James Hackney
#12 South Dakota State over #24 Oklahoma (20-13)
The Sooners had some opportunities in these matches but fell short to the Jackrabbits and will have an uphill battle to finish 0.500. They won four matches here, including two solid upset wins. Word from the broadcast indicated that Mosha Schwartz is done for the season so Carter Schmidt wrestled in his second event of the season attached (Third if the Reno tournament counted). That spot and 165 saw different starters, as Nijenhuis made the descent back down and looked solid getting a win tonight. With just one dual left, here are my takeaways for the Sooners.
- Koelzer and McDougald can start to build some momentum late.
A 2022 qualifier at 125, I thought Koelzer would be able to step in and qualify in his second year at 133 and first with the Sooners. He’s had some struggles this year however, with some solid wins mixed with head scratching losses. He looked good in taking out a much improved Cardinal tonight and could use a win like this to surge in the postseason. Depending on the Big 12 automatic qualifier allotment, Koelzer may have to score an upset or two to get there. After a win like this he looks like he could be an important factor for the team in March.
McDougald is in a similar boat, with a close decision over a higher ranked wrestler. McDougald made waves in 2022 and ended up in the Big 12 finals. The weight class has only gotten stronger since then, but if he wants to ensure another chance at NCAA’s then getting wins like this are going to help his seeding for Big 12’s.
- Hendriksen, Hill, and Picklo show some promise in close losses.
Hendriksen had a good back and forth with Jordan, but wasn’t able to win the scrambles for a takedown. Jordan has been very solid this season and a veteran, so to see true freshman Hendriksen wrestle so well is encouraging as he has…
