Cowboys trip Pitt, improve to 10-0
BY KYLE FREDRICKSON World Correspondent
Monday, January 21, 2013
1/21/13 at 5:57 AM
STILLWATER - No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State came from behind to defeat No. 17 Pittsburgh 26-14 in a Sunday afternoon wrestling dual meet at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys remained perfect at 10-0.
"That's a great team, a lot better than I think the score indicated," Eric Guerrero, the Cowboys' head assistant coach, said of the Panthers. "From a technical, tactical and performance standpoint, there's quite a bit of good, a little shaky. A lot of that is critical, crunch-time wrestling. We'll continue to work on that."
Entering the fourth match of the dual, OSU was in an 8-6 hole.
That's when Jordan Oliver took the mat.
Oliver, the Cowboys' No. 1-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, hasn't given up a takedown all season. That didn't change on Sunday in a 14-4 major decision over Ronnie Garbinski.
"I really can't let the dual affect how I'm going to perform out there," Oliver said of the team score. "Of course, I knew we were down two and I always look forward to getting bonus points.
"But I just wanted to focus on going out there to put points on the board and getting a high-intensity match going. That's the pace I like to wrestle."
The Cowboys won five of the final six bouts.
Among those wins, No. 3-ranked Tyler Caldwell (165 pounds) defeated No. 13 Tyler Wilps, 5-1; No. 1 Chris Perry (174 pounds) recorded a 12-4 major decision over Nick Bonaccorsi; and No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (285 pounds) edged No. 7 Zac Thomusseit, 8-3.
OSU's No. 16 Blake Rosholt nearly provided the upset of the afternoon against No. 2 Matt Wilps at 197 pounds, but Rosholt was pinned in the second tiebreaker, in 8:37.
"It's going to be a team effort," Guerrero said. "Great job to our leaders; I think they're leading by example. But it's not all on them. We have other capable guys that need to believe they can do the same."
The Cowboys now prepare to face Arizona State in Tempe next Sunday. With less than a month until national duals and a difficult nonconference schedule ahead, the Cowboys will look to maintain their recent success.
"We're taking it one dual at a time, one week at a time," Oliver said. "Every week we go in to see what we need to get better on and what to focus on. That's going to put us in position to win national duals and win a national title at the end of the year."
No. 2 OSU 26, No. 17 Pittsburgh 14
125: Eddie Klimara (OSU) fall Derrick Nelson (Pitt), 6:23
133: No. 16 Shelton Mack (Pitt) dec. Tyler Dorrell (OSU), 13-6
141: Travis Shaffer (Pitt) TF5 Julian Feikert (OSU), 15-0, 2:32
149: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) MD Ronnie Garbinsky (Pitt), 14-4
157: No. 10 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. Donnie Tasser (Pitt), 8-2
165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OSU) dec. No. 13 Tyler Wilps (Pitt), 5-1
174: No. 1 Chris Perry (OSU) MD Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt), 12-4
184: No. 14 Chris Chionuma (OSU) dec. No. 13 Max Thomusseit (Pitt), 7-2
197: No. 2 Matt Wilps (Pitt) fall No. 16 Blake Rosholt (OSU), 8:37 TB
285: No. 3 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. No. 7 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt), 8-3
