Cowboys Set to Head North for a Pair of Top-15 Duals

Northern Iowa and Iowa State Notes

The Basics
The No. 10 Oklahoma State wrestling team (8-1 overall; 4-0 Big 12) will put its five-match win streak on the line against a pair of conference opponents ranked in the top 15 this weekend. OSU will first wrestle No. 15 Northern Iowa on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT in Cedar Falls before traveling to Ames for a dual with No. 4 Iowa State at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday.

On the Air
Oklahoma State's dual with Northern Iowa will be streamed on Flowrestling.org on Saturday night and be heard on Pete 94.3 KSPI-FM with Rex Holt on the call. The dual with Iowa State on Sunday will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Rex Holt will be on the air again on Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM for the match against the Cyclones. Live stats for the match can be found on Trackwrestling.com.

The Series - Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa have met for 32 dual contests in the programs' histories. OSU has won all but four of those meetings, with two of the four losses coming in the last three seasons. In the most recent meeting, Northern Iowa won in Stillwater for the first time, upsetting No. 3 OSU, 19-15. John Smith has won 19 of 21 bouts against the Panthers in his career, while Oklahoma State is 9-3 all time in Cedar Falls.

The Series - Iowa State
Oklahoma State's 86 dual contests with Iowa State is the second-most wrestled series in program history, only behind the Cowboys' rivalry with Oklahoma. OSU has won 62 of those meetings against the Cyclones, but a loss last season in Stillwater snapped a streak of 14 consecutive wins over Iowa State. The series with ISU began in 1921, when the Pokes lost in Ames, 37-9. The last time the teams met in Ames, OSU topped the Cyclones, 16-15, with Boo Lewallen's major decision being the difference.

About the Cowboys
No. 10 Oklahoma State is 8-1 on the season and has put together a five-match win streak heading into the toughest portion of its schedule, in which OSU will see four top-15 opponents in the next two weeks. The Pokes return four All-Americans who have earned All-America honors a total of eight times, headlined by three-time NCAA finalist Daton Fix. Wyatt Sheets and Travis Wittlake are both two-time All-Americans for OSU, while Dustin Plott is coming off of his first appearance on the podium last season. The OSU lineup has seen some movement from a season ago with weight changes from past starters opening opportunities at 165 pounds and heavyweight. Wittlake moved up two weight classes to 184 pounds in the offseason where he has started 12-2, while Luke Surber dropped down a weight to 197 pounds. In their places, Wyatt Sheets has filled the void at 165 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Konner Doucet is off to a 13-3 start at heavyweight and placed third at the Scuffle. Trevor Mastrogiovanni is in his third season in the lineup at 125 pounds as he looks to make the jump that Plott did a year ago to All-America status for the first time. Big 12 champion Kaden Gfeller decided to return to Oklahoma State for his final season in August and has put together a 12-3 record so far 157 pounds, while talented freshman Victor Voinovich has started every dual at 149 pounds. With Sheets and Gfeller back for their COVID seasons, the middleweights could see some different looks throughout the course of the season.

A Pair of Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Move the Cowboys to 10-1 overall; 6-0 in conference duals
• Make Oklahoma State's record 7-0 in road duals this season
• Extend OSU's dual win streak to seven
• Give OSU its highest ranked road victory since Dec. 12, 2012, when it defeated No. 1 Minnesota, 22-15
• Improve John Smith's record against Northern Iowa to 20-2; against Iowa State to 29-8
• Improve OSU's record against UNI to 29-4; 63-21-3 against Iowa State

Cowboys in the Polls
Oklahoma State's roster features 10 wrestlers ranked in various polls this week, with three holding spots inside the top-10. Senior 133-pounder Daton Fix is the consensus No. 2 wrestler at his weight and is the highest ranked Cowboy as the reigning Big 12 champion and a national finalist the last two seasons. Following Fix, Dustin Plott appears as high as No. 5 at 174 pounds after earning All-America honors for the first time last season with a sixth-place finish. Kaden Gfeller makes his return to the top-10 at 157 pounds for the second time in The Open Mat's poll. Travis Wittlake is ranked just outside the top 10 at No. 11 in three of the four polls at 184 pounds with a 12-2 record, while Luke Surber jumped to No. 18 in the Intermat poll at 197 pounds after two major decisions this weekend. The remainder of the Cowboys find themselves ranked in some of the polls and left out of others, although it should be noted that The Open Mat and WIN Magazine only rank the top 20 of each weight class. Victor Voinovich sits at No. 19 in WIN Magazine's 149-pound rankings, while Wyatt Sheets (165) is at No. 26, according to Intermat. Trevor Mastrogiovanni (125) and Konner Doucet (HWT) both remain in the twenties at their respective weight classes ahead of a tough conference schedule. Carter Young seems to be the toughest Cowboy to rank as he lands as high as No. 16 and low as No. 32, while being unranked in two polls.

Two Cowboys Chasing the Century Mark
Cowboy seniors Daton Fix and Wyatt Sheets are both nearing 100 wins in their collegiate careers. The active leaders on Oklahoma State's roster with 86 wins for Fix and 81 for Sheets, the century mark could be within reach toward the end of this season. Sheets elected to return to OSU for his COVID season, while Fix is one of the winningest wrestlers in program history based on winning percentage and still has another year of eligibility he could take advantage of. OSU has had 44 wrestlers reach the 100-win mark in their career, most recently accomplished by Nick Piccininni during the 2020 season.

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Players Mentioned

Konner Doucet

Daton Fix

Kaden Gfeller

Trevor Mastrogiovanni

Dustin Plott

Wyatt Sheets

Luke Surber

Victor Voinovich

Travis Wittlake

Carter Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics