The victory improved the fourth-ranked Cowboys to 15-2-1 on the year, while the Sooners fell to 16-3-1. It also gave OSU a 126-26-10 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools.
The heavyweight bout was ripe with drama, as the two teams were deadlocked at 16 going into the match and the two wrestlers had split their previous two meetings this season. After a scoreless first period, Rosholt escaped and quickly took Fernandez down at the 1:43 mark of the second period. Fernandez got loose to bring the score to 3-1, then escaped again to start the third period to trim Rosholt’s lead to 3-2. From that point on, the Cowboy senior fought off Fernandez’s takedown attempts and added a riding time point to claim a 4-2 victory and push his team to the Bedlam win.
“He’s been in a lot of situations where we’ve needed him and I’ll just tell you that was probably one of the biggest ones he’s ever delivered for us,” OSU coach John Smith said of Rosholt’s performance. “He was 1-1 with Fernandez this year. He’s a fifth-year senior on senior night. That’s a match he’ll remember. That’s going to be a good memory. We’ll be talking in our wrestling circles about that. It’s always nice to smile and be able to say ‘this is what I did’. Good for Jared and he deserves it.”
“I wasn't really looking forward to it coming down to that match, but I think it’s good to have that adversity,” Rosholt said. “It's a great way to win my last home dual here.”
Oklahoma got off to a fast start by winning three of the first four bouts in the dual, with the lone exception a 7-5 victory from Cowboy 133-pounder Jordan Oliver over Kendric Maple. Oliver trailed, 4-2 with 19 seconds left but scored when Maple was hit with a penalty point for stalling, then added two takedowns in the final 16 seconds to send the crowd of 4,849 into an eruption and claim his win.
OSU junior Neil Erisman avenged an earlier loss to No. 12 Shane Vernon at 157 pounds with a 7-3 victory Sunday. That win set off a string of four consecutive Cowboy victories, as 165-pounder Alex Meade followed with a 6-2 win over Tyler Caldwell, 174-pounder Mike Benefiel added a 12-6 win over No. 19 Jeff James that didn’t feel as close as the score indicated and 184-pounder Clayton Foster claimed a 12-2 major decision win over Erich Schmidtke.
Sixth-ranked Eric Lapotsky overcame getting taken down three times in the first 50 seconds of his bout with Alan Gelogaev to pin the Cowboy sophomore with 25 seconds left in the second period. The two wrestlers started the second period in the neutral position and Lapotsky shot in immediately for a takedown, then worked to eventually get Gelogaev to his back for the fall.
The win put a cap on the regular season for the Cowboys. The Pokes return to the mat for the Big 12 Championships in Norman on March 6.
Results:
125: No. 15 Jarrod Patterson (OU) dec. No. 9 Chris Notte (OSU); 2-1
133: No. 3 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. No. 19 Kendric Maple (OU); 7-5
141: No. 3 Zack Bailey (OU) dec. No. 7 Jamal Parks (OSU); 3-2
149: No. 4 Kyle Terry (OU) MD Quinten Fuentes (OSU); 14-5
157: No. 14 Neil Erisman (OSU) dec. No. 12 Shane Vernon (OU); 7-3
165: No. 8 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. Tyler Caldwell (OU); 6-2
174: No. 9 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. No. 19 Jeff James (OU); 12-6
184: No. 9 Clayton Foster (OSU) MD Erich Schmidtke (OU); 12-2
197: No. 6 Eric Lapotsky (OU) fall No. 8 Alan Gelogaev (OSU); 4:35
285: No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) dec. No. 13 Nathan Fernandez (OU); 4-2
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