University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Wrestle Cowboys in Top-Five Battle
12/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
No. 5 Minnesota at No. 3 Oklahoma State
Top-Five Tilt
No. 5 Minnesota heads south this week to take on No. 3 Oklahoma State in a battle of top five teams. The Dec. 4 match is set for a 7:00 p.m. start at Gallagher-Iba Arena on the Oklahoma State campus. The last time the Gophers were paired up in a battle of top-five teams was on Feb. 3, 2008, also against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
The Records
The Gophers got their first dual of the season under their belts last week, winning 31-9, to bring a 1-0-0 record into their match with Oklahoma State. The Cowboys opened with a win over Arizona State, before tying rival Oklahaoma on Dec. 1, and will bring a 1-0-1 mark into the match.
The Series
In 28 all-time meetings with the Cowboys, the Gophers trail 10-18 in the series. Their first match-up was in 1941, and they have faced off each season since 1998-99, with the Gophers last win a 21-15 victory in their National Championship season of 2006-07.
Last Match-Up
Last year in a battle of top-15 teams, No. 13 Oklahoma State upset No. 7 Minnesota 23-13 in the Gophers first home meet, on New Years Day. After the Gophers pulled within three with two matches left, the Cowboys won the last two matches of the night to secure the victory.
Follow Along
Oklahoma State will provide live audio and live video of the match. Each can be accessed through the Cowboys wrestling schedule page on OKState.com.
Last Time Out
Last week, Minnesota opened the season in impressive fashion, with a 31-9 win over Cal State Bakersfield. The Gophers won seven of 10 matches, including five straight after dropping the first two. Jayson Ness tallied his eighth fall of the season to give Minnesota the lead for good.
Next Up
It will be a quick turn around for the Gophers as they return home to host No. 11 Nebraska on Thursday Dec. 10 at 7:00 p.m. in Williams Arena. After the Huskers, the Gophers again hit the road as they travel to face Northern Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3:00 p.m.
Scouting Oklahoma State
- Currently 1-0-1 on the season, ranked No. 3 in the country
- Placed 16th at the 2009 NCAA Championships
- OSU Wrestling has won 34 NCAA Team Championships
- Home to nine ranked individuals including No. 2 Jared Rosholt (HWT), No. 4 Alan Gelogaev (197), No. 5 Jamal Parks (141), No. 7 Chris Nolte (125), No. 7 Jordan Oliver (133), No. 7 Neal Ericman (157), No. 11 Clayton Foster (184), No. 12 Alex Meade (165) and No. 13 Albert White (149).
- Alex Meade (165) leads all starters with 11 wins
- Jordan Oliver (133) and Clayton Foster (184) are undefeated with 9-0 records
- HWT Jared Rosholt placed third at the NCAA championships in 2009
- Return six NCAA Qualifiers from 2009
- Head coach John Smith entered the season with 281 career wins in 18 seasons
- Quinten Fuentes (149) leads with seven falls
- OSU opened the season with nine titles at the Oklahoma City Open.
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all of Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter page @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive the text updates. If you are not already on Twitter, you will need to create an account.
Twitter
Follow the Golden Gophers on Twitter. Just search @GopherWrestling on Twitter to follow all the news updates.
Players Mentioned
