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The No. 11th-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team will face its third straight Big 12 conference opponent Friday when it wrestles South Dakota State at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys (8-2, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off a weekend road split in the state of Iowa with a 19-15 loss at then-No. 20 Northern Iowa and a 23-9 win at then-No. 16 Iowa State. The results dropped OSU three spots in the NWCA poll to No. 11, while UNI moved up five spots to No. 15 and ISU slid to No. 18.
South Dakota State (7-4, 4-1) has won three of its past four duals — all against Big 12 schools — including a 25-13 win at UNI on Jan. 10. The Jackrabbits’ lone dual loss of late was a 22-17 home defeat at the hands of the Cyclones.
Series history
OSU is 4-0 against SDSU since 2014. The Cowboys have outscored the Jackrabbits 122-33 in the series, and have not allowed double digits once.
5 things to watch
Boo Lewallen’s first match as No. 1
Lewallen moved to No. 1 at 149 pounds after Iowa’s Pat Lugo fell to Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso, and Lewallen remained undefeated with two wins against No. 12 Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa and and Iowa State’s Ryan Leisure. Lewallen’s first match as No. 1 has some added meaning with it being against No. 11 Henry Pohlmeyer in a rematch of last season’s meeting when Lewallen suffered his first shoulder injury of the season. This could be a preview of the Big 12 championship final match.
Which Joe Smith shows up?
Smith looked apprehensive and never got going in his 13-2 major decision loss to No. 5 Bryce Steiert of UNI, but then he was active on his feet and scored two third-period takedowns for a 5-2 win against No. 11 Sam Colbray of Iowa State. Smith will draw Cade King, who also loss by major decision to Steiert but fell 6-1 to Colbray. If Smith wrestles like he did against Colbray, the Cowboy should get a bonus-point win against King.
No. 8 Travis Wittlake vs. Tanner Cook at 165
Wittlake is on a roll with a seven-match winning streak, including three bonus-point victories (one technical fall, two major decisions). He’ll face Tanner Cook, who has bonus points attached to all of his matches with 12 victories (11 pins, one technical fall) and two losses (one pin, one major decision).
Dusty Hone and Wyatt Sheets vs. Carlson brothers
Hone and Sheets both had five-match winning streak end this past weekend as they both lost two matches. They’ll face the Carlson brothers, with Hone drawing Clay Carlson at 141 and Sheets meeting Colten Carlson at 157. Clay has lost two straight and four of his past five by decision, while Colten has dropped two straight by major decision (No. 3 David Carr of ISU and No. 19 Justin Thomas of Oklahoma) and three of his past four by decision with the lone win against Derek Holschlag, UNI’s backup.
At 141, OSU did not list Kaden Gfeller, who was the Big 12 champion at 149 last year, as an option like in past duals.
No. 11 Dakota Geer vs. No. 15 Tanner Sloan
Geer has won three straight since his 1:07 pin loss to No. 2 Noah Adams of West Virginia. The Cowboy won his past two matches with bonus points attached (one technical fall, one major decision). He faces No. 15 Tanner Sloan, who has won eight straight with five bonus-point victories (two pins, one technical fall, two major decisions). This is a matchup between second and third guys in the conference with No. 2 Noah Adams of West Virginia at the top and No. 16 Jake Woodley of Oklahoma as the fourth.
Lineups: No. 11 Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State
125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (18-1) vs. No. 19 Danny Vega (15-6)
133: Reece Witcraft (12-6) vs. Zach Price (10-10)
141: Dusty Hone (14-6) vs. Clay Carlson (15-10)
149: No. 1 Boo Lewallen (14-0) vs. No. 11 Henry Pohlmeyer (13-3)
157: Wyatt Sheets (12-6) vs. Colten Carlson (4-10)
165: No. 8 Travis Wittlake (20-1) vs. Tanner Cook (12-2)
174: No. 11 Joe Smith (3-2) - OR - Andrew Shomers (11-7) vs. Cade King (8-15)
184: Anthony Montalvo (14-5) vs. No. 14 Zach Carlson (17-4)
197: No. 11 Dakota Geer (16-4) vs. No. 15 Tanner Sloan (14-4)
285: Austin Harris (4-7) - OR - Cornelius Putnam (0-2) vs. Blake Wolters (11-13)
How to watch
What: No. 11 Oklahoma State (8-2, 4-1 Big 12) vs. South Dakota State (7-4, 4-1)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena; Stillwater, Oklahoma
Live stream: ESPN+
Live stats: TrackWrestling.com
Radio: Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM