Oklahoma State Handles Lehigh as a Prelude to Bedlam on Sunday
(This story originated with Oklahoma State University athletic media relations and was written by Jake LeForce.)
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State wrestling team defeated No. 20 Lehigh, 25-12, in its first dual in nearly a month Friday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU improved to 2-0 on the season, while Lehigh fell to 0-3.
After splitting the first two bouts of the night, the Cowboys rattled off six straight wins to take control of the dual. On a night when Oklahoma State was without veterans Daton Fix and Luke Surber, young talent stepped up to carry OSU to victory.
"We knew we were going to have to overcome some things coming into this one, and I think we did for the most part,” head coach John Smith said. “It wasn't anything perfect, but it was good. I saw some guys trying to stretch their scores when they knew we needed major decisions. We were able to get that at 165 and 184. Nice win from Thompson getting his first win. Saw a little different demeanor, and he trusted the process tonight. I thought we learned a little bit about ourselves at the heavyweight. Nice job at 141 with the tech fall, and we expected that, but it was still a nice job to go out and get it done."
Troy Spratley got the Cowboys started off on the right foot, riding a first period takedown to ultimately defeat Luke Stanich, 4-2. At 133 pounds, Reece Witcraft took on top-ranked Ryan Crookham, who was able to get the Mountain Hawks on the board with an 11-2 major decision.
Tagen Jamison, who shot up to No. 9 at 141 pounds in Intermat’s latest poll, opened the flood gates for six straight Cowboy wins with a 17-2 technical fall over Ethan Smith in 5:15. It was the first tech fall of Jamison’s young career.
Jordan Williams then added a 10-5 decision over Drew Munch before Teague Travis downed No. 25 Max Brignola, 5-1, at 157 pounds. The win was Travis’ first over a ranked opponent in his career, an impressive feat after competing solely at 149 pounds so far this season.
"It felt really good to go out there and get a strong win,” Travis said. “To be stingy, dig deep and win a tough match felt good. I had to keep pushing forward, keep a good position and not give up easy takedowns.”
Izzak Olejnik picked up his sixth ranked win of the season with a 14-5 major decision over No. 33 Jake Logan. Olejnik is now 12-0 on the season and has defeated a ranked opponent in five straight matches.
At 174 pounds, standout freshman Brayden Thompson reeled in the first win of his collegiate career, defeating Thayne Lawrence, 8-2. The freshman secured late takedowns in both the second and third periods to claim the match.
Dustin Plott then followed up Thompson’s victory with 9-1 major decision over Caden Rogers. With the win, Plott earned his team-best 11th bonus point victory in just 13 matches this season, good for an 84.6% bonus win percentage.
Ninth-ranked Michael Beard earned an 18-2 tech fall against Kyle Haas, who was making his second career dual start and first of the season. In the final match of the night, No. 16 Nathan Taylor narrowly held off Konner Doucet, 3-2.
The Cowboys will head down to Norman, Okla., for the first of two Phillips 66 Bedlam Series duals on Sunday. The meeting is slated for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+ at McCasland Field House.
No. 11 Oklahoma State 25, No. 20 Lehigh 12
Dec. 8, 2023 | Gallagher-Iba Arena | Stillwater, Okla.
Attendance: 3,663
125: No. 21 Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. Luke Stanich (LEH), 4-2
133: No. 1 Ryan Crookham (LEH) MD Reece Witcraft (OSU), 11-2
141: No. 9 Tagen Jamison (OSU) TF Ethan Smith (LEH), 17-2, 5:15
149: No. 24 Jordan Williams (OSU) dec. Drew Munch (LEH), 10-5
157: Teague Travis (OSU) dec. No. 25 Max Brignola (LEH), 5-1
165: No. 2 Izzak Olejnik (OSU) MD No. 33 Jake Logan (LEH), 14-5
174: Brayden Thompson (OSU) dec. Thayne Lawrence (LEH), 8-2
184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU) MD Caden Rogers (LEH), 9-1
197: No. 9 Michael Beard (LEH) TF Kyle Haas (OSU), 18-2, 5:33
HWT: No. 16 Nathan Taylor (LEH) dec. No. 11 Konnor Doucet (OSU), 4-3