponent, but when that doesn't happen you have to dig deep and find ways to win, which he did a good job of."
In the 157-pound bout, Wyatt Sheets defeated Carson Brolsma, 8-1, with a third-period double leg takedown and four-point turn. No.15 Travis Wittlake collected his first dual win inside GIA with a 5-3 decision over Minnesota's Bailee O'Reilly in the following bout.
OSU then dropped back-to-back matches at 174 and 184 pounds when Andrew Shomers fell to 10th-ranked Devin Skatzka and No. 18 Anthony Montalvo lost to Owen Webster.
Redshirt junior Dakota Geer locked up the dual result shortly after, defeating Garrett Jones via a 7-2 decision at 197 pounds. The Cowboy racked up two takedowns and tacked on a point for riding time.
The final match featured heavyweight Austin Harris, who dropped his bout to Robert Steveson.
The Cowboys return to the mat inside Gallagher-Iba on Dec. 6, when the Princeton Tigers come to Stillwater.
Results:
125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. Patrick McKee (MINN), 3-2
133: Reece Witcraft (OSU) Fall Brent Jones (MINN), 3:56
141: No. 4 Mitch McKee (MINN) dec. Dusty Hone (OSU), 10-5
149: No. 6 Boo Lewallen (OSU) dec. No. 10 Brayton (MINN), 8-3
157: Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. Carson Brolsma (MINN), 8-1
165: No. 15 Travis Wittlake (OSU) dec. Bailee O'Reilly (MINN), 5-3
174: No. 10 Devin Skatzka (MINN) dec. Andrew Shomers (OSU), 5-2
184: Owen Webster (MINN) dec. No. 18 Anthony Montalvo (OSU) 4-3
197: No. 8 Dakota Geer (OSU) dec. Garrett Joles (MINN), 7-2
HWT: Robert Steveson (MINN) dec. Austin Harris (OSU), 11-5
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