Oklahoma State Wrestling Announces 2007-08 Schedule
OSU set to host Big 12 Championships, reigning NCAA champs Minnesota and
NCAA runners-up Iowa State.
Stillwater, Okla.  The Big 12 Wrestling Championships coming to
Gallagher-Iba Arena along with home duals against reigning NCAA champions
Minnesota, 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State, in-state rival Oklahoma, Penn
State, Northern Iowa and Cal Poly highlight the 2007-08 Oklahoma State
wrestling schedule that was announced by Head Coach John Smith today.
The Cowboys also take the mat against Nebraska at the Ford Center in
Oklahoma City for a match that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
The season starts on the road when Oklahoma State competes in the
Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha on Nov. 17. Selected Cowboys will then move on
to compete at the NWCA All-Star match Nov. 19 in Eugene, Ore. The
early-season road swing comes to an end when OSU travels to Albany, N.Y., to
take part in the Northeast Duals on Nov. 24.
Oklahoma State opens the home schedule with a bang, as in-state rival
Oklahoma visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2 for the first of two
Bedlam Series matches. The Cowboys have won 18 straight dual matches over
the Sooners and own a commanding 123-24-9 advantage in the all-time series
with OU.
After finishing 11th at last year¹s NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State
visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 9. The Cowboys are then back on the
road for the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 19.
Jan. 6 shapes up to be one of the biggest days in collegiate wrestling as
all eyes will be on Iowa City for the Cowboys¹ dual with inter-conference
rival Iowa out of the Big Ten. Oklahoma State and Iowa have a combined 54
NCAA team championships between them, with the Cowboys claiming 34 crowns
and the Hawkeyes winning 20 of their own. The rest of the nation has
combined to win 24 national championships.
Oklahoma State then travels to Hampton, Va., to take part in the Virginia
Duals from Jan. 11-12 before heading to Columbia, Mo., on Jan. 19 for a Big
12 dual at Missouri set to start at 1 p.m. Big 12 runners-up last year, the
Tigers finished third at the 2007 NCAA Championships and pose a formidable
challenge again in 2007-08.
There will be no rest for the Cowboys following their dual at Missouri, as
they take the mat at 2 p.m. the next day at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City
to host Nebraska for a dual that is part of a Ford Center doubleheader that
also includes a dual match between Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
A pair of consecutive home duals against Northern Iowa (7 p.m. on Jan. 25)
and reigning Big 12 champion and 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State (2 p.m. on
Jan. 27) set up a much-anticipated home dual with reigning NCAA champion
Minnesota at 1 p.m. on Feb. 3 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys and Golden
Gophers are the only two teams to have won a national championship since
2001, as OSU claimed the title in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Minnesota
winning the championship in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
A brief west-coast swing in early February pits Oklahoma State against
Oregon at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Eugene, Ore., and at UC Davis at 1 p.m. on
Feb. 10 in Davis.
The west coast returns the favor when Cal Poly visits Gallagher-Iba at 7
p.m. on Feb. 16 in what will be the final regular-season home dual for
Cowboy seniors and returning All-Americans Nathan Morgan and Coleman Scott,
among others.
Oklahoma State puts a cap on the regular season when it travels south to
Norman to face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21.
The Cowboys will pursue their 42nd conference championship when they play
host to the 2008 Big 12 Wrestling Championships on March 8. In addition to
OSU¹s 41 team conference titles, 204 Cowboy wrestlers have been crowned as
individual conference champions through the years.
The NCAA Championships are set for March 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo., with the
Cowboys looking to pick up their fifth national championship in the last six
years and their 35th overall NCAA team championship.
Smith returns four All-Americans and eight NCAA qualifiers from last year¹s
team that finished fifth at the NCAA Championships. The Cowboys have won
five of their 34 team national championships under Smith and have crowned
132 individual national champions through the years. No collegiate program
in any sport in the nation can boast the level of success enjoyed by
Oklahoma State wrestling.
2007-08 Oklahoma State Wrestling Schedule
Sat., Nov. 17................. Kaufman-Brand Open................. Omaha,
Neb.................. All Day
Mon., Nov. 19................. NWCA All-Star Match................. Eugene,
Ore.................. TBA
Sat., Nov. 24................. Northeast Duals................. Albany,
N.Y.................. All Day
Sun., Dec. 2................. Oklahoma.................
Stillwater................. 2 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 9................. Penn State.................
Stillwater................. 2 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 19................. Reno Tournament of Champions.................
Reno, Nev.................. All Day
Sun., Jan. 6................. at Iowa................. Iowa City,
Iowa................. 2 p.m.
Fri.-Sat., Jan. 11-12................. Virginia Duals.................
Hampton, Va.................. All Day
Sat., Jan. 19................. at Missouri................. Columbia,
Mo.................. 1 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 20................. Nebraska................. Oklahoma City,
Okla. (Ford Center)................. 2 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 25................. Northern Iowa.................
Stillwater................. 7 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 27................. Iowa State.................
Stillwater................. 2 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 3................. Minnesota.................
Stillwater................. 1 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 8................. at Oregon................. Eugene,
Ore.................. 7 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 10................. at UC Davis................. Sacramento,
Calif.................. 1 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 16................. Cal Poly.................
Stillwater................. 7 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 21................. at Oklahoma................. Norman,
Okla.................. 7 p.m.
Sat., March 8................. Big 12 Championships.................
Stillwater................. All Day
Thurs.-Sat., March 20-22................. NCAA
Championships................. St. Louis, Mo.................. All Day