Weary Cowboys finish off Panthers
No. 1 Oklahoma State makes weight once more; Panthers pay with loss for inability to finish shots.
By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
January 30, 2005
Cedar Falls, Ia. – Oklahoma State’s top-ranked wrestlers showed little ill effect from having to make weight for the fourth time in six days Friday, beating Northern Iowa, 30-6, before a crowd of 1,803 at West Gym.
The Cowboys won the first five weights in their 14th consecutive win. The 13th-ranked Panthers (4-7) were unable to finish shots at too many matches against the two-time defending NCAA champions.
Oklahoma State made weight last Saturday and Sunday in winning its third consecutive National Duals championship, then traveled to Iowa State on Thursday and to Cedar Falls on Friday. The Cowboys never stopped battling on the mats.
“It’s mostly because of our coaches, “top-ranked 174-pounder Chris Pendleton said, “because they’ve done such a good job of keeping our spirits up. They know we’re tired and we know we’re tired, but the moment you get that negative attitude, then you’re going to start being negative and you’re going to throw off your whole game.”
Northern Iowa did not get a takedown until halfway through the second period of the fifth match, when 157-pounder Chris Bitetto took down Kevin Ward. Ward got an 11-5 decision.
Northern Iowa’s first victory was at 165, where Nick Baima scored a 12-6 decision over Sam Lewnes. Baima had five takedowns, two in the first 2 minutes. Baima did what the Panthers wanted to do, but could not accomplish, in several matches.
“When you get in, you can’t rest, “Baima said. “If you get in on a single, you’ve got to hit the corner. Sometimes you hit and wait a little bit, but you’ve got to finish right away.”
Northern Iowa 149-pounder Jeff Harrison, who moved to No. 7 in InterMat’s rankings, could not finish some shots against second-ranked Zack Esposito. Esposito won the bout, 6-2, and Harrison got some reasons to get back to work.
“That’s just motivation for me to work harder on my finishes and technical things, “Harrison said. “You finish a takedown in a match like that, that’s huge. I had many opportunities to finish, I just didn’t take advantage of them.”
Northern Iowa’s 2004 all-Americans, 174-pounder Eric Hauan and 197-pounder Sean Stender, drew top-ranked opponents and scored the opening points, but lost the fight. Pendleton scored three takedowns in the final 2 minutes to get a 15-6 major decision over Hauan. Jake Rosholt got a second-period takedown and a near fall to beat Stender, 6-2.
Pendleton said Hauan gave him a wake-up call early in the match.
“It was definitely a smack in the face, “Pendleton said. “He put a really good, hard ride on me for about 40 seconds and that kind of shocked me.”
Not much else the Panthers threw at the Cowboys was a surprise.
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