Oklahoma State wrestler Daton Fix hopes Sunday vs. OU isn't his final Bedlam dual
STILLWATER — Daton Fix knows with absolute certainty that he will wrestle a dual against Oklahoma for the final time Sunday afternoon.
But the Oklahoma State star hopes it won’t be the last time he’s involved in Bedlam.
“Hopefully I can still be a part of it as a coach someday,” Fix said. “That’s what I want to do after I’m completely done competing. Maybe I’ll be in a couple more Bedlams.”
The Sooners are staying in the Big 12 Conference for wrestling when the rest of their teams head to the Southeastern Conference next summer, so Bedlam will remain on the schedule at least once, and maybe twice a year in the future.
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Fix is the third-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds and the Cowboys have climbed to No. 2 in the team rankings with two duals left in the season — the Sooners at 2 p.m. Sunday, and third-ranked Iowa at 2 p.m. Feb. 25.
Both events should fill Gallagher-Iba Arena to the rafters, and for someone like Fix, who grew up in Sand Springs and has been attending OSU duals since he can remember, there’s no better environment for his final Bedlam.
“We have two duals that are gonna be pretty packed, so that’s exciting to hear,” he said. “I’m just excited to compete for my last two times in Gallagher in front of a pretty packed gym.”
The Cowboys are a perfect 13-0 in duals this season, and after spending a couple of years outside of the top 10 in the rankings, they’re back near the top, and it was the Bedlam win in Norman two months ago that sparked their rise. The Cowboys were ranked 11th at the time, and won despite being without Fix, who was absent because of illness.
“It was disappointing for me not to be there with the guys and not be part of one of my last Bedlams,” Fix said. “It was a good test early on. We passed it and we’ve passed a lot more tests along the way.”
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Fix is in his seventh season at OSU, thanks to a traditional redshirt season, an Olympic redshirt and an additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season.
Now that he knows the end is finally near, Fix seems to have gravitated more toward the front of the bench when he’s not wrestling. He regularly finds a seat near OSU coach John Smith and the rest of the staff after his match is completed.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Fix said. “Obviously, I’ve been around (Smith) for quite some time now and I think I’ve learned a lot. It’s been awesome just to be able to learn from him and all the coaches I’ve had here at Oklahoma State.
“I’m gonna definitely use what I’ve learned and pass it on to the next generation whenever it’s time to do that.”
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How to watch Bedlam wrestling
OU VS. OSU: 2 p.m. Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestler Daton Fix hopes Sunday isn't his final Bedlam
