With the win, OSU improved to 14-2-1 on the year. Wyoming fell to 11-6-0.
Prior to the dual, Oklahoma State seniors Neil Erisman and Clayton Foster were honored by the home crowd as part of OSU’s Senior Day celebration. The two wrestlers then gave the fans more to celebrate during their respective bouts, with Erisman scoring a 10-1 major decision win over Jimmy Belleville and Foster pinning L.J. Helbig in 2:12.
"It feels great. I don't know how many people can say that got a pin on their last match in Gallagher,” Foster said. “It feels good."
Erisman had a taste of nostalgia after the match was over.
"It feels good. It is kind of hard knowing that it’s the last time you are going to wrestle here, but I am excited for the rest of the season and I want to finish strong and get to where I want to be at the end," Erisman said.
Freshman Jon Morrison and sophomore Jordan Oliver also provided bonus-point victories Sunday, with Morrison rolling to an impressive 10-1 major decision win over No. 12 Michael Martinez and Oliver recording a 16-0 technical fall triumph that was stopped with eight seconds left in the first period. It marked the second time this year that Oliver scored a technical fall victory in the first period.
"Good effort by our team. We put a lot of points on the board and bonus points,” Coach John Smith said. “Jon Morrison, no question, from Friday night to tonight, I don't know if he was mad at me because I criticized him a little bit. Maybe I need to criticize him more because he looked like an animal tonight against a very tough 12th-ranked wrestler in the country. I'm glad he found that focus and pleased to see him really turn something around quickly.”
Other impressive wins for Oklahoma State came at 165 pounds, where Dallas Bailey was a 6-3 upset winner over No. 5 Shane Onufer and at 141 pounds, where Jamal Parks was a comfortable 6-1 winner over No. 20 Cole Dallaserra. Bailey trailed Onufer for most of the bout, but he connected on a four-point move with a reversal into a two-point nearfall with 30 seconds left to take a 4-2 lead. He added a second two-point nearfall with four seconds left to erase all doubt.
"(Onufer) was aggressive in the first period, but we went scoreless,” Bailey said. “Then in the second period, I got reversed and ridden out. It didn't start out the way I wanted to. It was kind of one big flurry at the end. It is not something you plan out, you act and react and we do it enough every day so you just trust your senses.
"A match like that against a high-caliber wrestler gets your confidence going into the back stretch and you can say 'hey I am right here with these guys in the top 10 and the top five,' so if nothing else it gives you confidence going into the Big 12 and national tournaments,” Bailey said.
Oklahoma State wraps up the regular season next Sunday when the travel to Norman for a rematch with Bedlam Series rival Oklahoma. The two teams met in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Dec. 12, with OSU claiming a 22-12 victory over the Sooners.
Results:
141: No. 17 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Kasey Garnhart (UW); 8-3
149: No. 7 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. No. 20 Cole Dallaserra (UW); 6-1
157: No. 15 Neil Erisman (OSU) MD Jimmy Belleville (UW); 10-1
165: No. 15 Dallas Bailey (OSU) dec. No. 5 Shane Onufer (UW); 6-3
174: No. 16 Mike Benefiel (OSU) dec. Patrick Martinez (UW); 8-5
184: No. 3 Joe LeBlanc (UW) dec. No. 9 Chris Perry (OSU); 4-3
197: No. 2 Clayton Foster (OSU) fall L.J. Helbig (UW); 2:12
285: Blake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Matthew McLaughlin (UW); 4-2
125: No. 7 Jon Morrison (OSU) MD No. 12 Michael Martinez (UW); 10-1
133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) TF5 No. 15 Tyler Cox (UW); 16-0, 2:52
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