Oklahoma State Wrestlers Lose to UNI as Home Win Streak Ends
STILLWATER – The fourth-longest home winning streak in Oklahoma State wrestling history came to an end Saturday night as the Cowboys fell just short in their comeback bid in the 19-15 loss to Northern Iowa. OSU had won 26 consecutive matches in Gallagher-Iba Arena since their last loss at home on Jan. 27, 2018.
With the Cowboys trailing 16-12 with two bouts remaining, redshirt junior Gavin Stika made his dual debut for Oklahoma State at 197 pounds in place of top-ranked AJ Ferrari, who was unavailable. Ferrari was not even at the match. He was involved in a head-on collision on Highway 33 near Perkins on Monday night with track and cross country athlete Isai Rodriguez. Ferrari was flown to Oklahoma City by helicopter from the accident scene, but did not end up having any serious injuries. He has a concussion and has reportedly been getting bedrest at home.
Coming into the match, Stika was 11-3 on the season having wrestled in open tournaments at 184 pounds. Stika opened the scoring in the second period with an escape and takedown after a scoreless opening period. A third period ride out from Stika resulted in a 4-1 decision over John Gunderson that gave OSU a chance to win the dual at heavyweight.
“It was a nice win for him,” head coach John Smith said. “He hasn’t had the chance this year to start, and he did a nice job. He stayed in a good position. He probably gave up a little bit of size, but in the end, just a good effort from the standpoint of riding, breaking the guy down and finishing his shot.”
The dual meet came down to the heavyweight match between No. 29 Luke Surber and UNI’s Tyrell Gordon, with the Pokes trailing by one point in the team score. An escape in the third period was the difference in the match as Surber could not finish on a shot late in the bout. Gordon collected the riding time point with 1:56 and the 2-0 decision, sealing the win for the Panthers.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, Oklahoma State got out to a 12-0 lead with wins over ranked opponents in the first four matches of the contest. No. 6 Trevor Mastrogiovanni remained undefeated on the season with a takedown in sudden victory for a 7-5 win over No. 13 Brody Teske, while Daton Fix, Carter Young and Kaden Gfeller each claimed decisions of their own at 133, 141 and 149 pounds.
The Panthers won their first match at 157 pounds where Derek Holschlag upset No. 13 Wyatt Sheets, 3-2. OSU dropped four straight bouts from 157 pounds to 184 pounds, which included a pin at 174 pounds and a major decision from fourth-ranked Parker Keckeisen over No. 9 Dakota Geer at 184.
Oklahoma State will still have a chance to claim win No. 500 in Gallagher-Iba Arena this weekend against No. 7 Iowa State tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT.
“We need this. We need a quick turnaround, and we need to wrestle,” Smith said. “ It was a poor effort on our part. Even some of the matches that we did win, I felt like it wasn’t enough for sure.”
Northern Iowa 19, No. 3 Oklahoma State 15
Jan. 29, 2022 | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla.
Attendance: 4,304
125: No. 6 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) dec. No. 13 Brody Teske (UNI), SV-1 7-5
133: No. 2 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 24 Kyle Biscoglia (UNI), 5-1
141: No. 21 Carter Young (OSU) dec. No. 23 Cael Happel (UNI), 10-6
149: No. 14 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 33 Colin Realbuto (UNI), 3-2
157: Derek Holschlag (UNI) dec. No. 13 Wyatt Sheets (OSU), 3-2
165: No. 18 Austin Yant (UNI) dec. No. 6 Travis Wittlake (OSU), 2-0
174: No. 21 Lance Runyon (UNI) fall No. 8 Dustin Plott (OSU), 4:59
184: No. 4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) MD No. 9 Dakota Geer (OSU), 12-3
197: Gavin Stika (OSU) dec. John Gunderson (UNI), 4-1
HWT: Tyrell Gordon (UNI) dec. No. 29 Luke Surber (OSU), 2-0