NCAA wrestlings championships: Oklahoma State advances 3 to quarterfinals, Sooners get 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott exited the locker room and headed straight for the stationary bike.
“I gotta get a couple pounds off,” Plott said Thursday night in the bowels of T-Mobile Center after his second-round win in the NCAA Wrestling Championships. “Big matchup tomorrow that I’m super-excited for.”
Plott, the No. 3 seed at 184 pounds, helped get the Cowboys’ night out of the gutter, though significant damage was done to their status in the team competition before Plott’s 17-3 major decision over James Conway of Franklin & Marshall.
OSU lost five straight matches before Plott reversed the trend and joined teammates Troy Spratley (125 pounds) and Daton Fix (133) as quarterfinalists.
“A little rough,” OSU coach John Smith said. “A little rougher than I thought.
“I thought we’d win a couple more than what we won, but the tournament is still tomorrow.”
The Cowboys ended the first day tied for 10th with Missouri at 14 points, with Penn State in the lead at 34.5, followed by Iowa and Iowa State tied for second at 24.5.
OSU has seven wrestlers still alive, with four who will be facing elimination to start Friday’s action after suffering eliminations at 141, 174 and 197 pounds.
The morning session Friday, highlighted by quarterfinal matches, is set to begin at 11 a.m., televised by ESPNU, with the 7 p.m. session on ESPN.
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Friday is particularly critical for the wrestlers facing elimination, with the potential to wrestle twice in each session, needing to win the first three to get to the medal round.
“We’ve got seven alive,” Smith said. “That’s kinda the case when you bring 10. You’ll lose a few of ‘em. But we gotta fight and win some matches.
Fix, who is seeking a fifth All-America finish and a first national title, opened with a technical fall, but had to survive a scare in the second round, edging Ohio State’s 16th-seeded Nic Bouzakis with a 5-4 decision.
After his victory, the Cowboys lost their next five matches until Plott derailed the L train with his major decision. Now, the senior from Tuttle turns his attention to sixth-seeded Bernie Truex of Penn State — the opponent in the match that has Plott “super-excited.”
“I’m wrestling hard and injury-free — that’s always a plus going into tomorrow,” Plott said. “I’ll just try to compete the way God designed me to and enjoy every match.”
Spratley, a redshirt freshman, fought his way to 6-0 and 8-1 decisions to advance to the quarterfinals in his first appearance at the NCAAs.
“I started slow today, but the second match, I knew I needed to come out and set the intensity of the match,” Spratley said. “I was firing on all cylinders. Felt great.
“There’s more to come. I need to continue this, keep getting better throughout the tournament. Don’t wanna be average. I wanna be the best.”
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Stephen Buchanan highlights Sooners' day
Stephen Buchanan highlights Sooners’ day
With 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan carrying the flag, OU has three wrestlers still alive heading into Friday’s action.
Buchanan reached the quarterfinals with a technical fall and a 14-3 major decision. Next, the eighth-seeded Sooner draws top-seeded and undefeated Aaron Brooks of Penn State in Friday’s quarterfinals.
“He stuck to the game plan,” OU coach Roger Kish said of Buchanan. “He was very stingy in his positions, and it’s really some of the best wrestling he’s put together in a while, so it’s nice to see it’s coming together for him.
“He’s recognizing when he gets his hands locked around a leg and he gets up to his feet, his finish rate extremely increases.”
OU brought five wrestlers, but two were eliminated, at 133 and 157 pounds. Two Sooners — 149-pounder Willie McDougald and heavyweight Josh Heindselman — are alive in the consolation bracket after both suffered second-round defeats.
McDougald, the No. 21 seed, opened his day with an upset of 12th-seeded Ethen Miller of Maryland.
Heindselman, the 11th seed, opened with a 4-2 decision over Princeton’s Matthew Cover.
“There were some highs and some lows,” Kish said. “We don’t have five guys on the front side of the bracket. Things could be better, but it’s the NCAA Tournament. Everybody here is talented, and we’re happy to have three guys weighing in and competing tomorrow morning.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU advances 3 to NCAA wrestling quarterfinals, Sooners get 1
