Sooners Dominate Spartans, 31-10

EAST LANSING, Mich. The University of Oklahoma wrestling team, ranked seventh, ended a two match losing streak and defeated No. 17 Michigan State, 31-10, at the Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Mich., Friday. The Sooners closed out their regular season with a 16-6 overall record and 1-4 against Big 12 teams.

“Frankly we were concerned coming into the meet because we are a little banged up, but I was real pleased with our performance,” said head coach Jack Spates. “We wrestled superbly. I was really please with our guys. They wrestling hard, they wrestled aggressively and it was a great tune up before the Big 12 Conference championships.”

The most anticipated matches of the night were at 125 and 141 pounds. Top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel (125) and No. 2 Teyon Ware (141) faced off against the Simmons brothers. Nick Simmons ranked third at 125 and Andy Simmons raked six at 141. Top 10 rankings were not the only thing the four wrestlers have in common. Ware was unbeaten in high school and won four state championships, Hazewinkel was 140-0 in high school with three state championships and the Siimons brothers had more than 200 wins apiece and four state titles each. Altogether the four wrestlers had a combined 702-0 high school record.

At 125 pounds the match was scoreless going into the second period. In the second Hazewinkel chose bottom and escaped with 55 seconds left. Hazewinkel maintain control for the remainder of the match and won by decision, 3-0. Hazewinkle remains undefeated with 33-0, while Simmons finishes the regular season with a 24-2 record.

At 141 pounds Ware was up 4-2 in the third period, but the match was ended abruptly by injury default when Simmons' knee was hurt before the match was over.

“Those were big wins for us. Between the four of them they won fifteen out of sixteen state championships and none of them were ever beaten in high school, and every one of them is an All-American,” added Spates.

OU entered the 149 pound match up 12-0, but due to injury gave up six points by a default at 149. The Sooners extended their lead to 12 after Randy Sulaver (165) won by decision, 4-2.

Michigan State gained momentum at 174 pounds when No. 14 R.J. Boudro defeated Brad Martin by major decision, 18-5, but OU's Justin Dyer (184) retaliated with a fall against Greg Goidosik at the 4:54 mark.

In the last match of the night, unranked Max Lossen fought hard against No. 16 Jake Hager. The mark was tied at one in the third period, but Hager scored a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining to win by decision, 3-1.

The Sooners will travel to Omaha, Neb., for the Big 12 Conference Championships on Saturday, March 5 at the Qwest Center. The University of Nebraska will serve as the host institution for this year's event, but this will mark to the first time in Big 12 history that a wrestling championship will take place at a neutral site.

Weight-By-Weight Results
125: #1 Sam Hazewinkel (OU) dec. #5 Nick Simmons (MSU) 2-0
133: Joe Comparin (OU) dec. Ryan Froese (MSU) 10-5
141: #2 Teyon Ware (OU) inj. def. #5 Andy Simmons (MSU) inj. def.
149: #17 Darren McKnight (MSU) Forfeit (OU)
157: Charles Jones (OU) dec. Matt McCarty (MSU) 7-2
165: Randy Sulaver (OU) dec. Bryan Harney (MSU) 4-2
174: #14 R.J. Boudro (MSU) maj. dec Brad Marten (OU) 18-5
184: #12 Justin Dyer (OU) fall Greg Goidosik (MSU) 4:45
197: #18 Joel Flaggert (OU) maj. dec Jeff Clemens (MSU) 10-2
HWT: #16 Jake Hager (OU) dec. Max Lossen (MSU) 3-1
Rankings by The Wrestling Mall

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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