Oliver, ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds, helped lead the Cowboys to a runner-up finish at the NWCA Mat Mayhem Final Round in Stillwater Sunday, as well as Bedlam win in Norman on Thursday night.
The junior picked up major decision wins his three opponents, who are all in the top 11. He started his week of competition with a key 11-2 bonus-point victory over Oklahoma's Jordan Keller on the way to a one-point Cowboy win at No. 12 OU.
In Sunday's competition at the NWCA National Duals Final Four, he was even more dominant. Oliver beat No. 4-ranked B.J. Futrell of Illinois from the opening whistle and nearly earned a technical fall, 15-1, on the way to a 19-15 team win over No. 5 Illinois and a spot in the title match. The defending NCAA champion wrapped up the day with an 11-3 win over eighth-ranked Chris Dardanes as the Cowboys came up just short in their bid for a ninth NWCA National Duals title with an 18-13 loss to No. 3 Minnesota.
Oliver now holds a 21-1 record on the year and is 82-5 in his career. He leads the 2011-12 Cowboys with 20 bonus-point wins, 14 falls, 83 dual team points, 73 dual takedowns and 16 dual nearfalls.
Last season, Oliver became the first Big 12 wrestler to be honored three times in one season, making this his fifth career honor.
It marks the third time a Cowboy wrestler has received the recognition this year, as heavyweight Alan Gelogaev was honored on Jan. 23 and Oliver was honored on Feb. 13.
The Cowboys are back in action Friday when they take on the Tigers of Missouri at 7 p.m. in Stillwater.
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