Cowboys Set for Double-Dual Weekend

UNI Notes

Dual Details
Opponent(s): No. 16 Northern Iowa (5-4, 5-0 Big 12), No. 22 Lehigh (6-8, 4-1 EIWA)
Date/Time: Feb. 1, 2019/7:00 p.m. CT, Feb. 3, 2019/1:30 p.m. CT
Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena
Series: OSU leads UNI, 26-2/OSU leads Lehigh, 9-1
Watch: FloWrestling.com
Radio: 93.7 KSPI-FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore
Live Stats: Trackwrestling.com

Cowboy Quick Hits
Oklahoma State wrestling faces its third and fourth consecutive ranked opponents this weekend in Stillwater. The Cowboys are 10-0 on the season and have wins over six ranked foes to date. Nick Piccininni (125), Jacobe Smith (174/184) and Joe Smith (174) are undefeated in dual matches this season with a combined eight wins over ranked wrestlers. John Smith reached another coaching milestone when the Cowboys defeated Iowa State; the win marked his 421st as a head coach and pushed him into a three-way tie for the sixth most wins of any NCAA Division I wrestling coach.

The Basics
Oklahoma State wrestling (10-0; 6-0 Big 12) hosts the Panthers of Northern Iowa this weekend for the second-consecutive season in Gallagher-Iba Arena. UNI brings five ranked wrestlers into the bout with the potential for setting up two top-10 matches at 149 and 174 pounds. This week's NWCA/USA Today DI Coaches poll positions the Cowboys at No. 2 following Ohio State's loss to Michigan last weekend. The Cowboys have a ranked wrestler at each weight, with seven of those landing in the top 10 and four of those among the top five. The contest is the first of two home matches for Oklahoma State this weekend, with No. 22 Lehigh visiting GIA on Sunday.

Series Notes (UNI)
Friday's dual marks the 29th meeting between the two Big 12 programs. The first meeting between the two teams took place in Stillwater in 1962; the Cowboys won the bout, 19-7. The Cowboys' most recent loss to Northern Iowa came in 1991 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The teams have wrestled 14 times in Gallagher-Iba Arena and 10 times in Cedar Falls. Doug Schwab is in his ninth season with the Panthers and has three returning All-Americans on the roster this year. UNI is in its second season as a member of the Big 12.

Series Notes (LEH)
Sunday's dual marks the 11th meeting between the Cowboys and the Mountain Hawks. The teams met for the first time in 1986 in Stillwater. OSU defeated Lehigh, 23-13. The Cowboys' lone loss to Lehigh came in 2008 in a neutral-site contest. The teams have wrestled four times in Gallagher-Iba Arena and twice in Bethlehem, with the other four meetings taking place in neutral locations.

Big Men Fall Hard
Heavyweight Derek White garnered his first career pin against Oklahoma's Jake Boyd on Dec. 9, and has been on a roll ever since then. White went on to defeat Northern Colorado's Robert Winters in a second-period, 17-2 technical fall in the Cowboys' latest dual meet. Four days later in Reno, the No. 3 ranked wrestler collected first and second-round falls against Menlo's Jeremiah Holbrook and Bryan Barnes (unat.). The first tournament pin came in a career-best 29 seconds. At the Southern Scuffle, White earned two technical falls in his first two matches before pinning Lock Haven's Thomas Haines in the quarterfinals. The Cowboy went on to claim the heavyweight title defeating Nick Nevills and fifth-ranked Anthony Cassar (PSU) via decisions. He added his fifth career fall to the win column against Princeton and notched another pin at West Virginia two weeks ago. White faces a test this weekend when he hits the mat against Lehigh, whose Jordan Wood is ranked No. 7 in the country.

What to Watch
The Cowboys grapple in two top-25 bouts this weekend when the Panthers and Mountain Hawks come to GIA. Joe and Jacobe Smith have their work cut out for them against UNI and Lehigh. Joe matches up at 174 pounds with No. 8 Taylor Lujan (UNI) on Friday night, then turns around for a contest with No. 6 Jordan Kutler of Lehigh. Jacobe also pairs with two ranked opponents in UNI's Drew Foster (No. 6) and from Lehigh, No. 8 Ryan Preisch.

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Players Mentioned

Nick Piccininni

Jacobe Smith

Joe Smith

Derek White

Oklahoma State University Athletics