Cowboys Only Claim Three Champs in Their Tournament, but Daton Fix was Triumphant
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State crowned three champions but left a lot of glory on the mat in the finals as the Cowboys had five other wrestlers in the championship finals and three were favored and all lost.
The most important matches for the Cowboys came at 133-pounds where top-ranked Daton Fix returned to the collegiate mat following a suspension from USADA for a small amount of the banned substance ostarine in his system following an international event. The suspension was amended to allow him to come back and compete for both the NCAA season and for the Olympic team. The reason for the change was USADA felt that Fix did not ingest the drug intentionally.
“It bothered me, my reputation, my name,” Fix said of what bothered him most about the ordeal. “Coach told me that I can’t worry about what anybody else thinks.”
Still, the late start to the season meant that Fix needed four matches to qualify for the NCAA in any case other than a Big 12 Championship and an automatic berth. He should get that, but this was still critical. Fix won all three of his matches in the Cowboy Challenge by falls. He pinned Missouri’s Cam Valdiviez at 4:06, Wyoming’s Job Greenwood at 5:16, and in the finals after his most competitive first period, pinned Ryan Sullivan at 5:12. Fix was leading 12-4 when he reversed Sullivan and then flipped him to his back in the midst of the reverse and ended the match. Fix is 3-0 heading into Bedlam next Sunday in Stillwater.
“He has a lot better competition coming, but it was sure fun to watch him,” head coach John Smith said of his only top-ranked indidivual. “He has a lot better competition coming and I thought he showed a rust. Not a lot, but a little bit, and he got better and better each match.
“It was huge for me and something that I have been looking forward to,” Fix said. “It has been a long time since I’ve been able to wrestle anybody other than a teammate. For the most part I felt good, but it is different when you are wrestling outside competiton and you have to get into your rhythm. When you are drilling with the same guy everyday, you gain their timing and then you wrestle anybody else it is different. You have to get back into that.”
Oklahoma State’s three freshman starters all struggled as 125-pounder Trevor Mastrogiovanni lost in his first match of the day, a 9-6 decision lost to Noah Surtin of Missouri.
Dustin Plott at 174-pounds made the finals but was struggling some with nerve issues in his shoulders which were taped up with pain relieving tape. Plott and Hayden Hastings of Wyoming traded takedowns and escapes with Plott leading 4-2 after the first period. It was tied 5-5 after the second. Then in the third with Plott leading 6-5, Hastings went low for a takedown and started mounting up riding time. Plott got the escape but not before Hastings had the built up the riding time to 1:59 and that was the difference in the 8-7 decision.
The third freshman starter and maybe the most celebrated or at least most popular A.J. Ferrari won his quarterfinal match with a 17-1 tech fall, but in the semifinal he lost to West Virginia’s ranked Noah Adams in a 3-2 decision. Ferrari had chances but was wrestling a lot from his knees and Adams fended off his moves to finish the match.
“Just a matter of time and you wish they’d had that experience first semester and would going to a different level now,” Smith said of the freshmen. “You are wrestling three true freshmen and they are going to go through their ups and downs. You hope by the end they are a little bit harder and callosed over and make good choices. Dustin had a nice 4-2 lead after the first and went blank for second. These guys are tough, these upperclassmen and they recognize who they are wrestling.”
The other Cowboys champions came at 165 pounds where Travis Wittlake breezed through is competition and took a dominating 14-2 major decision over Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Wittlake stays unbeaten on the season at 11-0.
Then at heavyweight it was Cowboys vs. Cowboy as Austin Harris in a match similar to the one he and Konner Doucet had in the ranking matches back on Jan. 4, won with a reversal in tiebreaker 1 to win 3-1.
You definitely got the feeling that winning just three individual championships in the four-team, eight-man bracket tournament was not exactly the result head coach John Smith was looking for. The Cowboys had five second-place finishers as Dusty Hone had his knee lock up and had to injury default at 141-pounds. Boo Lewallen lost his first match of the season, a 7-5 decision, to Missouri’s Brock Mauller at 149-pounds. Wyatt Sheets lost on a first period takedown 3-2 to Wyoming’s Jacob Wright. Plott’s loss at 174-pounds and Dakota Geer lost a 10-6 decision giving up a sloppy takedown to Tate Samuelson right after he escaped Geer in the third period.
Hone’s injury at 141-pounds could be a problem as Oklahoma State is not real deep with talent at the weight.
“It is what it is and we’ll figure out something,” said Smith. “We have people that can wrestle.”
Oklahoma State could have some extra practice partners depending on travel as West Virginia and Wyoming may be stuck in Stillwater.
All Championship Bracket Results Involving Oklahoma State Wrestlers
125 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Noah Surtin, Missouri (5-2) won by 9-6 decision over Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma State (9-2)
Brendon Garcia, Wyoming (4-12) won by tech fall (16-0) 4:34 over Colten Klein, Oklahoma State (0-1)
Derrick Stacey, Wyoming (3-7) won by 3-1 decision over Jakason Burks, Oklahoma State (6-1)
133 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Daton Fix, Oklahoma State (2-0) won by fall 4:06 over Cam Valdiviez, Missouri (0-4)
Trey Crawford, Missouri (3-3) won by fall 1:49 over Reece Witcraft, Oklahoma State (7-4)
Ryan Sullivan, West Virginia (7-1) won by fall 2:17 over Andrew Nieman, Oklahoma State (2-6)
Semifinals
Daton Fix, Oklahoma State (2-0) won by fall 5:16 over Job Greenwood, Wyoming (7-5)
Finals
Daton Fix, Oklahoma State (3-0) won by fall 5:12 over Ryan Sullivan, West Virginia (7-2)
141 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Dusty Hone, Oklahoma State (7-3) won by 4-0 decision over Darren Green, Wyoming (6-6)
Semifinals
Dusty Hone, Oklahoma State (7-3) won by 4-2 decision over Jeff Boyd, West Virginia (6-6)
Finals
Josh Edmond, Missouri (11-0) won by inj. default 4:04 over Dusty Hone, Oklahoma State (7-4)
149 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Jarod Kadel, Oklahoma State (1-2) won by 9-6 decision over Brayden Roberts, West Virginia (4-7)
Jaron Jensen, Wyoming (2-7) won by fall 4:35 over Cole Van Vleet, Oklahoma State (0-1)
Boo Lewallen, Oklahoma State (11-0) won by fall 2;41 over Precious Essien, Missouri (0-2)
Semifinals
Brock Mauller, Missouri (12-0) won by 16-4 major decision over Jarod Kadel, Oklahoma State (1-2)
Boo Lewallen, Oklahoma State (11-0) won by 12-4 major decision over Jaron Jensen, Wyoming (2-7)
Finals
Brock Mauller, Missouri (13-0) wins TB1 7-5 decision over Boo Lewallen, Oklahoma State (11-1)
157 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State (5-2) won by 14-4 major decision over Mitchell Bohlken, Missouri (1-2)
Alex Hornfeck, West Virginia (5-5) won by 11-2 major decision over Daniel Manibog, Oklahoma State (3-5) Jalin Harper, Oklahoma State (6-2) won by 5-0 decision over Caleb Dowling, West Virginia (5-2)
Jacob Wright, Wyoming (11-2) won by 14-4 major decision over Chance McLane, Oklahoma State (0-1)
Semifinals
Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State (5-2) won by 8-2 decision over Alex Hornfeck, West Virginia (5-5)
Jacob Wright, Wyoming (11-2) won by 8-2 decision over Jalin Harper, Oklahoma State (6-2)
Finals
Jacob Wright, Wyoming (12-2) won by 3-2 decision over Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State (5-3)
165 Pounds
Semifinals
Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State (10-0) won by 8-4 decision over Cole Moody, Wyoming (10-4)
Finals
Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State (11-0) won by 14-2 major decision over Peyton Hall, West Virginia (10-2)
174 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Hayden Hastings, Wyoming (10-1) won by 5-2 decision over Christian Bahl, Oklahoma State (4-2)
Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State (10-0) won by 11-3 major decision over Anthony D`Alesio, West Virginia (0-1)
Semifinals
Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State (10-0) won by 9-6 decision over Scott Joll, West Virginia (7-5)
Finals
Hayden Hastings, Wyoming (11-1) won by 8-7 decision over Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State (10-1)
184 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Dakota Geer, Oklahoma State (9-1) won by 19-2 tech fall 4:26 over Jake Raschka, Missouri (1-2)
Semifinals
Dakota Geer, Oklahoma State (10-1) won by 17-2 tech fall 3:46 over Jackson Moomau, West Virginia (4-5)
Finals
Tate Samuelson, Wyoming (10-2) won by 10-6 decision over Dakota Geer, Oklahoma State (10-2)
197 Pounds
Quarterfinals
Luke Surber, Oklahoma State (8-1) won by 19-5 major decision over Jack Flynn, Missouri (0-1)
AJ Ferrari, Oklahoma State) 10-1 won by 17-1 tech fall 4:27 over Jace Punke, Missouri (0-1)
Semifinals
Stephen Buchanan, Wyoming (8-2) won by injury default 5:00 over Luke Surber, Oklahoma State (8-1)
Noah Adams, West Virginia (10-1) won by 3-2 decision over AJ Ferrari, Oklahoma State (10-1)
Heavyweight
Quarterfinals
Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State (6-2) won SV-1 3-1 decision over Tucker Tomlinson, Wyoming (4-7)
Austin Harris, Oklahoma State (7-3) received a bye
Semifinals
Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State (6-2) won by 3-1 decision over Michael Wolfgram, West Virginia (7-4)
Austin Harris, Oklahoma State (7-3) won by 5-1 decision over Seth Nitzel, Missouri (1-1)
Finals
Austin Harris, Oklahoma State (8-3) won by 4-1 decision over Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State (6-3)