Oklahoma State Overpowers Iowa on Their Way to A 27-12 Victory
On Sunday afternoon, in front of a packed and racous Gallagher-Iba arena crowd, the #2 Oklahoma State Cowboys won 7 key matches to defeat their rivals the #3 Iowa Hawkeyes 27-12. The day was highlighted by Nick Piccininni's second period fall over defending national champion Spencer Lee, the first match of the dual, a real momentum killer for the upset-minded Hawks. In the next bout, Daton Fix took a tight 2-0 mat-based decision over Austin DeSanto in a match that saw plenty of chippy action and hard handfighting. Overall, the Cowboys added another fall and six more wins to just overpower a game group of Iowa grapplers. Both teams have strong podium aspirations in the post-season, and we are sure to see some of these matches again come NCAA's.
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After an atypical scoreless first period between #4 Piccininni and #2 Lee, Picc went under the Hawkeye sophomore and escaped in about a minute before locking onto a single leg that he ended up converting to a cradle for the fall, a moment that sent the OSU faithful into an uproar. With a 28-0 record, Nick has a really strong case for a #1 ranking after such a dominant, elite victory. #2 Daton Fix held serve against #3 Austin DeSanto in a bout that held some controversy (as is the norm for DeSanto, sadly). There were some questionable non-calls towards Fix's backing out of bounds and an arm around the neck that was choking DeSanto for brief periods in the third, but ultimately Fix showed more skill on the mat and DeSanto was never able to get a good enough bite on a leg to convert for a takedown.
After a near upset at 141, where Max Murin added late points to nearly top Kaid Brock, Iowa went on a 3-match run, including an upset where #12 Pat Lugo beat #5 Kaden Gfeller 7-4 in a scramble-filled match. Lugo's low ankle shots and finishes paid dividends as he racked up enough takedowns to control the bout and score the needed victory. Kaleb Young held serve against the underrated Wyatt Sheets (who can make a real podium run in March) before a major fall by Alex Marinelli tied the score at 12 all after 6 matches. Unfortunately, that was the last points of the dual for Iowa.
Chandler Rogers bumped from 165 to 174, but the pinning machine caught Mitch Bowman in the third period with an assassin that really ended any momentum that the Hawkeyes had. Jacobe Smith and Preston Weigel got it done on the feet and on the mat by downing Cash Wilcke and Jacob Warner, respectively, and Derek White put the nail in the coffin by beating Sam Stoll.
As they head into the postseason, the Cowboys have an undefeated season behind them and are ready to really contend for all american and national champion honors, as do many of the Hawkeyes. Congratulations to both teams on a very entertaining dual filled with awesome athletes.
Box Score:
125lbs: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) fall No. 2 Spencer Lee (IOWA) 4:55, 6-0 OSU
133lbs: No. 2 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 3 Austin DeSanto (IOWA) 2-0, 9-0 OSU
141lbs: No. 12 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. No. 16 Max Murin (IOWA) 8-6, 12-0 OSU
149lbs: No. 12 Pat Lugo (IOWA) dec. No. 5 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) 7-4, 12-3 OSU
157lbs: No. 7 Kaleb Young (IOWA) dec. Wyatt Sheets (OSU) 9-5, 12-6 OSU
165lbs: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (IOWA) fall Jonce Blaylock (OSU) 2:44, 12-12
174lbs: No. 10 at 165lbs Chandler Rogers (OSU) fall Mitch Bowman (IOWA) 5:30 18-12 OSU
184lbs: No. 9 Jacobe Smith (OSU) dec. No. 12 Cash Wilcke (IOWA) 6-3, 21-12 OSU
197lbs: No. 6 Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. No. 4 Jacobe Warner (IOWA) 5-3, 24-12 OSU
285lbs: No. 2 Derek White (OSU) dec. No. 8 Sam Stoll (IOWA) 3-1, 27-12 OSU
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