The no. 1 ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team defeated the no. 7 Missouri Tigers 20-16 to remain undefeated this season.
The Oklahoma State wrestling team has long been one of the most prestigious and successful teams not only in Stillwater, but in the entire country. OK State entered their match with the no. 7 Missouri Tigers tonight with an 8-0 record. Meanwhile, the Tigers entered with a record of 9-2. This is one of the toughest tests the Cowboy wrestling team faced so far this season.
OK State defeated Mizzou 20-16 behind senior Austin Schafer’s 9-1 ride to finish the match. Facing the Tigers was no easy task for the Cowboys. Mizzou featured three top class wrestlers including no. 1 ranked J’den Cox at 197 pounds, Joey Lavallee at 157 pounds, and Daniel Lewis at 165 pounds.
Lavallee almost turned the entire match’s momentum in Mizzou’s favor with his victory over OK State’s no. 5 ranked Joe Smith in the 157-pound class.
Senior Nolan Boyd, at 184 pounds, also powered the Cowboys to a victory with his 20-5 round win over Mizzou’s Matt Lemanowicz. At the time, that pushed the OK State lead to 16-12 which gave them the momentum swing they needed to get the final victory.
This was the closest victory for OK State since they defeated the Cornell Big Red 23-19 back on Dec. 16.
The victory should keep the Cowboys ranked no. 1 in the country. However, the Penn State Nittany Lions are not far behind as they are undefeated as well. Two other Big 10 teams are also close on the Cowboys’ trail. The no. 3 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and no. 4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes could also claim OK State’s spot at no. 1 if they or the Nittany Lions slip up. Although, the Cowboys already defeated the Hawkeyes.
Next up for the Cowboys is a meeting with Big 12 conference rival Iowa State Cyclones, on the road in Ames on Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. CT. The Cyclones are unranked but will still present a tough test for the Cowboys.
Next: Oklahoma State Basketball: Cowboys face Arkansas in SEC/Big 12 Challenge
You can view the entire NCAA Wrestling top 25 rankings here. You can view the entire OK State wrestling schedule here.