Michigan State University
Oklahoma State
Wrestling Falls At No. 1 Oklahoma State, 28-9
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 13, 2005
STILLWATER, Okla. - The Michigan State wrestling team dropped a tough 28-9 decision Thursday night, Jan. 13, at two-time defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State.
The Spartans picked up victories from Nick Simmons at 125 pounds, Andy Simmons at 141 lbs. and Joe Williams at 184 lbs.
"It is really valuable for our team to come down here and wrestle in the hostile environment found at Gallagher-Iba Arena," said head coach Tom Minkel. "We had a tough time getting to Stillwater, dealing with weather issues, but we recovered well, wrestled hard and represented Michigan State University well."
The team was forced to travel to Detroit after their flight out of Lansing was cancelled early Wednesday due to fog conditions. The Spartans then got caught in the massive pile-up on Interstate 96 on the way to the Detroit Metro Airport. The team arrived at the Oklahoma State campus just hours before the scheduled match time Thursday.
The Cowboys got off to a quick 7-0 start behind victories from No. 3 Johny Hendricks at 165 lbs. and No. 1 Chris Pendleton at 174 lbs.
Williams, a redshirt freshman, claimed the Spartans first victory of the night at 184 lbs., defeating Clay Kehrer, 4-2. The win was Williams' 19th of the season.
A pair of No. 1 ranked wrestlers put OSU up 16-3 halfway through the meet as Jake Rosholt defeated Jeff Clemens 10-3 at 197 lbs., and Steve Mocco pinned Max Lossen at 1:03 in the 285 bout.
After falling behind by a 5-0 score early to Coleman Scott at 125 lbs., No. 3 Nick Simmons battled back to claim a 6-5 decision. He scored a reverse at the end of first period and an escape in the second period, putting the score at 5-3 in favor of Scott heading into the final session. In the third, Simmons was able to score two near fall points and hold Scott down for the remainder of the match, claiming the win on riding time. Simmons improves to 18-0 heading into the Big Ten dual meet season.
No. 3 Andy Simmons persevered after falling behind early in the match to defeat Daniel Frishkorn, 5-2. Simmons remains undefeated in dual meets this season and is now 22-1 on the year.
Oklahoma State won three of the final four matches of the night, as Nathan Morgan recorded a technical fall over Ryan Froese at 133 lbs., No. 1 Zack Esposito defeated No. 19 Darren McKnight at 149 lbs. and Kevin Ward claimed the decision over Matt McCarty, 6-2.
The Spartans return to action Saturday, Jan. 15, as they take on their first Big Ten opponent of the season, the Penn State Nittany Lions, at Jenison Field House. Scheduled start time is 7 p.m. EST.
No. 1 Oklahoma State 28, Michigan State 9
165- No. 3 Johny Hendricks (OSU) m. dec. Bryan Harney (MSU), 12-4
174- No. 1 Chris Pendleton (OSU) dec. R.J. Boudro (MSU), 11-4
184- No. 18 Joe Williams (MSU) dec. Clay Kehrer (OSU), 4-2
197- No. 1 Jake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Jeff Clemens (MSU), 10-3
285- No. 1 Steve Mocco (OSU) fall Max Lossen, 1:03
125- No. 3 Nick Simmons (MSU) dec. Coleman Scott (OSU), 6-5
133- Nathan Morgan (OSU) t. fall Ryan Froese (MSU), 20-5, 7:00
141- No. 3 Andy Simmons (MSU) dec. Daniel Frishkorn (OSU), 5-2
149- No. 1 Zack Esposito (OSU) m. dec. No. 19 Darren McKnight (MSU), 14-4
157- Kevin Ward (OSU) dec. Matt McCarty (MSU), 6-2
Attendance: 2567
Players Mentioned
