Cowboy Wrestling In Second At NCAAs
OMAHA, Neb. – First-round action at the NCAA Wrestling Championships came to a close Thursday afternoon with seven Oklahoma State wrestlers advancing in the championship bracket and two dipping into the wrestlebacks.
Cowboy 133-pounder Jordan Oliver, 141-pounder Jamal Parks, 165-pounder Alex Meade, 174-pounder Mike Benefiel, 184-pounder Clayton Foster, 197-pounder Alan Gelogaev and heavyweight Jared Rosholt were all first-round winners.
A third-period takedown was the difference in Oliver’s 3-2 win over Michigan’s Zac Stevens and Parks bagged two takedowns and an escape in the third period to separate the score in his 7-2 win over Purdue’s Juan Archuleta. Meade was in control of Rider’s Rob Morrison from the start, bagging two takedowns, a reversal and a pair of three-point nearfalls in his 14-4 major decision victory. Benefiel pitched an 8-0 major decision shutout against Kent State’s Keith Witt, scoring two takedowns and a reversal and adding over three minutes of riding time in his bonus point victory.
Foster kept the bonus-point trend going with his 16-3 major decision domination of Edinboro’s Patrick Bradshaw. Foster connected on five takedowns and added a pair of two-point nearfalls in his win.
Perhaps the Cowboys biggest win of the morning session came at 197 pounds, where unseeded Gelogaev toppled No. 9 Chad Beatty of Iowa. After a scoreless first period, the two wrestlers traded escapes to start the second and third periods, but that capped the regulation scoring. The sudden victory period went scoreless, but the real action came in the tiebreak period, where Gelogaev escaped quickly, then bagged a takedown to go up, 4-1. Beatty wiggled free in the second half of the tiebreaker, but couldn’t muster enough offense to seriously threaten the victorious Cowboy.
Rosholt rounded out the first-round action with a 4-0 win over Gardner Webb’s Dustin Porter. Rosholt scored a first-period takedown, then escaped in the second and rode Porter out in the third.
OSU 125-pounder Chris Notte fell victim to a five-point move in the third period in his 11-5 loss to unseeded Joseph Langel of Rutgers and Cowboy 157-pounder Neil Erisman couldn’t get off bottom in his 3-0 loss to Binghamton’s Justin Lister.
Oklahoma State’s team scoring total was dinged when the Cowboys were deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct during the morning session.
Wednesday’s evening session begins at 6:30 p.m., with the action streamed live on NCAA.com.
Team Standings (Through First Round)
1. Iowa – 21.5 points
2. Oklahoma State – 16 points
T3. Central Michigan – 15 points
T3. Lehigh – 15 points
T3. Wisconsin – 15 points
6. Cornell – 14 points
T7. Iowa State – 13 points
T7. Ohio State – 13 points
9. Oregon State – 11.5 points
T10. Minnesota – 11 points
T10. Missouri – 11 points
T10. Oklahoma – 11 points
First Round Results
125: Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. No.10 Chris Notte (OSU); 11-5
133: No. 4 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Zac Stevens (Michigan); 3-2
141: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Juan Archuleta (Purdue); 7-2
157: Justin Lister (Binghamton) dec. No. 11 Neil Erisman (OSU); 3-0
165: No. 10 Alex Meade (OSU) MD Rob Morrison (Rider); 14-4
174: No. 6 Mike Benefiel (OSU) MD Keith Witt (Kent State); 8-0
184: No. 5 Clayton Foster (OSU) MD Patrick Bradshaw (Edinboro); 16-3
197: Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. No. 9 Chad Beatty (Iowa); 4-2 TB1
285: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. Dustin Porter (Gardner Webb); 4-0
Championship Round of 16 (Begins tonight at 6:30 p.m.)
133: No. 4 Jordan Oliver (OSU) vs. David Marble (Bucknell)
141: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) vs. Derek Valenti (Virginia)
165: No. 10 Alex Meade (OSU) vs. No. 7 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa)
174: No. 6 Mike Benefiel (OSU) vs. No. 11 Josh Patterson (Binghamton)
184: No. 5 Clayton Foster (OSU) vs. No. 12 David Craig (Lehigh)
197: Alan Gelogaev (OSU) vs. No. 8 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota)
285: No. 2 Jared Rosholt (OSU) vs. Christopher Birchler (Edinboro)
Wrestleback First Round (Begins tonight at 6:30 p.m.)
125: No. 10 Chris Notte (OSU) vs. No. 7 James Nicholson (Old Dominion)
157: No. 11 Neil Erisman (OSU) vs. No. 6 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota)
Updated 03-18-2010
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