The Sooners defeated Bucknell (21-13), No. 20 Lock Haven (21-15) and Fresno State (27-8) on Friday to qualify for the event's semifinal round for the second consecutive season.
Four Sooners recorded perfect records on the day, with Christian Moody (125 pounds), Jake Rubio (133 pounds), Justin Thomas (157 pounds) and Yoanse Mejias (174 pounds) winning all three of their matches. OU earned five bonus-point victories over the three duals, including three pins (Davion Jeffries, Moody and Connor Webb), one techincal fall (Mike Longo) and a major decision (Rubio).
“I definitely think they wrestled harder and better than they did last weekend,†OU head coach Lou Rosselli said of his team's performance. “I still think we left a lot of points out there, but I think that's going to be a work in progress. I think if we continue to get better, grow and use energy when you're supposed to in scoring positions, our team will get some of the wins they want to get.
“We were in some positions that we could have certainly built on our lead, and we didn't,†he continued. “We've just got to get used to scoring bonus points. Every point matters. I think we did a better job than we did last weekend, but I think we need some growth still.â€
Oklahoma will face No. 9 Virginia Tech in Satuday's championship semifinal. The Sooners and the Hokies are scheduled to compete at 1 p.m. CT. Action will be livestreamed on TrackWrestling.com for a fee, and TrackWrestling will also provide live results. Fans can also follow along on Twitter (@OU_Wrestling) for live updates.
Oklahoma 21, Bucknell 13
No. 19 Moody gave OU a 3-0 advantage to start with a 6-2 decision over Geo Barzona at 125 pounds. After Moody took a 2-1 lead in the first period, Barzona escaped to start the second and tie the bout at 2-2. However, in the third frame, Moody recorded an escape, a takedown and the riding-time point to clinch the win.
At 133 pounds, Rubio extended OU's lead with a 6-2 decision of his own over David Campbell. He built a 2-1 advantage in the first period and extended it to 5-1 in the second with an escape and a takedown. Rubio secured the decision with the riding-time point.
Jeffries won by fall in 2:16 at 149 pounds over Seth Hogue. The pin marked Jeffries' fourth of the season, a team high.
Thomas added three more points for Oklahoma with a decision over Christian Bassolino at 157 pounds. The Sooner recorded four takedowns in the matchup and added an escape and the riding-time point to post a 10-5 victory.
No. 11 Mejias also claimed a 10-5 decision, defeating Nick Stephani in the 174-pound bout. Mejias set the pace with two takedowns in the first period, and the senior tacked on two more takedowns, an escape and the riding-time point in his first win of the day.
At 184 pounds, Matthew Waddell secured a 5-3 decison over Drew Phipps, recording an escape, a takedown, and a reversal.
Longo dropped a 10-2 major decision to No. 14 Tyler Smith at 141 pounds. In the 165-pound match, Dawaylon Barnes was defeated by D.J. Hollingshead in a 5-3 decision. Andrew Dixon fell in a close match with Garret Hoffman, 6-3. In his OU wrestling debut, Marquise Overton was downed by Brandon Stokes in a 9-4 decision.
Oklahoma 21, No. 20 Lock Haven 15
Moody started the second match with a bang, winning by fall over Luke Werner in 1:57. The redshirt sophomore's first pin of the season gave the Sooners a 6-0 lead early.
In the next bout, Rubio extended OU's advantage by claiming a 5-3 decision over DJ Fehlman. He used two takedowns and an escape to secure three team points.
At 157 pounds, Thomas used an impressive first round to earn an 8-7 win over Alex Klucker. In the first three minutes, Thomas recorded two takedowns and a four-point nearfall to claim an 8-1 advantage. Despite a comeback effort from Klucker, Thomas outlasted his opponent to earn his second win of the day.
Mejias defeated Jared Siegrist by a 6-5 decision in the 174-pound match, recording two takedowns and two escapes in the bout.
Following OU losses at the next two weight classes, the match was tied at 15-15 as it entered the heavyweight bout. Freshman Connor Webb triumphed over Derek Dragon, winning by fall in 4:36. Webb's second career pin clinched the upset for Oklahoma, 21-15.
At 141 pounds, Longo put together a late comeback effort that narrowly fell short as he was defeated by Kyle Shoop in a 10-8 decision. Jeffries dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 20 Ronnie Perry at 149 pounds. In the 165-pound match, Barnes was downed in a close contest with No. 7 Chance Marsteller, 5-4. Matthew Waddell was also edged by just one point, falling 8-7 to Corey Hazel at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, Dixon was defeated in a close 5-3 decision to Tristan Sponseller.
Oklahoma 27, Fresno State 8
For the third consecutive match, Moody gave OU an early lead, taking down Sean Williams at 125 pounds. He earned a takedown and two escapes in the matchup to claim a 4-3 decision.
Rubio claimed a 10-2 victory over Trevor Williams at 133 pounds. The redshirt junior jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the first period with two takedowns and added another in the second to hold a 6-2 lead. He tacked on an escape, another takedown and the riding-time point to earn his team-high fourth major decision of the season.
In the following match, Mike Longo recorded his second technical fall of the season with a 22-6 win over Chris DeLoza in 6:02. Leading 5-4 at the start of the second period, Longo tallied an escape, a takedown, a four-point nearfall and a two-point nearfall to grow his lead to 14-4. In the final frame, Longo added an escape, another takedown, another 4-point nearfall and the riding-time point.
At 157 pounds, Justin Thomas edged Greg Gaxiola in their second meeting of the season. After regulation ended in a 3-3 tie, Thomas recorded a takedown in the first overtime period to earn the 5-3 win.
In the 165-pound bout, Barnes and Isaiah Hokit were knotted at 2-2 with one period remaining. Barnes stormed ahead in the third frame, recording two escapes, two takedowns and the riding-time point to record a 9-4 decision.
Mejias claimed his third win of the day by 3-2 decision over Dominic Kincaid in the 174-pound matchup. After a scoreless first period, the senior earned his three points in the second frame with an escape and a takedown.
Trailing 5-4 at the end of two periods, Waddell came back to down Angel Solis at 184 pounds. The freshman earned an escape, a takedown and a four-point nearfall to clinch an 11-6 decision.
Dixon posted a 5-2 victory in the 197 pound match against Josh Hokit, recording two takedowns and an escape in the bout.
Jeffries was narrowly edged at 149 pounds by Khristian Olivas, 5-4. Webb was defeated by AJ Nevills in an 18-3 technical fall.
OU VS. BUCKNELL FINAL RESULTS
125 No. 19 Christian Moody (OU) dec. Geo Barzona (BU), 6-2
133 Jake Rubio (OU) dec. David Campbell (BU), 6-2
141 No. 14 Tyler Smith (BU) maj. dec. Mike Longo (OU), 10-2
149 Davion Jeffries (OU) fall Seth Hogue (BU), 2:16
157 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Christian Bassolino (BU), 10-5
165 D.J. Hollingshead (BU) dec. Dawaylon Barnes (OU), 5-3
174 No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (OU) dec. Nick Stephani (BU), 10-5
184 Matthew Waddell (OU) dec. Drew Phipps (BU), 5-3
197 Garret Hoffman (BU) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU), 6-3
HWT Brandon Stokes (BU) dec. Marquise Overton (OU), 9-4
OU VS. NO. 20 LOCK HAVEN FINAL RESULTS
125 No. 19 Christian Moody (OU) fall Luke Werner (LHU), 1:57
133 Jake Rubio (OU) dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU), 5-3
141 Kyle Shoop (LHU) dec. Mike Longo (OU), 10-8
149 No. 20 Ronnie Perry (LHU) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU), 6-1
157 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Alex Klucker (LHU), 8-7
165 No. 7 Chance Marsteller (LHU) dec. Dawaylon Barnes (OU), 5-4
174 No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (OU) dec. Jared Siegrist (LHU), 6-5
184 Corey Hazel (LHU) dec. Matthew Waddell (OU), 9-8
197 Tristan Sponseller (LHU) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU), 5-3
HWT Connor Webb (OU) fall Derek Dragon (LHU), 4:36
OU VS. FRESNO STATE FINAL RESULTS
125 No. 19 Christian Moody (OU) dec. Sean Williams (FSU), 4-3
133 Jake Rubio (OU) maj. dec. Trevor Williams (FSU), 10-2
141 Mike Longo (OU) tech. fall Chris DeLoza (FSU), 22-6 (6:02)
149 Khristian Olivas (FSU) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU), 5-4
157 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Greg Gaxiola (FSU), 5-3 (SV1)
165 Dawaylon Barnes (OU) dec. Isaiah Hokit (FSU), 9-4
174 No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (OU) dec. Dominic Kincaid (FSU), 3-2
184 Matthew Waddell (OU) dec. Angel Solis (FSU), 11-6
197 Andrew Dixon (OU) dec. Josh Hokit (FSU), 5-2
HWT AJ Nevills (FSU) tech. fall Connor Webb (OU), 18-3 (7:00)
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