In front of the largest crowd to view a wrestling match in Norman this season (1,734), No. 17 Oklahoma (13-5) upended the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-3-1) at the Howard McCasland Field House by an 18-15 final. The upset snapped a streak of 19 straight victories by the Cowboys.
"This is not just another victory," head coach Jack Spates said. "It was against a great and historic program in Oklahoma State. I couldn't be prouder of the fight and the effort of our team."
The dual between the in-state rivals began at 184 pounds after Oklahoma State decided to draw instead of the traditional start at 125 pounds. The opening bout could not have started better for the Sooners, as No. 6 Joshua Weitzel put six on the board with a pin over Jack Jensen. The senior needed only the first period to record the fall at 2:18.
Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert, ranked ninth nationally, then posted a decision over Clayton Foster at 197 pounds. After dominating the first two periods and leading 7-2, the Choctaw, Okla., native scored two escapes in the third for a 9-6 final.
Oklahoma State bounced back after the two wins by Oklahoma seniors, as No. 8 Jared Rosholt won in an 8-3 decision over Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. After a scoreless first, Rosholt recorded three takedowns in final two periods to take the victory and inching Oklahoma State back to within six, 9-3.
No. 17 Joey Fio continued his recent success with a 3-2 upset decision over No. 14 Tyler Shinn of OSU at 125 pounds. The true-freshman, who was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 11, was tied with Shinn after two periods, 2-2. After choosing down, Fio managed an escape at 1:50 and held on for the 3-2 decision.
It was No. 1 Coleman Scott for the Cowboys who then took control of the 133 pound bout with a 7-2 decision over Oklahoma's Brian Shelton. Scott used two takedowns in the first to distance himself, narrowing the OU lead to 12-6.
Nathan Morgan, ranked third nationally, posted another Oklahoma State win at 141 pounds with a 5-4 decision over No. 16 Zack Bailey. After a tie to begin the third, Morgan recorded a takedown and an escape to post the victory.
No. 17 Will Rowe stopped OSU's momentum with a 7-2 decision over Ryan Freeman. The 149 pound match was close after two, with Rowe hanging on to a 3-2 advantage. The junior from Arlington, Texas, scored an escape, a takedown and a riding time point in the third to record the win, pushing the Sooner lead back to six, 15-9.
An important match at 157 pounds pitted Oklahoma's No. 17 Chad Terry against Neil Erisman. After a scoreless first, Terry scored an escape and a takedown in the second to go up 3-0. After Erisman chose the down position to begin the third, Terry rode him out without giving up an escape to win 4-0 with the help of a riding time point.
With the lead of 18-9, the Sooners simply needed to hang on to post the Big 12 upset over their arch-rival. No. 5 Jake Dieffenbach made the team score 18-12 after posting a victory at 165 pounds over senior Max Dean. The Cowboy recorded three takedowns and Dean was only able to manage escapes in the 7-3 loss. No bonus points were awarded with the decision, so Oklahoma State could only manage a tie in the match.
It would take a pin at 174 pounds for Oklahoma State to tie the Sooners at 18. An unfamiliar face was wrestling for OU because of year-long starter Jeff James out for the year due to injury. It was up to the junior Chris DeVilbiss with a 7-2 record on the year to be the hero for Oklahoma and fend off OSU.
DeVilbiss came through for the Sooners, keeping No. 8 Brandon Mason from recording the fall. Mason won 7-0, but the defeat was lost on the Oklahoma team, realizing the huge upset-win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
"This is a huge, huge win," Spates said. "All of the cheers, all of the hugs--I couldn't be prouder."
The Sooners will take their momentum into the postseason, as they will travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, March 8 for the Big 12 Championships.
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