Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Big 12 Championship
Cowboys Claim Big 12 Title
March 08, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
March 8, 2003
Oklahoma State's wrestling team won the Big 12 Championships Saturday night at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
The Cowboys recorded 101.5 team points, 46 more than the next closest Missouri with 55.5 points. Oklahoma chipped in 51.5 points to finish third, while Nebraska and Iowa State rounded out the top five with 39.5 and 26.5 points, respectively.
Johnny Thompson captured his third Big 12 title after decisioning Witt Durden, 4-1, extending his overall record against Durden to 9-0.
In their fourth match this year, Zack Esposito and Teyon Ware squared off in the finals. The true freshmen battled to a scoreless first period, Esposito scored the first points of the match with an escape to start the second.
Ware tied the score at 1-1 after scoring an escape to start the third. He then took the lead at 3-1 after recording a takedown.
Esposito cut the lead to 3-2 after recording an escape, but that was not enough as Ware went on to record another takedown to take the 5-2 decision.
Jerrod Sanders notched his first Big 12 title after defeating Travis Shufelt, 7-5. The El Reno, Okla., native took a 2-1 lead heading into the second frame, but Shufelt tied the score at 2-2 after recording an escape.
Sanders went on to hold off a comeback by Shufelt to capture the victory.
Shane Roller earned his first Big 12 title after recording two takedowns en route to an 8-5 victory over Missouri's Kenny Burleson. The Bixby, Okla., native fell behind early but took the lead at 4-2 after recording an escape and a takedown in the second.
Burleson tied the score at 4-4 after reversing Roller, but the two-time All-American garnered an escape and another takedown before recording the victory.
Chris Pendleton recorded two takedowns in the first period to take a 5-2 lead against Robbie Waller heading into the second frame.
The Lemoore, Calif., native extended his lead to 6-3 after using an escape to open the second period. Pendleton went on to hold off Waller to record his first Big 12 title.
Muhammed Lawal and Willie Gruenwald each notched their first Big 12 individual titles.
Lawal avenged a loss earlier in the year to Nebraska's Justin Ruiz after using three takedowns to record the 7-4 win.
Gruenwald notched his first title after scoring a takedown with :10 left in the match to knock off top-seeded Kevin Herron, 4-3.
Skyler Holman, Zack Esposito and Jake Rosholt all recorded second-place finishes.
In the third-place match, Tyrone Lewis recorded 11 takedowns en route to a 24-9 technical fall over Nebraska's Jacob Klein.
ResultsOSU 101.5 MU 55.5 OU 51.5 NU 39.5 ISU 26.5
Third-Place Match 165- Tyrone Lewis (OSU) t.f. Jacob Klein (NU), 24-9
Finals 125- Bo Maynes (OU) dec. Skyler Holman (OSU), 4-1 133- Johnny Thompson (OSU) dec. Witt Durden (OU), 4-1 141- Teyon Ware (OU) dec. Zack Esposito (OSU), 5-2 149- Jerrod Sanders (OSU) dec. Travis Schufelt (NU), 6-5 157- Shane Roller (OSU) dec. Kenny Burleson (MU), 8-5 174- Chris Pendleton (OSU) dec. Robbie Waller (OU), 7-3 184- Scott Barker (MU) m.d. Jake Rosholt (OSU), 9-1 197- Muhammed Lawal (OSU) dec. Justin Ruiz (NU), 7-4 285- Willie Gruenwald (OSU) dec. Kevin Herron (MU), 4-3
