Scouting the Field
The NCAA Tournament field is loaded with the best wrestlers from around the country. There are several teams looking to win an NCAA team title. Illinois is the only team in the field who qualified all 10 wrestlers after a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Minnesota is currently ranked No. 1 with two dual wins over OSU, but Michigan recently knocked off the Gophers in one of the final duals of the year. There will be plenty of excitement in the individual brackets as well. Six champions from 2005 will return to defend their titles. Four of those champions are Cowboys with Indiana's Joe Dubuque at 125 and Oklahoma's Teyon Ware at 141. Several finalist are returning as well and some will have the opportunity to dethrone the current champion, while others will be the favorite in their weight class.
Seniors Say Goodbye
Five Oklahoma State seniors wrestled their final match inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. It has been one of the most productive senior classes over the last 50 years combining to win three NCAA team titles, four individual titles, six All-American finishes and five Big 12 championships. The Cowboys have gone 33-1 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena over the last four years and 70-4 overall in duals. The seniors made senior day memorable all recording wins in their final match inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Steve Mocco recorded a fall and Rusty Blackmon rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win in sudden victory.
Gopher Bitten
Oklahoma State has dominated collegiate wrestling since the NCAA started conducting a championship in 1928. The Cowboys have been even more dominating of late winning the last three NCAA titles and compiling a 108-8 record over the last six seasons. There has been one team that has continually stuck out and that is Minnesota. The Gophers have handed OSU five of those eight losses and have won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, including twice this year. Oklahoma State still leads the all-time series at 16-9, but Minnesota is closing the gap.
Freshmen Become Sophomores
Head coach John Smith made a decision last winter to pull two freshmen out of redshirt because the Cowboys were struggling at both 125 and 133. Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan both became Big 12 champions later on that year, while Scott went on to finish eighth at the NCAA Championships at 125. The freshmen have become sophomores and have turned into two of the better wrestlers at their weight class in the country. Scott is 24-5 and is ranked as high as fifth in the country. Morgan has the best record on the team at 28-1 and is ranked second by the NWCA/Intermat Individual Rankings at 133 after defeating fourth-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota twice and third-ranked Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly.
Jake Rosholt Wins No. 100
With Jake Rosholt's first round decision over Joel Flaggert at the Big 12 Tournament, Rosholt won the 100th match for his career. Rosholt lost in the finals to Nebraska's B.J. Padden and now stands at a career record of 100-20. The 2006 season has been the first season of Rosholt's career that he has not missed any time due to an injury. Despite the injuries Rosholt is still a three-time All-American and two-time national champion.
Finals Loss an Omen for Rosholt
During the course of Jake Rosholt's career he has never won the Big 12 championship and the NCAA championship in the same season. As a freshman Rosholt lost in the finals to Scott Barker and he came back to claim the NCAA title two weeks later. Rosholt won his only Big 12 title as a sophomore, but he finished third at the NCAA Championships. Rosholt has lost the last two Big 12 titles to Nebraska's B.J. Padden. He came back to win the NCAA title in 2005 and is waiting to see if the pattern will hold true in 2006.
Johny Hendricks Opens Up on Offense
If heavyweight Steve Mocco is nicknamed the bear then Johny Hendricks is the bull. Hendricks has bullied his opponents on the mat and enters postseason competition with a 22-1 record. His bullying style and aggressive mentality has made him one of the most feared and hated wrestlers in the country. Opposing fans have grown to hate Hendricks for his excitement and joy for winning that has caused him to celebrate after victories. Hendricks has opened up his offense this season. He recorded 47 takedowns in his first two years combined compared to 48 takedowns this season. At times he has even dared his opponents to approach him. Hendricks will be looking to defend his Big 12 and NCAA titles come March.
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