No. 3 ISU Hosts Duo of Big 12 Opponents

01.24.2007 | Men's Wrestling

By: Iowa State University

AMES, Iowa -- No. 3 Iowa State will host a duo of Big 12 opponents over the weekend. Friday night ISU will take on No. 8 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. On Sunday afternoon the Cyclones will square off against fourth-ranked Oklahoma State at 2 p.m.

Iowa State's 1972, 1977 and 1987 NCAA champion teams will be honored Friday night at the Oklahoma match. Cyclones who wrestled for Dr. Harold Nichols from 1954-1985 will be honored at the Oklahoma State match.

Fans are encouraged to wear Cardinal colored apparel to Sunday's match.

Series Notes - Iowa State vs. Oklahoma

Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings between the two schools, with the latest Cyclone victory coming in Norman last year when ISU took six of ten matches, winning 19-16. The Hilton Coliseum atmosphere has given Iowa State a winning edge against OU. The Cyclones are 5-0-1 at home against Oklahoma since 1994. The Sooners' last win in the series was a 19-15 decision over ISU at the 2003 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Columbus, Ohio. Oklahoma's last win in Ames was a 22-13 victory over the Cyclones in 1994.

ISU holds a 44-33-4 series advantage against OU.

Scouting the Sooners

Oklahoma, ranked eighth, brings an 8-3/0-1 record into the ISU dual. It will be the Sooners' second Big 12 match-up of the season, after falling to Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Series 17-15. OU suffered back-to-back losses at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, a 21-15 defeat by Central Michigan. Cornell knocked Oklahoma out of the tournament by with a 23-15 victory. The Sooners' turned back Oregon last weekend, 29-10.

Although Oklahoma will be wrestling with two true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen, its lineup still boasts three NCAA tournament qualifiers, two of which hold All-American status. Lacking from this week's Sooner lineup is three-time All-American Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds. Leading the way for Oklahoma this week will be second-ranked 149-pounder Matt Storniolo. Will Rowe, ranked 12th, and No. 9 Joel Flaggert at 157- and 197-pounds, respectively, round out the Sooner charge.

Meeting for the first time at 197-pounds will be Iowa State's fifth-ranked Kurt Backes and OU's ninth-ranked Joel Flaggert. Both grapplers are in their senior seasons, but have not wrestled each other because Backes wrestled at 184 pounds the last three years. Their records are similar; Flaggert is 20-2 and Backes is 18-3.

The Cyclones boast nine ranked wrestlers to Oklahoma's five. Middle-weight match-ups will be vital for both teams as four of OU's ranked wrestlers occupy the 149-174 weight classes.

Last Meeting Between Iowa State and Oklahoma: Jan. 28, 2006

HWT - Jake Hager (OU) dec. Richard Schopf (ISU), 7-4

125 - Sam Hazewinkel (OU) maj. dec. Ben Hanisch (ISU), 18-5

133 - Jesse Sundell (ISU) maj. dec. Trey Blakely (OU), 11-3

141 - Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Teyon Ware (OU), 4-3

149 - Matt Storniolo (OU) dec. Jason Knipp (ISU), 5-2

157 - Trent Paulson (ISU) dec. Shane Vernon (OU), 4-3

165 - Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. Jared King (OU), 8-1

174 - David Bertolino (ISU) dec. Wes Roberts (OU), 6-5

184 - Kurt Backes (ISU) dec. Justin Dyer (OU), 10-8

197 - Joel Flaggert (OU) pinned Joe Curran (ISU), 1:20

Series Notes - Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State

Iowa State and Oklahoma State will meet for the second time in two weeks. ISU beat OSU Jan. 14 in the UNI-Dome, clinching third place in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals with a 25-9 victory over the Cowboys. The win was the Cyclones' biggest over Oklahoma State since a Dr. Harold Nichols-coached ISU squad beat OSU 32-9 in 1980. The Iowa State win was the Cyclones' first over the Cowboys since 25-20 victory in the 2002 National Duals. Iowa State downed OSU 27-11 in 1976.

Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, 47-16-3. Iowa State has not beaten OSU in consecutive matches since a string of three straight wins over the Cowboys from 1980-82.

Scouting the Cowboys

Fourth-ranked Oklahoma State brings a dual mark of 10-3 into a Saturday night match at Northern Iowa in the UNI-Dome. OSU's three losses have come at the hands of No. 1 Minnesota (21-15) and two consecutive losses at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, to No. 2 Missouri (27-9) and No. 3 Iowa State (25-9). The Cowboys roasted the Oregon Ducks, 34-3 on Jan. 21.

OSU returns four NCAA tournament qualifiers from last year's national championship team, including three All-Americans. Six Cowboys are currently ranked nationally, three of which are listed in the top five. Boasting the highest ranking is two-time national champion, Johny Hendricks at 165 pounds. Junior All-Americans Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan are both ranked fourth at 133- and 141 pounds, respectively.

Every match could go either way, but in their National Duals meeting, the Cyclones took seven of 10 bouts. Highly-contested rematches can be seen at 133, 141 and heavyweight. ISU's Nick Gallick upset Scott, 3-2 at 133 pounds in Cedar Falls. Iowa State's Mitch Mueller scored a 5-3 overtime upset of Morgan. Cyclone redshirt freshman heavyweight David Zabriskie scored a late takedown to upset OSU's Jared Rosholt. Rosholt is ranked 11th nationally.

Travis Paulson and Johny Hendricks will collide on the mat at 165-pounds for the fifth time. Hendricks has won all four prior meetings, but the bout during National Duals was the closest yet, with Hendricks emerging with a 4-3 win. Paulson has an 18-3 mark, while Hendricks posses a spotless 23-0 record.

The Cowboys have not lost more than three duals in a season since 1999-2000 when OSU posted a season mark of 12-5-1.

Last Meeting Between Iowa State and Oklahoma State: Jan. 14, 2007

125 - Tyler Shinn (OSU) dec. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 5-2

133 - Nick Gallick (ISU) dec. Coleman Scott (OSU), 3-2

141 - Mitch Mueller (ISU) dec. Nathan Morgan (OSU), 5-3 (OT)

149 - Cyler Sanderson (ISU) dec. B.J. Jackson (OSU), 8-2

157 - Trent Paulson (ISU) dec. Newly McSpadden (OSU), 6-2

165 - Johny Hendricks (OSU) dec. Travis Paulson (ISU), 4-3

174 - Brandon Mason (OSU) dec. Grant Turner (ISU), 7-3

184 - Jake Varner (ISU) pinned Jack Jensen (OSU), 2:51

197 - Kurt Backes (ISU) maj. dec. Jared Shelton (OSU), 22-9

HWT - David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 4-3