Jonathan Dickson
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State wrestling team will travel to Minneapolis to take on the No. 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers in Maturi Pavilion on Saturday night.
Dual Details
Date/Times: at Minnesota – Nov. 20, 2021/ 7 p.m. CT
Location: Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minn.
Watch: Big 10 Network
Listen: Pete 94.3 KSPI-FM/KSPI-AM 780
Live Stats: Trackwrestling.com
The Basics
The sixth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team (1-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) will hit the road this week for a top-15 matchup with Minnesota. The Cowboys and No. 11 Golden Gophers will square off at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday in Maturi Pavilion.
The Series – Minnesota
Oklahoma State and Minnesota have met a total of 41 times since the first meeting in 1941, which was an 18-6 win for the Cowboys. OSU improved its record in the series to 27-14 after winning the last meeting between the schools in 2019. OSU has won the last five duals with the Golden Gophers after Minnesota had won four of five matches from 2012 to 2014.
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
• Move the Cowboys to 2-0 overall
• Give Oklahoma State its second ranked win of the season
• Advance John Smith’s record to 21-14 against Minnesota
• Push the series record to 28-14 in favor of the Cowboys
• Extend OSU’s record to 16-4 in Minneapolis
• Mark Oklahoma State’s 12th consecutive dual win dating back to last season
Cowboys in the Polls
Oklahoma State’s roster features 10 wrestlers ranked in various polls this week, with four holding spots inside the top-10. Sophomore 197-pounder AJ Ferrari is the consensus No. 1 wrestler at his weight and is the highest ranked Cowboy, after winning his first individual title at the NCAA Championships in March. Following Ferrari, Daton Fix appears at No. 2 at 133 pounds as the reigning Big 12 champion and national finalist. Also making appearances in the top 10 of their respective weight classes are All-Americans Travis Wittlake and Dakota Geer. Wittlake is as high as No. 6 at 165 pounds in the Intermat rankings, while Geer is ranked sixth at 184 pounds by FloWrestling. Wyatt Sheets (157) is 1-0 on the season and ranked No. 14 by Intermat after wrestling his way to a spot on the podium from the No. 33 seed at the NCAA tournament. At 141 pounds, Dusty Hone moved up in the polls as he jumped to No. 14 after his major decision at Stanford. Kaden Gfeller (149) is the No. 22 ranked wrestler at 149 pounds. Sophomores Trevor Mastrogiovanni and Dustin Plott maintain their spots in the polls as they return to the lineup for their second season. Mastrogiovanni (125) is ranked as high as No. 16 by FloWrestling, while Plott holds down the No. 15 spot in Intermat’s poll at 174 pounds. Luke Surber was ranked by Intermat for the first time in his career as he sits at No. 28 in the heavyweight poll after collecting his first career dual win against Stanford.
Match to Watch
A matchup of All-Americans is on the slate at 157 pounds between Wyatt Sheets and Brayton Lee. Sheets finished last season on the podium after originally being left out of the tournament but was a late addition as the No. 33 seed when another wrestler withdrew from the tournament. Lee was the sixth seed in the bracket and ultimately claimed a sixth-place finish. Early in the 2021-22 season, Lee is 4-0 and ranked No. 5 at 157 pounds, while Sheets is ranked No. 14 and won his first match of the season by way of a 6-3 decision against Charles Darracott (STAN).
Tune In
The dual with Minnesota will be televised on Big Ten Network with Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons on the call. It can also be heard on the radio Saturday evening with Rex Holt on the call beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on Pete 94.3 KSPI FM or KSPI-AM 780. Live stats can be found on Trackwrestling.com.
