Jackrabbits upended by Oklahoma
Oklahoma rattled off four consecutive victories in the middle of the match, propelling the Sooners past South Dakota State, 18-13, in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Sunday afternoon at Frost Arena.
OU improved to 9-7 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 duals. In having their home finale spoiled, the Jackrabbits dropped to 11-4 in duals and 5-2 against Big 12 foes.
Tied at 6-all through four matches, the Oklahoma winning streak began at 157 pounds with a 9-2 decision by Jacob Butler. His Jackrabbit opponent, Caleb Gross, who was wrestling up two weight classes in place of an injured Cael Swensen, prevented a bonus-point victory as he recorded a late escape to keep the OU victory to a decision.
The next three Sooner victories all came against higher-ranked opponents. No. 16 Gerrit Nijenhuis kept. 14th-ranked Tanner Cook at bay by recording an 8-5 decision in the 165-pound matchup, while No. 23 Tate Picklo gained the momentum in his 174-pound match against 13th-ranked Cade DeVos with a takedown in the closing seconds of the second period for a 5-4 lead and carried that through en route to another 8-5 decision in favor of OU.
Keegan Moore closed out the run with a match-sealing 10-6 decision over No. 17 Cade King in the 184-pound bout. That pushed the Sooners’ lead to 18-6.
SDSU needed pins in the last two matches to pull out a victory, but had to settle for a major decision victory by Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds and an overtime decision by heavyweight A.J. Nevills. For the second consecutive match, Sloan racked up more than five minutes of riding time as he posted a 13-4 victory over Carson Berryhill to stay unbeaten in duals this season.
The 12th-ranked Nevills and No. 14 Josh Heindselman traded escapes to end regulation tied at 1-all before Nevills came up with a takedown in the final minute of overtime for a 3-1 sudden victory.
The Jackrabbits also came out victorious in overtime in the opening match of the afternoon as 25th-ranked Tanner Jordan downed No. 19 Joey Prata in dramatic fashion. Jordan trailed 1-0 until being awarded a reversal a split second before the horn sounded to signal the end of regulation. With Prata holding a minute-plus of riding time, the match went to an extra session, which ended when Jordan came up with the first takedown of the bout.
Wyatt Henson and No. 7 Mosha Schwartz recorded back-to-back victories by decision to put Oklahoma on the board. Schwartz’s victory was an 8-2 decision over 10th-ranked Clay Carlson at 141 pounds.
Alek Martin momentarily tied the dual at 6-all with a 3-2 victory over John Wiley on a late takedown in the 149-pound matchup.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits close out the dual season next Sunday (Feb. 19) by traveling to North Dakota State. The rivalry matchup is slated for a 2 p.m. start at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in Fargo, North Dakota.
Oklahoma 18, #16 South Dakota State 13
125: #25 Tanner Jordan (SDSU) dec. #19 Joey Prata (OU), 4-2 [SV-1]
133: #27 Wyatt Henson (OU) dec. Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 8-2
141: #7 Mosha Schwartz (OU) dec. #10 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
149: Alek Martin (SDSU) dec. John Wiley (OU), 3-2
157: Jacob Butler (OU) dec. Caleb Gross (SDSU), 9-2
165: #16 Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU) dec. #14 Tanner Cook (SDSU), 8-5
174: #23 Tate Picklo (OU) dec. #13 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 8-5
184: Keegan Moore (OU) dec. #17 Cade King (SDSU), 10-6
197: #9 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Carson Berryhill (OU), 13-4
285: #12 A.J. Nevills (SDSU) dec. #14 Josh Heindselman (OU), 3-1 [SV-1]
NOTES
- Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 6-3, and has won the last three duals
- SDSU dropped to 42-22 in Big 12 duals since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 season
- Sloan improved to 13-0 in duals on the season and 19-1 overall
- Nevills ran his dual record this season to 13-1 in his final Frost Arena action
- Attendance was 934
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