“I think overall with 23 guys wrestling, you have good, bad and ugly,” coach John Smith said. “I felt like the way we ended with three champs and the way we won those matches really gave me a good feeling. We had some guys help themselves this weekend. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t place at 197 pounds and we had three guys in the weight class. There’s a lot more good than bad and we’ll take it for now.”
Making it to the finals and earning titles was Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (157) and Nolan Boyd (184).
Heil handled each of his opponents leading up to the finals, giving up only 3-4 points per match. He faced Isaiah Locsin of Stanford in the 141-pound final, where Locsin struck first with two takedowns, but Heil only allowed the Cardinal two more points throughout the match as he took control of the bout. By the end of the first period, Heil notched two takedowns of his own to lead, 6-5, entering the second period. The Cowboy notched two more takedowns, an escape and a riding time to take the title at 141 pounds, 12-6.
“I didn't open the match up the way I wanted,” Heil said. “But once I got my first takedown I knew he couldn't hang with me on my feet. It was a good win. I’m glad I toughed it out through the injury, but I shouldn't be giving up takedowns like that, especially two of them.”
At 157 pounds, 16th-ranked Collica tallied a major decision and a technical fall, respectively, to start off the tournament. Collica went head-to-head with Alex Elder of Oregon State in the finals. Elder went on the board first with a quick takedown in the first. The two battled it out to the end of regulation, where the score was tied, 4-4. With no takedown scored in the sudden victory period, the match went to two 30-second tiebreaker periods. Elder started on bottom first and scored an escape in nine seconds, but Collica scored a takedown in the final seconds of the period to take a 6-5 advantage into the second half of the tiebreaker. Collica got the escape and held off Elder to earn the 157-pound title, 7-5.
“I was in a tough match,” Collica said. “I had to stay focused and try to tough it out to get the win.”
Boyd earned his way to the finals with two falls, one of which came over No. 19 Ben Stroh of Wyoming. Boyd, the No. 2 seed, faced top-seeded and fifth-ranked Taylor Meeks of Oregon State in the finals. The Cowboy snatched a quick takedown in the first period and rode out the Beaver for more than 2:50. Boyd reversed Meeks to start the second and kept dominating from there, tallying two additional takedowns and a riding time point to win, 9-3.
“I’m glad I got the win,” Boyd said. “I just can’t be happy with it. This wasn’t my end goal. I have bigger ones. I need to use this as a stepping stone.”
Four other Cowboys placed, including fourth-place finishes from Gary Wayne Harding (133), Davey Dolan (141) and Jordan Rogers (174). True freshman Mike Magaldo finished fifth at 141 pounds.
Also representing the Cowboys was Austin Miller and Connor Cline (125), Kyle Garcia and Brian Crutchmer (133), Dusty Hone (141), Michael Martin, Tyler Mann and Jonce Blaylock (149), Chris Koo (157), Chandler Rogers and Ryan Blees (165), Jordan Rogers (174), Luke Bean and Preston Weigel (197) and Ethan Driver (285).
Oklahoma State returns to action on Jan. 1-2, when the squad competes at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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