Jonathan Dickson
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State wrestling team will open its conference season with a dual against Air Force in Colorado Springs at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 22.
Dual Details
Date/Times:
at Air Force – Jan. 22, 2021/ 6 p.m. CT
Location: East Gym, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Watch: Trackwrestling.com
Listen: Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM
Live Stats: Trackwrestling.com
The Basics
The fourth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team (4-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) heads to Colorado Springs for its first conference dual of the season against Air Force on Jan. 22. The Cowboys were slated to wrestle a doubleheader with the Falcons and Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., but with UNC pausing team activities due to COVID-19 protocol the Cowboys and Air Force decided to move their dual to Air Force where the teams will wrestle at 6 p.m. CT.
The Series – Air Force
Oklahoma State and Air Force have met only three times in the programs’ histories, with each advantage landing with the Cowboys. Most recently, the Pokes defeated the Falcons in Stillwater in 2020, 37-3. The first meeting took place in 2007. OSU defeated Air Force 40-5.
Fast Start for the Freshmen
A part of the nation’s No. 1 signing class, three true freshmen have started in every dual for the Cowboys this season. The trio has combined to go 12-0 with eight wins coming with bonus points up to this point. At 125 pounds, Trevor Mastrogiovanni has filled the void left behind by three-time All-American and four-time Big 12 champion Nick Piccininni. Through his first four matches, Mastrogiovanni has outscored his opponents 28-9. In a crowded lineup at the 174 and 184 weights, No. 2 overall recruit Dustin Plott has stood out in his first collegiate matches. The Tuttle, Okla. native has tacked on bonus points in each of his four matches. He picked up the first fall of his young career when he pinned Little Rock’s Triston Wills in the first period on Jan. 10. The only recruit ranked higher than Plott in the class of 2020 was his own teammate AJ Ferrari. Like Plott, Ferrari has won each of his collegiate matches with bonus point wins. In his highly anticipated debut for Oklahoma State, Ferrari picked up two wins via major decision. He followed that performance In OSU’s duals against SIU-Edwardsville and Little Rock with two tech falls. In November, Ferrari won the UWW Junior Nationals tournament outscoring his opponents 37-1 on his route to the 92 kg championship.
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
• Move the Cowboys to 5-0 on the season
• Improve coach Smith’s record to 4-0 against Air Force
• Mark OSU’s fourth straight win against Air Force
• Give the Cowboys their first Big 12 win of the season
Cowboys in the Polls
In this week’s polls, Oklahoma State’s lineup features 11 wrestlers ranked in various polls with six holding spots inside the top-10. Sophomore 133-pounder Daton Fix is the consensus No. 1 wrestler at 133 pounds and is the highest ranked Cowboy. Not far behind Fix are teammates and returning Big 12 individual champions Boo Lewallen and Travis Wittlake. Lewallen (149) ranks No. 4 among all of the polls, while Wittlake (165) is No. 4 in all but one, a No. 5 ranking from FloWrestling. Three true freshmen appeared in the rankings after their 4-0 starts. Trevor Mastrogiovanni (125) is the only one who appears in all four polls, ranked as high as No. 13 by Intermat and WIN Magazine. 197-pounder AJ Ferrari holds the highest ranking among the freshmen holding the No. 12 spot in the WIN poll. Finally, Dustin Plott (174) appears in three of the four rankings after picking up the first fall of his career against Little Rock on Sunday. Also, appearing across all four rankings is senior Kaid Brock who is looking to get back to his All-America form at 141 pounds after an injury kept him from wrestling last season for the Cowboys. Brock is ranked in the top-10 in each of the rankings and as high as No. 6 by The Open Mat. After missing last week’s duals due to injury, Wyatt Sheets remains at No. 7 in three of the four polls at 157 pounds. Senior Dakota Geer is ranked as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 10 at 184 pounds where he was an All-American in 2019 after wrestling at 197 pounds last season. Geer put together a 2-0 day the last time out for OSU, picking up two tech falls in his matches against SIU-Edwardsville and Little Rock. Jalin Harper and Austin Harris made their first appearances in The Open Mat’s poll. After defeating No. 18 Justin Ruffin of SIUE, Harper moved into the rankings at No. 28 in the 157-pound poll. With a 4-0 start to the season, junior heavyweight Austin Harris joined Harper in TOM’s rankings at No. 26 in the HWT division.
Tune In
The dual with Air Force will air on the radio Friday night with Rex Holt on the call beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on Hot 93.7 KSPI FM. A live stream will be broadcasted on Trackwrestling.com where live stats can be found as well.
