Oklahoma State Pounces on Pitt Early and Often in 31-6 Dual Win
The No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys wasted no time in the first of a double dual weekend back in the northeast as they trounced No. 15 Pittsburgh 31-6 inside Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. It was the lighter Cowboys first to the mat that built up an overwhelming advantage as Oklahoma State led 24-0 before the Panthers registered their first win. It all started with 125-pounder Troy Spratley who kicked the night off with the only fall of the dual.
Spratley, as he does, started quick with a single leg move that he slid into a trip for the opening takedown on No. 28 Colton Camacho. Spratley started the second period down and picked up a quick escape to lead 4-0 before he turned a single leg into a full sprawl and a takedown for a 7-0 lead and he rode out the second period for commanding riding time.
Spratley was on top to start the third period and put Camacho on his back and picked up a three-point near fall and then came right back and reset his command and put Camacho on his back and scored the fall at 5:51. The No. 19-ranked Spratley had five tech falls this season but that was the first pin of the year as he went to 12-3 on the season and put the Pokes out to a 6-0 lead.
Here came Daton Fix with just his fourth match of the season and the No. 3 three-time NCAA runner-up dominated No. 18 Vinnie Santaniello scoring a takedown and then right into a four-point near fall and a 7-0 lead.
In the second period Fix started on top and turned Santaniello briefly for a two-point near fall and he rode him the entire period to add even more time to his first period ride. There was a stall call on Santaniello in the third period and with riding time it added up to an 11-0 major decision as Fix went to 4-0 on the season and Oklahoma State led Pitt 10-0.
No. 8 Tagen Jamison of Durant, Okla. had Pitts No. 27 Cole Mathews at 141 pounds and the Cowboys started fast again. Jamison hit a pair of moves for first period takedowns, the second an impressive double leg and a 6-1 lead.
After a second period escape by Jamison, Mathews got his second point of the match with a third period escape starting in the down position. The riding time held as it was massive and Jamison had an 8-2 decision. Oklahoma State had a 13-0 lead.
Head coach John Smith pulled an audible at 149 pounds and sent out senior Sammy Alvarez instead of red-shirt freshman Jordan Williams. Alvarez came in with a 13-3 record and he didn’t disappoint as he fell behind 3-1 in the first period but had the lead by the end of the first three minutes when he put Solomon on his back in a neutral position but kept him on his back long enough to get a takedown called.
After Solomon got an escape to tie the match at 4-4 in the second period, Alvarez in a scramble worked into a takedown as he worked through the back door to get control and a 7-4 lead. After an escape to go up 8-4, Alvarez got another takedown again out of another scramble for an 11-4 lead. The riding time made it a 12-4 major decision. Alvarez first win in a dual for the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State led 17-0!
The Cowboys 157 pounder Teague Travis ranked No. 20 and 10-1 on the season provided more of the same with a quick takedown as he caught his opponent freshman Jared Keslar off balance. He added three more takedowns in the match and walked away with a 14-3 major decision and the Cowboys led 21-0.
“Pretty good effort at those first five weights,” Smith said after his 482nd dual win . “Really looked good, scored points, separated the scores and did a good job. Sammy Alvarez’s first match out was really good. Teague followed it up, and then won at 165. When you take the first six matches in what could be a tight dual meet, you don’t give them much hope.”
At 165, No. 2-ranked Izzak Olejnik was kind of boring compared to the others before him, but Olejnik was wrestling No, 8 Holden Heller. Olejunik looked like he had a takedown several times early and John Smith called for a review. After the review, which ruled no score, Olejnik started the second period with an escape and then used a single leg for a takedown. He won the match with a 5-2 decision and he is now 16-0 on the season and 3-0 in his career against Holden.
Oklahoma State led 24-0.
At 174 Brayden Thompson lost his match to No. 15 Luca Augustine in overtime as the Pitt wrestler won in tiebreaker 1, a 2-1 match where all the scoring came on escapes.
No. 2 Dustin Plott went to 16-1 on the season and put the Cowboys out of reach in the dual with a 14-4 major decision over No. 12 Reece Heller. OSU led 28-3.
Luke Surber was back after injury at 197 pounds, but the No. 12-ranked Surber showed some rust and lost a 5-2 decision to No, 15 Mac Stout of Pitt.
The match closed out at heavyweight and Konnor Doucet with a 3-0 decision. Doucet, who is ranked No. 11 went to 10-2 on the season.
The Cowboys, now 6-0 will try to improve their 2-0 mark in the Big 12 when they wrestle West Virginia at noon on Sunday in the WVU Coliseum.
No. 5 Oklahoma State 31, No. 15 Pittsburgh 6 Jan. 12, 2024 | Fitzgerald Field House | Pittsburgh, PA. Attendance: 2,510
125: No. 19 Troy Spratley (OSU) fall No. 28 Colton Camacho (PITT), 5:52
133: No. 3 Daton Fix (OSU) MD No. 18 Vinnie Santaniello (PITT), 11-0
141: No. 8 Tagen Jamison (OSU) dec. No. 27 Cole Matthews (PITT), 8-2
149: Sammy Alvarez (OSU) MD No. 26 Finn Solomon (PITT), 12-4
157: No. 20 Teague Travis (OSU) MD Jared Keslar (PITT), 14-3
165: No. 2 Izzak Olejnik (OSU) dec. No. 8 Holden Heller (PITT), 5-2
174: No. 15 Luca Augustine (PITT) dec. No. 28 Brayden Thompson (OSU), TB-1 2-1
184: No. 2 Dustin Plott (OSU) MD No. 12 Reece Heller (PITT), 14-4
197: No. 15 Mac Stout (PITT) dec. No. 12 Luke Surber (OSU), 5-2
285: No. 11 Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. No. 9 Dayton Pitzer (PITT), 3-0