The field of wrestlers is suited in their singlets, ready to start a bracket of their own as March Madness takes over the country tomorrow.

The 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships get underway in Omaha, Nebraska tomorrow morning and the Big 12 Conference will be well represented in each weight class. The first day of competition will include the first round bouts in the morning, with the second round of the championship bracket and first round of wrestlebacks taking place in the evening. The quarterfinals and semifinals, as well as two more rounds of the wrestleback bracket will happen on Friday. The remainder of the wrestlebacks and the championship matches will occur on Saturday.

The first round bracket matchups for Big 12 wrestlers are as follows (state school representatives in bold):

125 pounds -
#9 Jarrod Patterson (OU) [28-9] vs. Brad Pataky (Penn State) [26-8]
#5 Andrew Long (Iowa State) [23-6] vs. Ryan Mango (Stanford) [24-13]
#10 Chris Notte (OSU) [23-8] vs. Joseph Langel (Rutgers) [30-8]

133 pounds -
#5 Borislav Navachkov (Cal Poly) [31-10] vs. Kendric Maple (OU) [31-10]
#4 Jordan Oliver (OSU) [28-2] vs. Zac Stevens (Michigan) [25-26]
#10 Nicholas Fanthorpe (Iowa St) vs. Cortlandt Choate (Brown) [12-11]

141 pounds -
#1 Kyle Dake (Cornell) [29-2] vs. Todd Schavrien (Missouri) [26-10]
#5 Zack Bailey (OU) [24-6] vs. Kenneth Hashimoto (N Colorado) [18-8]
       *winner will then face Set Ciasulli (Lehigh) [22-12] in 1st round
Michael Mangrum (Oregon St) [13-14] vs. Mike Koehnlein (Nebraska) [18-15]
#4 Reece Humphrey (Ohio St) [29-3] vs. Dalton Jensen (Iowa St) [13-14]
#2 Jamal Parks (OSU) [28-5] vs. Juan Archuleta (Purdue) [26-12]

149 pounds -
#3 Kyle Terry (OU) [26-2] vs. Cesar Grajales (Penn) [11-4]
#7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa St) [25-8] vs. Frank Gayeski (Liberty) [26-6]

157 pounds -
Andrew Sorenson (Iowa St) [26-7] vs. Anthony Jones (Michigan St) [12-17]
#11 Neil Erisman (OSU) [27-8] vs. Justin Lister (Binghamton) [28-8]
#10 Shane Vernon (OU) [20-5] vs. Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) [26-9]

165 pounds -
#12 Paul Young (Indiana) [33-8] vs. Tyler Caldwell (OU) [28-12]
#4 Jonathan Reader (Iowa St) [22-4] vs. Chris Brown (Old Dominion) [29-3]
#10 Alex Meade (OSU) [28-8] vs. Rob Morrison (Rider) [26-13]

174 pounds -
Jeff James (OU) [22-10] vs. Jarion Beets (N Iowa) [19-9]
       *winner will then face #5 Scott Glasser (Minnesota) [30-6] in 1st round
Shane Riccio (Bucknell) [33-9] vs. Dorian Henderson (Missouri) [19-15]
#4 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska) [24-3] vs. Brad Darrington (Utah Val U) [23-9]
#6 Mike Benefiel (OSU) [31-4] vs. Keith Witt (Kent St) [31-4]
#10 Jordan Blanton (Illinios) [14-7] vs. Duke Burk (Iowa St) [17-13]

184 pounds -
#1 Kirk Smith (Boise St) [25-0] vs. Jerome Ward (Iowa St) [18-9]
#5 Clayton Foster (OSU) [19-3] vs. Patrick Bradshaw (Edin) [29-11]
#11 Dave Erwin (Penn St) [29-8] vs. Erich Schmidtke (OU) [16-17]
#6 Max Askren (Missouri) [15-2] vs. Zack Giesen (Stanford) [30-5]
#7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) [35-4] vs. Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) [16-13]

197 pounds -
#1 Jake Varner (Iowa St) [26-0] vs. Matt Casperson (Boise St) [18-15]
#9 Chad Beatty (Iowa) [14-3] vs. Alan Gelogaev (OSU) [25-7]
#12 Brent Haynes (Missouri) [25-13] vs. Erik Schuth (Ohio) [24-5]
#6 Eric Lapotsky (OU) [24-6] vs. Matt Powless (Indiana) [30-13]
#2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) [26-2] vs. Dylan Temple (App St)/Tyler Smith (Rider)

Heavyweight -
#1 David Zabriskie (Iowa St) [21-2] vs. Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin) [16-18]
#9 Mark Ellis (Missouri) [18-10] vs. Brendan Barlow (Kent St)/Joshua Arnone (Cornell)
Tucker Lane (Nebraska) [22-10] vs. John Danilkowicz (Virginia) [16-12]
#10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) [29-6] vs. Nathan Fernandez (OU) [25-12]
#2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) [30-2] vs. Dustin Proter (Gardner-Webber) [32-5]

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. -
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State women’s basketball   

Oklahoma State all-time leading scorer, Andrea Riley

• Senior day was highlighted by tears of gratitude and appreciation by all four ladies – Andrea Riley, Tegan Cunningham, Ally Clardy and Megan Byford. For their coaches, their teammates, the Cowgirl basketball fans and their family support.
• Riley was honored not only for being a senior, but also for leaving the school as the all-time leading scorer. She passed Bryant Reeves and Byron Houston and is now on the hunt to catch OU alumnae Courtney Paris as the Big 12 leading scorer. Riley is now just 62 points away from Paris’ record heading into the final regular season game, a Bedlam battle on Sunday.
• The game was one that was tied up at 57-57 with nine minutes to go in the game. But the OSU defensive effort was too much for the Cyclones (without their leading scorer – Alison Lacey) to overcome. The Cowgirls regained the lead and went on to take the 78-70 win.
• For notes and quotes from the four seniors, please click here to read or listen. For complete game statistics, click here.

Thursday, 8:00 p.m. -
small college basketball at the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, a double-header

A scene from the late night game – OCU didn’t have enough fans – or baskets – to pull off a win

• The tournament schedule was such that there was under two hours allotted for each first-round game, setting the expectations of running behind schedule. The second game I attended between Oklahoma City University and Rogers State didn’t end until close to midnight. Yawn.
• It was interesting to see the student crowds and fan support, or lack thereof. Southern Nazarene was the host and played in the 8:00 game, having a group of 50 or so students cheering on the Crimson Storm to victory. OCU meanwhile, just a 10 minute drive from SNU, could only boast a handful of fans in their disappointing loss to Rogers State.
• The women’s bracket went primarily according to seedings, with #1 meeting #2 for the championship game. The 2nd-seeded team from OCU took the title with a 62-55 win over Oklahoma Baptist. The men’s side was topsy-turvy from the start and saw the #5 and #6 teams battle it out in the last tournament game. John Brown came away the victors after a 73-58 win over Rogers State. For full conference and tournament coverage, click here.

Friday, 3:03 p.m. -
Sooner Classic baseball, Oklahoma vs. Western Illinois  

Sooner pictcher Zach Neal recorded his first win – 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 W, 8 SO

• Warmer weather has appeared in Oklahoma and with good temperatures comes “America’s favorite past time” - baseball. The University of Oklahoma hosted Stephen F. Austin, Western Illinois University and the University of South Florida for a weekend of action on the diamond.
• OU fans are already itching for baseball as the Crimson and Cream were out in force, complete with the requisite hecklers. You could tell the opponents were miffed at the young men in the stands who counted off steps of their batters as they walked to the dugout after an out. They even chimed in on the left-right-left-right on occasion, all while rolling their eyes in the dugout. The heckling must have been insult to injury to Western Illinois, who fell 12-1 to OU.

Friday, 7:00 p.m. -
NAIA wrestling national championships

All-American OCU wrestler Nik Turner took 5th place

• Oklahoma City University hosted the NAIA wrestling championships and had six mats of action going at a time. The action was swift and the wrestling fans were rabid. This is one sport above all that the spectators know the rules, scoring and moves of all the athletes.
• The match winners and losers left every ounce of themselves on the mat, and seeing crying men in the hallways or others jumping up and down with their coaches and family was the norm on the night. One such young man was seen outside throwing his headgear as a coach followed behind to console and comfort.
• The tournament ended with Notre Dame (Ohio) taking the team title and OCU finishing tied for 13th. Individually, OCU’s highest finisher was Nik Turner with a 5th place finish at 157 lb. and heavyweight Corey Johnson with a 7th place showing as both became two-time All-American selections. For full coverage of the tournament, please click here.

Saturday, all day -
Big 12 Wrestling Championships

Big 12 Champions – Oklahoma State University

• Oklahoma State took the team title at the Big 12 Championships, led by three individual champions – Jordan Oliver (133), Jamal Parks (141) and Clayton Foster (184). OSU got the title by a 1.5 point margin over second-place Iowa State. Host Oklahoma came in third after getting three individual champions of their own.
• This marks the Cowboys 9th team championship and head coach John Smith’s 11th title (two Big 8 crowns – 1994 and 1996). Previous to Saturday, the last team title was in 2006. This is an impressive turnaround for a young squad after last season’s 4th place conference finish and 16th place national finish.
• For more on the Big 12 tournament action and results, please click here.

USF’s offensive firepower came from Ryan Lockwood (3-4, 3 RBI, 2 W) and Chad Taylor (2-4, 4 R, 1 HR)

• The South Florida Bulls notched their first win of the weekend and just their second on the season, routing Western Illinois 16-2. This is the most runs scored by USF thus far in their young season.  
• The finicky Oklahoma weather held off from pouring down rain from the sky to allow both games to go on as scheduled. Well, not necessarily as scheduled. Both were moved up an hour from their original scheduled time to accommodate travel arrangements by the visiting teams.
• The most comical think I’ve seen at a ballpark in quite some time was the singing of the state song, “Oklahoma”, by the Sooner players and coaching staff as a mid-inning break in the action. The video-taped montage showed each player singing a phrase of the song and many including actions. Though the tune wasn’t necessarily distinguishable  at all times, the bouncing schooner above the words was there for assistance like in a Disney Sing-Along Song. A much-needed entertainment feature that I’m sure will become a crowd favorite throughout the season.

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. -
women’s bedlam basketball, Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma

• In what was probably the most forgettable event of the weekend, Oklahoma dominated on their senior day and the last regular season game for both squads. Dominated is actually an understatement in the 97-62 rout.
• The Sooners shot a lights-out 57 percent from the field and 59 percent from 3-point range (16-of-27). It seemed as if everything the OU women threw up, found their mark and the opposite was true for the Cowgirls. Senior Amanda Thompson had a career- and game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds in her last action at Lloyd Noble – or at least in the regular season.
• Norman is hosting a 1st and 2nd round regional, so it will remain to be seen where the NCAA seeds each Big 12 women’s program.

 Sunday, 7:47 p.m. -

Whew. Home after a whirlwind. I think I need a vacation. Oh wait! It’s almost time to Thunder Up against the Sacramento Kings. The adventure’s still not over…  

This duel is the last for the Cowboys before a Bedlam matchup on Sunday that will end the regular season and lead up to the Big 12 Championships.

To start it off at 125 pounds #9 Chris Notte, a senior, is facing off against freshman James Inghram. Notte scores first of a quick double-leg takedown and begins amassing riding time quickly. Both wrestlers have multiple injury/blood timeouts that chop up the match and seem to make it a slower scoring bout. Though Notte remained in control for the entirety, Inghram gets a late takedown to make the final score 10-6 in favor of the senior Cowboy and putting the home team ahead after one match.

#3 Jordan Oliver continues his solid wrestling for Oklahoma State against Tyler Malmberg jumps out to a 4-1 lead after the first period and extends the lead to 15-4 after a reversal, 3-point nearfall and three takedowns in the second period. The third is no different as Oliver adds onther eight points and a riding time point to win his match 25-7. This marks Oliver’s 15th bonus point win on the season as the Cowboy redshirt freshman extends his record to 25-2 heading into Sunday’s Bedlam duel.

At 141 pounds, #7 Jamal Parks is wrestling Anwar Goeres in a closer contested match. The very tall Goeres has been trying to stay in the match by attempting very aggressive high scoring moves, to no avail. Rather, Parks has the upperhand in this entertaining match and grabs a major decision, 14-3 win. This stretches the Oklahoma State team lead to 12-0 on the night.

Luke Silver gets the call for Oklahoma State at 149 pounds against Donnie Vinson for Binghamton. Vinson gets on the board first with a 2-point takedown, but Silver knots it back up after a reversal and gains the lead after a fleeing the mat call. Vinson gets an escape to make the match all square going into the second period. Scoring is hard to come by in the second, as the only added points is an escape for Silver. The third sees both men score and the Gallagher-Iba crowd willing Silver to pull it out. Vinson is the recipient of stalling point with about 10 seconds to go, a late takedown with just five seconds on the clock and grabs the 9-7 win to put Binghamton on the board.

Cowboy wrestler #14 Neil Erisman is facing Justin Lister at 157 pounds. This match’s interest is for its oddities - OSU coach John Smith gets a warning in the first period after a questioning the referee and then a figure four technical violation point is awarded to Erisman in the second period. Indeed there was still wrestling, not just quirks and other points were had as Erisman got the decision over Lister 9-3 to set the duel score at 15-3 at the midway point.

Redshirt freshman #8 Alex Meade is up next for OSU, taking on Matt Kaylor at 165 pounds. The match is a bit more reserved and strategic for the most part and the scoring is certainly more spread out throughout the three periods. Meade ends with an 8-4 decision.

A quick change at 174 pounds sees Cowboy Alex Munoz taking on Josh Patterson. Munoz gives up 17 pounds to Patterson as he is typically the backup wrestler at 157 pounds. This size disadvantage is very evident as Patterson takes an 8-2 advantage after the first period and Munoz has to take injury time to give his left shoulder a break after getting some intense torquing during those first three minutes. At 3:59, Patterson gets the fall early in the second period to make the match 18-9 as #9 Mike Benefiel gets the evening off.

At 184 pounds, #9 Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State is matched up with Nate Scheidel. Foster gets a takedown at the buzzer of the first period for the first scoring in the match, the second has the appearance of domination by Foster until a late reversal gets the score to 7-3 and now it’s heading into the final period. Frenzied scoring in the third brings the final the 12-8 in favor of Foster and the Cowboys and extends the duel lead to 11 points with two matches remaining.

The fastest match of the evening was a quick fall just 59 seconds into the 197 pound match. #8 Alan “Z” Gelogaev made quick work of freshman Pat Walsh after a quick takedown led to a cradle which in turn led to the pin.

The final matchup pits two heavyweight senior men. #1 Jared Rosholt for OSU and Corey Waite for Binghamton. Rosholt, a two-time All American is seeking to move up the Cowboy record books and slip into a 10th place tie on OSU’s all-time list. In order to achieve that, he’ll have to not only win tonight, but also on Sunday against Oklahoma. Rosholt gets on the board first and stays in control for the duration, not allowing Waite to score a point until two late releases and ending the match at 18-2 and earning a technical fall. Rosholt now has an all-time record of 119-23 and the Cowboys earn the 32-9 duel victory over Binghamton.

Big 12 wrestlers in the top 33 (must have 15 Division I matches):

125 pounds: #5 Andrew Long – Iowa State; #9 Christopher Notte - Oklahoma State; #18 Jarrod Patterson – Oklahoma; #30 Bradley Wisdon – Missouri

133 pounds: #5 Jordan Oliver – Oklahoma State; #12 Nicholas Fanthorpe; #26 Kendric Maple – Oklahoma

141 pounds: #3 Zack Bailey – Oklahoma; #8 Jamal Parks – Oklahoma State; #19 Todd Schavrien - Missouri; #32 Mike Koehnlein – Nebraska

149 pounds: #3 Kyle Terry – Oklahoma; #9 Mitch Mueller – Iowa State

157 pounds: #12 Shane Vernon – Oklahoma; #15 Neil Erisman – Oklahoma State; #16 Andrew Sorenson – Iowa State; #28 Patrick Wright – Missouri

167 pounds: #2 Jonathan Reeder – Iowa State; #5 Nick Marable – Missouri; #8 Alex Meade – Oklahoma State; #16 Tyler Caldwell – Oklahoma

174 pounds: #3 Stephen Dwyer – Nebraska; #8 Mike Benefiel; #14 Dorian Henderson – Missouri; #17 Jeff James – Oklahoma; #20 Duke Burk – Iowa State

184 pounds: #2 Maxwell Askren - Missouri; #7 Clayton Foster – Oklahoma State; #10 Jerome Ward – Iowa State; #26 Josh Ihnen - Nebraska; #30 Erich Schmditke – Oklahoma

197 pounds: #1 Jake Varner - Iowa State; #2 Craig Brester - Nebraska; #6 Eric Lapotsky - Oklahoma; #9 Alan Gelogaev – Oklahoma State; #14 Brent Haynes – Missouri

285 pounds (heavyweight): #1 Jared Rosholt – Oklahoma State; #4 David Zabriskie – Iowa State; #5 Mark Ellis – Missouri; #14 Nathan Fernandez – Oklahoma; #16 Tucker Lane – Nebraska

Oklahoma State hosted Northern Iowa and dominated with a final tally of 30-6. You would think after such a wide margin, head coach John Smith might be feeling good about the duel. But not necessarily. After the match Smith remarked, “I felt like we came out a little flat-footed tonight. They kind of slowed us down. They got our head tied up and got our arms tied up and we didn’t seem too excited.”

Strong words from a coach who expects nothing less than the best from his squad. And his point was indeed seen on the mat. The majority of the matches were slow and very defensive minded by the Panthers, which made scoring come in quick bursts between periods of slow and steady grappling. The exception to this description would be the fall that redshirt freshman Jordan Oliver notched over Joey Lazor just 2:45 into the first period of action.

This win comes days before the last road trip of the season - a trek to Missouri – before finishing off the regular season with three duels in the home confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The results:

125: No. 9 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. Caleb Flores (UNI); 9-3
133: No. 6 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Joey Lazor (UNI); 2:45
141: Charlie Ettelson (UNI) dec. Tyler Shinn (OSU); 4-0
149: Trent Washington (UNI) dec. Jake Peck (OSU); 6-2
157: No. 14 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Tyson Reiner (UNI); 3-2
165: No. 8 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. David Bonin (UNI); 8-4
174: No. 10 Mike Benefiel (OSU) MD Jarion Beets (UNI); 11-2
184: No. 10 Clayton Foster (OSU) MD Scott Hazen (UNI); 14-5
197: No. 5 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Dustin Bauman (UNI); 7-3
285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) MD Christian Brantley (UNI); 10-2

The sights:

Oklahoma State University faces quite a test in Iowa City, renewing one of the fiercest rivalries in the sport of collegiate wrestling. The Cowboys are hoping for the upset and vying to play spoiler, as Iowa is currently in the midst of a 51-dual winning streak.

The dual begins at 125 pounds, with OSU senior Chris Notte taking on redshirt freshman Matt McDonough and Notte is not up to his best in this one. McDonough dominated from the first whistle and earns a 13-4 major decision, putting the Hawkeyes on the board first and revving up the black and gold crowd.

Up next for the Cowboys is Jordan Oliver, a redshirt freshman, taking on senior Daniel Dennis, who is currently unbeaten on the season – 8-0. This 133 pound match starts with some defensive strategy and is a low scoring affair.

Coach John Smith said of Oliver in his preparations for this dual, “He’s a young kid, a young freshman, at a very tough weight class. He’s been a little bit up and down. There are some pretty good kids in the weight class. He’s beaten a lot of people and has a pretty good record, but he’s looking for that one big win to break through and build some confidence.” This indeed would be that ‘one big win’ should he manage to beat Dennis.

And that is just what happened! Oliver nets a takedown with just a tick or two remaining on the clock in the final period to grab the 3-2 win and the Cowboys are now back to within a point of Iowa, with the dual scoreboard reading 4-3 in favor of the home team.

The 141 pound bout starts slow as well, with OSU’s Jamal Parks and Iowa’s Montell Marion opening with a scoreless first period. Marion gets on the board first with an escape to start the second and gets a takedown to extend his lead. After adding 3:16 of riding time, Marion shuts out Parks, who was the pre-match favorite in this one, extending the Iowa lead to 7-3.

Iowa’s Brent Metcalf is ranked #1 and the overwhelming favorite at 149 pounds over Quinten Fuentes. As somewhat expected, Metcalf exerts his power early and often, with the match a lopsided 9-2 after the first period. After a technical fall at 5:23 the 22-5 match is ended and Iowa nets another five points. The Iowa lead is widened to 12-3 after the first four matches and the Cowboys are facing a big deficit to get back in this one.

Oklahoma State’s Neil Erisman is one of the Cowboys favored in the dual, taking on Aaron Jansson at 157 pounds. OSU is facing a must-win match and is hopeful for bonus points as Erisman takes an early lead and gives the Cowboys their first lead after the first period on the day. He wrestles solidly and grabs a major decision at 16-7, picking up one bonus point and cutting the Iowa lead to 12-7 going into the halftime break.

After the break, the two featured bouts of the evening are on tap, with OSU’s Alex Meade taking on Ryan Morningstar at 165 pounds – yet another freshman (Meade) vs. senior (Morningstar) matchup. Meade strikes first with a quick takedown after an explosive shot to score a pair and holds the 2-1 advantage after the first period. A pair of escapes make it 3-2 in favor of Meade and a takedown off the counter with under 30 seconds makes it 5-2. The match ends in favor of the Cowboy with a 5-3 desicion, narrowing Iowa’s margin even more at 12-10.

OSU’s Mike Benefiel, who is riding a 16-win streak, is facing off against #1 Jay Borschel for the Hawkeyes at 174 pounds. The undefeated Borschel (18-0) gets the early 2-0 advantage after dominating the first period. After continuing his domination in the final two periods, Borschel grabs the 9-1 major decision and puts Iowa up by six in the dual.

At 184 pounds, the Cowboys have Clayton Foster going against Phillip Keddy in what the announcers are calling the do-or-die match for Oklahoma State. If Iowa can grab the win here, the point difference will be almost insurmountable for the Pokes. Foster scrambled at the end, but it’s not enough for the Cowboy as he falls 3-2 and Iowa now leads 19-10 going into the final two matches of the night.

Alan Gelogaev – “Z” – is wrestling for OSU against Luke Lofthouse at 197 pounds. Z takes the early lead, and holds on to a 3-2 win after a somewhat quiet match. Iowa leads 19-13 and it comes down to the heavyweights.

OSU’s Jared Rosholt has to score the pin to make the dual end in a tie as he takes on Blake Rashing. Rosholt takes the early lead but Rashing fights back, scoring two takedowns in the third. The match ended at 7-6 in favor of Rosholt, but it wasn’t enough for the Cowboys. The Hawkeyes win 19-16 and extend the Iowa winning streak to an impressive 52 duals.

Cowboy Wrestling A 43-0 Winner Over UC Davis

Pokes notch bonus points in six of 10 bouts, score three wins by fall

DAVIS, Calif. – The fourth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team stormed to a 43-0 win over UC Davis at The Pavilion on Friday. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 3-0-1 on the year, while the Aggies dipped to 0-2-0 overall in defeat.

The most impressive OSU win came at 149 pounds, where Cowboy junior Quinten Fuentes erased a 7-0 first-period deficit to take an 18-11 lead in the third period before pinning No. 18 Barrett Abel at the 5:42 mark. The win was Fuentes’s first ever over a ranked opponent. Fuentes started the third period in the down position but scored a quick reversal, then got Abel in a hammerlock and recorded the fall.

Cowboy 141-pounder Jamal Parks continued his strong wrestling of late, pinning Justin Arredondo in a tidy 1:09. Parks scored a quick takedown, then turned Arredondo to his back for a two-point nearfall. Arredondo tried to sit out, but Parks got him in a reverse headlock and threw him on his back again and turned that into a pin. Parks’s last three matches have resulted in two wins over opponents ranked higher than himself and Friday’s win by fall.

Making his varsity debut for the Cowboys Friday was 174-pound sophomore Mike Benefiel, who pinned UC Davis’s Alex Darkhovsky in just 50 seconds. Benefiel strung together a 13-1 record on the open tournament circuit during the first semester and continued that positive momentum by getting Darkhovsky in an upper-body tie-up then sweeping his legs to set up his quick pin.

Also in his first varsity action was 185-pounder Elliott Hellwege, who claimed a 6-4 win over Stephan Hampton on the strength of a takedown in the second period and another takedown in the third period.

Senior 125-pounder Chris Notte set the tone with a 22-5 technical fall win over Kody Klaus to start the dual. Notte bagged eight takedowns, a reversal, a three-point nearfall and a riding time point in his domination of the Aggie freshman.

Also impressive for OSU was redshirt freshman 165-pounder Alex Meade, who racked up 11 first-period points on the way to his 15-6 major-decision win over Joey Wilson. Meade’s win improved his season record to 13-1. Senior heavyweight Jared Rosholt added an 8-0 major decision win over Ricky Alcala to cap the dual.

The shutout win was the first of the year for the Cowboys and the first since the Pokes pounded Clarion, 44-0 at last year’s Virginia Duals.

The Cowboys drive to Reno to compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions Saturday. The action begins at 11 a.m. Central time with the finals slated to begin at 8 p.m. Central time.

No. 4 Oklahoma State 43, UC Davis 0 Bout-by-Bout Results

125 pounds: No. 12 Chris Notte (OSU) tech fall Kody Klaus (UCD); 22-7; 7:00
133 pounds: No. 7 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. No. 14 Brandon Low (UCD); 6-4
141 pounds: No. 3 Jamal Parks (OSU) fall Justin Arredondo (UCD); 1:09
149 pounds: Quinten Fuentes (OSU) fall No. 18 Barrett Abel (UCD); 5:42
157 pounds: No. 8 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. Trevor Machado-Ching (UCD); 8-4
165 pounds: No. 8 Alex Meade (OSU) MD Joey Wilson (UCD); 15-6
174 pounds: Mike Benefiel (OSU) fall Alex Darkhovsky (UCD); 0:50
184 pounds: Elliott Hellwege (OSU) dec. Stephan Hampton (UCD); 6-4
197 pounds: No. 8 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Abe Otrambo (UCD); 7-4
285 pounds: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) MD Ricky Alcala (UCD); 8-0

The first match of the night is at 157 pounds, with OSU’s #9 Neil Erisman taking on #17 Shane Vernon. The first period is one of non-scoring and the second starts in much the same fashion. Near the middle of the second, Vernon gets an escape point to take a lead and this match. Cautions are exchanged by both men and Erisman ties it up with just over a minute remaining. Vernon gets a takedown with just seven seconds remaining and wins the match 3-0 to put the Sooners on top early.

Up next is the 165 pound weight class, with #17 Alex Meade for O State battling the Sooners’ Tyler Caldwell. Both men are freshmen, with Meade being in his redshirt year. The first scoring of this pairing occurs with just 17 seconds in the first period, with a 2-point takedown earned by Meade. In the second, Caldwell gets on the board quickly with a 1-point escape to narrow the gap. Meade gets an escape point in the third period to get his lead back to a 2-point advantage with just a half of a period left in the match. Meade finishes strong with another takedown with 20 seconds remaining and posts the 5-1 win for the Cowboys and evens the dual scoreboard at 3-3.

# 9 Jeff James, wrestling for the Sooners, is going up against OSU’s Chris McNeil at 174 pounds. James enters the match with an 8-0 record and begins by taking an early lead on McNeil and at the end of the first period owns a 4-1 advantage. James widens the gap in the second period after adding an escape and two powerful takedowns. McNeil’s only answering points come in the form of a pair of escapes and the score heavily favors the Sooners after two, 9-3. McNeil manages another escape to begin the third, but it’s quickly followed by yet another 2-point takedown in this high scoring affair. the duo trade takedowns and escapes again and at the end of this one, the scoreboard reads a lopsided 14-5 and the major decision goes to Oklahoma’s James. The dual is now 7-3 in favor of the home squad.

#9 Clayton Foster, wrestling for the Pokes, comes in undefeated with an 8-0 record to go against redshirt freshman Erich Schmidtke at 184 pounds. Foster clearly outmatches Schmidtke to begin the first period, and this pair seems to be the mirror image of the pair that preceded at 174 pounds. Foster continues to amass takedowns in the first and Schmidtke answers with escapes. After one, the score is 8-3 in favor of Foster and the Cowboys. Schmidtke earns an escape and Foster answers with a 2-point takedown to start out the second period and follows it up with a 3-point nearfall with 30 seconds remaining in the period. After two, it’s 13-4 and Foster has the obvious advantage going into the last two minutes of the match and continues to add to his margin in the third. At the end of this match, Foster manages to tie up the overall scoreboard at 7-7 after a decisive 17-5 major decision.

The 197 pound match sees a pair of unbeaten and highly ranked foes, pairing Oklahoma’s #7 Eric Lapotsky against #9 Alex Gelogaev for the Cowboys. Gelogaev gets on the board quickly with a 2-point takedown. After an escape point for Lapotsky, the Sooner senior quickly follows with a takedown to take the 3-2 lead midway through the first period. And right at the final whistle, after Gelogaev seems to have some advantage, the tables quickly turn and Lapotsky adds two points to his lead to end the first period at 5-2 in favor of the Sooner. Gelogaev gets a warning, his first with about 1:15 left in the period and the crowd is calling for the officials to get this match going. With just seconds left in the period, Gelogaev gets his second warning and awards Lapotsky with another point. The score is now 6-2 heading into the third and final period. After a takedown by Gelogaev and a reversal by Lapotsky, the match is all but done. Lapotsky gets the decision with a 10-4 win and hands Gelogaev his first defeat of the year. Oklahoma regains the overall lead at 10-7 at the halfway mark.

The heavyweights take the stage with another pair of ranked opponents. Oklahoma State’s #3 Jared Rosholt goes up against #11 Nathan Fernandez in the battle of the big men. In head to head competition, Rosholt holds a 5-1 lead over Fernandez. The first points in the match come in the second period, with Rosholt earning an escape point to start the period. After both participate in a show of juxtaposition to end the period, we go to the third with a low-scoring tally of 1-0 in favor of Rosholt. Fernandez get a point with one minute remaining to even the match and that where it stands at the end of three.

A minute of overtime is put on the clock for the pair and the crowd attempts to rally Fernandez to a point. The calls of “Boomer Sooner” fill the arena, but don’t lead to any points. In the fifth period, Fernandez earns an escape point and manages a 2-1 lead after starting in the down position. Rosholt quickly ties it again when the second thirty second stretch starts with Rosholt down. Rosholt elects the bottom position in the next thirty second period and earns the escape. As Fernandez trades spots, he is unable to quickly escape and with the clock reading :09, Rosholt gets a warning and the pair start in the middle again. Fernandez manages the escape point to tie it at 3-3, but Rosholt holds a 14 second ride time advantage and earns the decision over Fernandez. The Cowboys again tie this dual at 10 points each.

the 125 pound matchup sees senior Cowboy #8 Chris Notte take on Jarrod Patterson, appearing in his first dual of the Sooner season. These ‘little men’ are fast-moving and intense in their style, and the mention of ‘little’ would no doubt bring ire to their eyes, as their strength is more than evident on the mat. The end of the first period sees some disgust from the Oklahoma State fans as officials rule that Notte did not have control in what appeared to be a fairly obvious takedown at the buzzer. Patterson enters the second with a 2-1 lead and manages to keep that score intact leading into the third period. Notte gets a 1-point escape to even it up with 1:30 remaining. Patterson is fighting for points and earns a 2-point takedown with just seven seconds left in the period. Patterson gets another takedown as time expires and wins the match 6-3. The Sooners now hold the 13-10 advantage in the dual.

A pair of freshmen take the mat at 133 pounds and start the scoring fast in the match. #11 Jordan Oliver for the Cowboys, opens with a fast takedown over his opponent, OUs Alex Ekstrom. Ekstrom manages the escape and Oliver gains another pair of points in the form of a takedown. Ekstrom yet again nets the escape point, but the margin is two points in favor of Oliver at the end of the first period, 4-2. After an early escape point for Oliver and not much action in the remaining period, the second period ends with a 2-point takedown with time expiring and the lead is now 7-2 heading into the last two minutes of the match. And this is where the final score remains at the final buzzer, a 7-2 decision for Oliver and the Pokes, and yet another tie in the overall dual at 13-13.

Nationally ranked #12 Zack Bailey for the Sooners is taking on the Cowboys’ #16 Jamal Parks at 141 pounds. Parks takes an early lead and the pair trade a set of takedowns and escapes to give Parks the 4-2 advantage heading into the second period. Bailey takes the bottom position and earns the quick 1-point escape to narrow the margin and 4-3 is where the match stands going into the final period. Bailey is in the superior to start this last period, but can’t get the escape before getting out of the ring. After the restart, Parks manages the point and gets his lead back to two with just over a minute remaining. Bailey tries a late move, but can’t manage any additional and Parks improves his record to 10-2 after the 5-3 decision. And the leaderboard switches again - Oklahoma State is up 16-13.

The last match features #5 Kyle Terry for the Sooners going up against Quinten Fuentes for the Cowboys. This finale looks to be a good one, with fast action from both men to begin the match and Terry gets the first points with a takedown with 1:25 in the first. The officials are hard-pressed to return the points, and Fuentes gets the reversal after some seconds tick off the clock. Terry adds an escape point and the period stands at 3-2. The second starts with an escape for Fuentes and the match is knotted at threes. These two have both sides of the crowd on their feet at times as the third period starts in a stalemate. With under a minute remaining, Terry gets a 1-point escape and the 4-3 lead and follows it up with a 2-point takedown with 10 seconds on the clock. Terry nets the 6-3 decision and the dual ends in a tie.

16-16, a Bedlam dual to the very last second. Who is the best squad in the state? Only time will tell as the season progresses for both teams, full of talent and vigor.

The following is a sampling of photographs taken as the Oklahoma State University Cowboys hosted the Arizona State Sun Devils in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Friday, November 20, 2009. This dual goes down as the first in the OSU wrestling season and the home squad reigned victorious – 21-9.

The matches were won by the Cowboys seven to three and the gamut was run as for style and pace. There were defensive and low-scoring battles, especially at the 125 and 285 pound matches. At 125 pounds, #8 Chris Notte was defeated by Arizona State’s #3 Anthony Robles, 2-0. And in the heavyweight match – another 2-0 final score – OSU’s #3 Jared Rosholt posted the decision over Erik Nye. Also seen were more active matches with powerful takedowns, namely by Oklahoma State’s Albert White at 149 pounds and Neil Erisman at 157 pounds – both of whom hit double digits in their respective matches.