Sooners Take Aim at Big 12 Title

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 7/14 Oklahoma Sooners (11-7, 0-5 Big 12) attempt to claim their third conference championship in the last nine years when they travel to Columbia, Mo., to compete in the 2007 Big 12 Championships, March 3 hosted by the University of Missouri.

OU's last title came in 2002, and its first in the Big 12 in 1999. Last season Oklahoma finished second while claiming one title, three second-place medals and three third-place medals.

The Sooners enter the Big 12 Championships on a two-match winning streak. Saturday Feb. 17, Oklahoma upset No. 6/8 Hofstra 21-13 in Norman. Last weekend the Sooners defeated No. 19/22 Michigan State, 24-15.

No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel returned to action for the first time since Jan. 6 and defeated No. 8 Franklin Gomez. Kyle Terry upset No. 4 Andy Simmons by a decision of 4-2 for his second upset of a top-eight ranked wrestler in seven days.

Oklahoma has claimed at least one individual title at nine of the 10 Big 12 Championships. The 2005 season was the only year in which no Sooners claimed an individual title.

Oklahoma will return home for a week before it travels to Detroit, Mich., for the NCAA Championships March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Setting The Scene
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Match Time: All Day
Venue: Hearns Center
TV: Fox Sports Net
Webcast

Big 12 Tidbits
* Oklahoma is the only school besides Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 Championship in the league's 11 year history.
* The Sooners won the conference crown in 1999 and again in 2002.
* OU has claimed 21 conference titles in 77 years of wrestling.
* Oklahoma has claimed 168 individual conference titles in the school's history. The crowns have come in four different conferences starting with the Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and now the Big 12.
* Sam Hazewinkel won the Sooners' lone individual conference championship last season. Hazewinkel defeated Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State for the 125 pound title.
* Last season Oklahoma finished as the runner-up to Oklahoma State in the final team standings at the Big 12 Championships. OSU scored 80 points to the Sooners' 52.5.
* The Big 12 once again provided tough competition in NCAA wrestling this season. Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all finished the season ranked in the top 15 of the final USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll and the W.I.N. magazine poll.

Team Notes:
* The Sooners faced 11 ranked opponents this season and finished the year 4-7 versus those opponents.
* In the 11 matches versus the ranked opponents OU scored an average of 14.91 points while allowing an average of 18.1 points.
* In Big 12 duals, Oklahoma has only scored an average of 11.8 points per dual, while allowing an average of 23.6 points. OU lost all five Big 12 duals they wrestled and lost each dual by an average of 11.8 points.
* With its win over Hofstra Oklahoma recorded its 12th straight 10- win season in 2006-07. Jack Spates has had 12 10 win seasons in his career and has recorded 12 consecutively. His best streak of 10 win seasons is 12 from 1996-2007. OU finished the regular season with a record of 11-7.
* OU has shutout three opponents this season (Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City University, Marion Military Institute and Utah Valley State). Four of Oklahomas' 11 wins have been by 40 or more points. Six wins have been by 20 or more points.
* OU's seven losses have been by an average of 23.14 points and all have been by 23 or less points.

Michigan State Leftovers
* The Sooners defeated their second ranked opponent in a row. Last week Sooners defeated then No. 6/8 Hofstra, 21-13. Prior to that the Sooners had not defeated a ranked opponent since Jan. 6 when they defeated then No. 21 Cal Poly, 31-7 in San Luis, Calif.
* Kyle Terry upset No. 4 Andy Simmons by a decision of 4-2 handing the Spartan senior only his third loss of the season.
* Sam Hazewinkel returned to action for the first time since sustaining a knee injury at the NWCA National Duals. He defeated No. 8 Franklin Gomez by a decision of 6-2.
* After recording four falls in 11 matches to begin the 2007 portion of the schedule Shane Seibert did not pick up his fifth fall until he pinned Spartan Rex Kindle. Seibert has nine falls on the year.

Previewing the Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma State enters the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo., this weekend as the reigning Big 12 Champions. The Cowboys have captured the team title each of the last four years. The only two years the Cowboys did not win the team title they finished as the runner-up. Oklahoma is the only other Big 12 School to win a team title. Oklahoma finished as the runner-up last season with Nebraska taking third, Iowa State finished in fourth and Missouri finished in fifth place. The Cowboys have dominated the last four championships winning each year by at least 30 points.

Iowa State comes into Columbia as the highest rated Big 12 team with a record of 13-3. Cale Sanderson's Cyclones swept their Big 12 duals defeating Oklahoma State twice, Oklahoma in Ames and Missouri and Nebraska on the road. ISU is ranked No. 2 in both the NWCA and W.I.N polls.

Missouri staggers into the championships trying to recover from a team flu bug. Brian Smith's Tigers are 12-3 on the season and are ranked No. 3 in the NWCA poll and No. 3 in the W.I.N poll. The Tigers went 3-1 in Big 12 competition.

Oklahoma State enters the Big 12 Championships ranked No. 4 in both the NWCA and W.I.N polls. The Cowboys and head coach John Smith have an overall record of 14-5 and are have not wrestled since Feb. 11. OSU finished Big 12 competition with a record of 3-2.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers make the trip to Columbia with a record of 10-7-1. They are ranked No. 19 by W.I.N. magazine and No. 23 by the NWCA. The Huskers finished Big 12 duals with a mark of 1-3. Head coach Mark Manning has Nebraska riding a record of 3-0-1 in its last four duals.

OU's Two Match Winning Streak
Oklahoma takes a two-match winning streak into Columbia, which includes one home and one road victory. During the streak, OU has scored an average of 22.5 points and at least 20 points in both matches while holding both opponents to 15 points or less. Individually, Oklahomas' top wrestlers have all flourished in the matches. All six ranked wrestlers had at least one win and four of the six picked up wins in both matches. One non-ranked Sooner defeated two ranked opponents during the streak. The Sooners picked up one fall as senior Shane Seibert pinned Rex Kendle of Michigan State in the second team victory. Oklahoma did not pick up any major decisions or technical falls, but did register a forfeit and 11 decisions. Will Rowe scored the most individual points with 14 in his two victories.

Looking for a Repeat
Sam Hazewinkel has claimed two 125 pound Big 12 Championships in his Sooner career. The senior earned his first title as a freshman as he defeated Jason Powell of Nebraska and Cody Sites of Oklahoma State for the title.

In 2006 Hazewinkel defeated Austin DeVoe of Missouri in the first round and then defeated Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State for his second title.

Finals Experience
Oklahoma senior Matt Storniolo is no stranger to the finals at conference wrestling championships. While at Penn State in 2003-04, the Nittany Lion freshman reached the finals of the 149 pound championship.

In 2004-05 as a Sooner sophomore Storniolo reached the 149 pound final at the Big 12 Championships losing to top-ranked Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State. Storniolo's 2005-06 junior season was deja vu all over again as he reached the finals at the Big 12 Championships but lost once again to top-ranked Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State.

Making an Immediate Impact
Oklahoma redshirt freshman Kyle Terry has compiled a record of 15-9 this season. The Midwest City, Okla., native has started the entire season and has already made a name for himself. He defeated two top-10 ranked opponents in the last week of competition.

On Feb. 17 Terry helped Oklahoma upset then No. 6/8 Hofstra, 21-13 with his upset of No. 8 Charles Griffin, 7-4.

Last Friday night Terry upset No. 4 Andy Simmons by a decision of 4-2 as Oklahoma defeated then No. 19/22 Michigan State.

The Non-Experience Factor
Between the 10 wrestlers wrestling this weekend only four wrestlers have competed in Big 12 post-season wrestling action. Sam Hazewinkel, Matt Storniolo, Will Rowe and Joel Flaggert have all participated in at least one Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championship. The other six Sooners are making their first appearance in Big 12 post-season action.

Health Makes all the Difference
The Sooners have had a number of injuries to their starting lineup this season as four starters have missed significant time due to injuries. With the regular starting lineup wrestling the Sooners are 9-3 and without they are 2-4.

Sam Hazewinkel missed significant time from Jan. 6 through Feb. 16 with a knee injury, Joe Comparin has wrestled in only three matches the entire year due to an ankel injury, Kyle Terry missed action from Jan. 6 through Feb. 4 with a neck injury and Will Rowe was out from dual action for two weeks with a shoulder injury.

Returning Medalist Seek Gold
Five Sooners seeking to improve from their performances at last year's Big 12 Championhsips are Joe Comparin, Matt Storniolo, Will Rowe and Joel Flaggert.

Comparin finished in fifth place at 133 pounds, Storniolo finished as the runner-up to Zack Esposito at 149 pounds, Rowe took third at 157 pounds and Flaggert placed third at 197 pounds as he defeated current Oklahoma volunteer coach and former Missouri wrestler Jeff Foust.

First Time's a Charm
For junior Joshua Weitzel, redshirt freshman Kyle Terry and Josh Hinton and freshman Brian Shelton Saturday will mark their first appearance in the Big 12 Championships.

Weitzel is not new to the conference championship wrestling scene. While wrestling for the Michigan Wolverines in 2003-04 the Lincoln University, Pa., native posted an 0-2 mark at the Big 10 Championships.

Last season neither Terry or Hinton were in the regular starting lineup during the season and did not wrestle in Ames, Iowa at the Big 12 Championships.

Shelton is a true freshman and is making his first appearance at the championships.

Marquee Match-Ups
Multiple wrestlers from Big 12 schools are ranked in the top-20 of each individual weight class in the NWCA and W.I.N magazine polls. The wrestlers will face each other this weekend at the Big 12 Championships in some marquee match-ups.

Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all have a wrestler in the top-15 at 125 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri and Oklahoma State each have a wrestler in the top-20 at 133 pounds.

Iowa State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State each have a wrestler ranked at 141 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri and Oklahoma all have a wrestler in the top-20 at 149 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma all have a wrestler ranked in the top-15 at 157 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all have a wrestler in the top-20 at 165 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all have a wrestler in the top-20 at 174 pounds.

Iowa State and Missouri each have a wrestler in the top-10 at 184 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma each have a wrestler ranked in the top-15 at 197 pounds.

Iowa State, Missouri and Oklahoma State each have a wrestler ranked in the top-20 at heavyweight.

Sooners Boast Six Top 20 Wrestlers
Six Oklahoma wrestlers were ranked in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll and the W.I.N. magazine poll rankings released Tuesday, including Sam Hazewinkel, Matt Storniolo, Will Rowe, Shane Seibert, Joshua Weitzel and Joel Flaggert.

Hazewinkel is ranked No. 1 in both polls at 125 pounds, Stoniolo is ranked No. 2 by the NWCA and No. 4 by W.I.N. at 149 pounds, Rowe is ranked No. 11 by the NWCA and No. 14 by W.I.N at 157 pounds, Seibert is ranked No. 18 by the NWCA and No. 19 by W.I.N at 165 pounds, Weitzel is ranked No. 8 by the NWCA and No. 17 W.I.N at 174 pounds and Flaggert is ranked No. 5 in both polls at 197 pounds.

Fresh-Ness
With the Sooners' recent rash of injuries several freshman have had to play a key role in the success of this season. Starting tonight against Michigan State will be four freshmen. Henry Roman (Pueblo, Colo.) at 125 pounds, Brian Shelton at 133 pounds, Kyle Terry at 141 pounds (Midwest City, Okla.) and Josh Hinton at 184 pounds (Sand Springs, Okla.). Roman has a record of 6-10, Terry 15-9 and Hinton 19-15.

Sooners Named to Academic All-Big 12 Team
The No. 7/14 Oklahoma wrestling team placed four Sooners on the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Team, the Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday.

Highlighting the first team for the Sooners were seniors Sam Hazewinkel and Joel Flaggert and junior Joshua Weitzel. Freshman Kyle Terry rounded out the group with his second-team selection.

It marked the second straight first-team selection for Hazewinkel. Flaggert, Weitzel and Terry are making their first appearances on the teams.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league wrestling squad consisted of 12 first team members combined with three on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

Terry Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
Oklahoma's Kyle Terry was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performance in duals against Hofstra and Michigan State, the conference office announced Tuesday, Feb. 27.

The redshirt-freshman from Midwest City, Okla., defeated two top-eight ranked wrestlers in a span of seven days. He defeated No. 8 Charles Griffin of Hofstra in a 7-4 decision as the Sooners claimed a 21-13 victory over the No. 6/8 Pride on Saturday, Feb. 17.

He backed it up with an upset of No. 4 Andy Simmons of Michigan State, 4-2, in Oklahoma's 24-15 defeat over the No. 19/22 Spartans on Friday, Feb. 23. Terry finished the regular season with an overall record of 15-9.

Farewell Seniors
The Oklahoma wrestling program says goodbye to three seniors this season. Graduating at the end of the season will be Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds, Matt Storniolo at 149 pounds and Shane Seibert at 165 pounds.

Hazewinkel is a three-time All-American and has a career record of 125-9. He is a two-time Big 12 Champion at 125 pounds and has finished in the top three at nationals each year.

Storniolo is a two-time All-American and has a career record of 72-13. He transferred to Oklahoma from Penn State prior to his sophomore year.

Seibert is a transfer who came to Oklahoma after the Fresno State program was cancelled. He is 23-8 on the year.

Senior Captains
Serving as captains for the Sooners will be the team's two seniors, Sam Hazewinkel and Matt Storniolo. The captains were selected by their teammates.

Looking Back at Michigan State
The No. 7/14 Oklahoma Sooners (11-7, 0-5 Big 12) defeated No. 19/22 Michigan State (3-11, 2-6 Big 10) in East Lansing, Mich., 24-15 on Friday, Feb. 23.

The Sooners are now on a two-match winning streak after coming off a 21-13 upset of No. 6/8 Hofstra the previous Saturday.

Kyle Terry began the match with his second consecutive victory over a top-eight ranked wrestler in seven days at 141 pounds. Terry upset No. 4 Andy Simmons by a decision of 4-2. The two went scoreless in the first period and Terry began the second period with a reversal to take a 2-0 lead. Simmons countered with an escape but Terry scored again with a takedown. Simmons could only manage an escape in the third period as Terry took the match 4-2.

No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel recorded his first victory since Jan. 6 with a 6-2 decision over No. 8 Franklin Gomez at 125 pounds. Hazewinkel was scheduled to wrestle the previous weekend against Hofstra but drew a forfeit. Hazewinkel scored three times in the second period after a scoreless first period. The Sooner senior scored an escape, a reversal and a near-fall as Gomez only managed a takedown in the period. The two did not score in the third as Hazewinkel took the victory.

Five other Sooners picked up victories on the evening.

No. 2 Matt Storniolo defeated Jeff Wimberley by a decision of 3-0. Storniolo scored once in the first period and again twice in the third period to pick up the victory at 149 pounds.

No. 11 Will Rowe won by a decision as well at 157 pounds. Rowe defeated Tony Greathouse by a score of 8-3 at 157 pounds.

No. 18 Shane Seibert picked up a fall at 165 pounds. Seibert put Rex Kindle on his back at the 1:04 mark in the first period.

No. 8 Joshua Weitzel defeated John Murphy by a decision of 8-5 at 174 pounds. Brad farmer picked up his second consecutive victory at heavyweight as he defeated Alan O'Donnell by a decision of 6-3.

Looking Back at Hofstra
The No. 11/15 Oklahoma Sooners (10-7, 0-5 Big 12) upset the No. 6/8 Hofstra Pride (17-4-2, 7-0 CAA) at the Howard McCasland Field House, 21-13.

The Sooners recorded their first win since defeating Arizona State, 31-9 on Feb. 2. It is the team's first win over a ranked opponent since the Lone Star Duals when Oklahoma defeated Navy, 30-9. The Sooners are now 5-0 all-time versus Hofstra.

Sam Hazewinkel who has not wrestled since the NWCA National Duals returned to the lineup but did not get to wrestle as he won by a forfeit. Hazewinkel's victory put six team points on the board for the Sooners.

Kyle Terry came up big for the Sooners as he upset No. 8 Charles Griffin of Hofstra by a decision of 7-4 at 141 pounds. Terry and Griffin traded takedowns and escapes in the first period as the two wrestled to a 3-3 tie at the end of period one. The Sooner redshirt freshman from Midwest City, Okla., began the second period with an escape and than recorded a takedown to reach period three with a 6-4 advantage. There was no action in the final period but Terry added a point due to riding time to close out the match.

No. 2 Matt Storniolo defeated No. 15 Mitch Smith of Hofstra by a decision of 6-4 at 149 pounds. Storniolo began the match with a takedown as the only points of the first period. Smith began period two with a reversal to tie the score. Storniolo countered with back-to-back escapes as Smith could only manage one more score as the Sooner senior added a bonus point due to riding time to finish the match.

No. 13 Will Rowe proved huge for the Sooners at 157 pounds. The sophomore upset No. 2 James Strouse by a decision of 6-5. Strouse began the match strong scoring two takedowns as Rowe only managed two escapes in the first period. The second period only saw Strouse score an escape to take a 5-3 lead. Rowe began the third period with an escape to pull within a point. The turning point came with 0:11 seconds left as Rowe scored a takedown to win the match 6-5.

After three consecutive setbacks at 165, 174 and 184 pounds No. 5 Joel Flaggert got Oklahoma going back in the right direction with a 4-2 decision over No. 11 Chris Weidman at 197 pounds. The two traded penalty points in period one. Flaggert scored an escape and a takedown in period two to take a 4-1 lead. Weidman could only manage an escape at the beginning of period three as Flaggert recorded his 26th victory on the year.

Brad Farmer ended a three-match losing streak as he defeated Matt Pollock, 5-0 at heavyweight. All Farmer need was a takedown to begin the match as the two heavyweights went scoreless until 1:11 to go as Farmer added a reversal to take the match 4-0.

Looking Back at Oklahoma State
The No. 8/14 Oklahoma Sooners (9-7, 0-5 Big 12) dropped its final Big 12 dual of the season to the No. 4/4 Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-5, 3-2 Big 12), 29-6, in front of 7,104 fans at Gallagher-Iba arena in Stillwater, Okla.

After setbacks in the first three matches Matt Storniolo got the Sooners on the board in the team race with a 7-3 decision over Oklahoma State's B.J. Jackson at 149 pounds. Storniolo scored an early takedown in the first period that Jackson countered with an escape. Jackson tied it up 2-2 with 0:46 seconds to go in the second period with an escape. Storniolo used an escape and a takedown with an added point due to Jackson stalling to take the victory.

Oklahoma only won one of the remaining six matches. No. 6 Joel Flaggert added three team points for the Sooners as he defeated Jared Shelton by a score of 8-2 at 197 pounds. Flaggert scored a takedown and a three-point nearfall in the first period to take a quick lead. The Sooner junior scored an escape with just over 0:30 seconds left in the second to make it 6-0 heading into period three. Shelton scored a reversal at the beginning of the third but was penalized twice to add two points to Flaggert's score as he took the match.

Looking Back at Nebraska
The The No. 8/14 Oklahoma Sooners were defeated by the No. 21/22 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 21-15, in front of 393 fans at the Howard McCasland Field House.

Brian Shelton got the Sooners on the board in the team race with an 8-2 decision win over Patrick Aleksanyan of Nebraska at 133 pounds. Shelton scored once in each of the first two periods and added an escape and a takedown with riding time tacked on at the end of the third period.

After a setback at 141 pounds Matt Storniolo added three points to the OU team score as he defeated Jordan Burroughs by a decision of 7-3 at 149 pounds. Storniolo got out to a 5-0 lead before Burroughs scored twice at the end of the second period and the beginning of the third period to pull within two points. Storniolo added an escape and riding time to finish out the match.

After back-to-back loses at 157 and 165 pounds Joshua Weitzel put the three team points on the board for Oklahoma. Weitzel defeated Marc Harwood at 174 pounds by a decision of 7-1. Weitzel had posted a shutout until the final 0:41 seconds as Harwood managed to get an escape. Weitzel scored five first period points to take early control of the match. The Sooner junior added an escape point and riding time to close out Harwood.

Josh Hinton helped put back-to-back wins together for the Sooners following Weitzel's win. Hinton defeated Levi Wofford by a decision of 5-3 at 184 pounds. Hinton scored an escape and a takedown in the second period after a scoreless first period, to take the advantage. Wofford scored an escape at the beginning of third period to pull within one point. Hinton managed a takedown with a little over a minute to go to put the match away.

The only match in the dual featuring both wrestlers ranked in the top-25 occurred at 197 pounds as No. 5 Joel Flaggert helped bring the match back to even at 15-15 as he defeated No. 9 Craig Brester. Flaggert defeated Brester by a decision of 7-4.

The Sooner junior scored an early takedown to take a 2-0 advantage. In the second period Flaggert scored three times to Brester's two that gave the Choctaw, Okla. native a 6-3 advantage heading to the final period. Brester scored an early escape in period three but was unable to get any closer as Flaggert walked away with the victory.

Brad Farmer was pinned by Cameron Browne of Nebraska at heavyweight to end to Sooners comeback.

Looking Back at Missouri
The No. 8/13 Oklahoma wrestling team (8-5, 0-3 Big 12) was defeated by the No. 2/2 Missouri Tigers ((9-1, 3-0 Big 12) 24-14 at the Howard McCasland Field House.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 15-0 lead as they took the first four matches before the Sooners took two of the next three bouts.

Joel Flaggert put five points on the board for the Sooners with his technical fall over Joey Geherty at 197-pounds. Flaggert scored four near falls in the last 2:02 to take the match by a score of 16-1.

Freshman Henry Roman defeated John Olanowski of Missouri at 125 pounds. Roman defeated Olanowski by a decision of 11-5. The victory was the first for the Pueblo, Colo. native in his last five matches.

Freshman Kyle Terry scored the biggest victory for the Sooners on the afternoon. The Midwest City, Okla. native pinned Ashtin Primus of Missouri at 141 pounds.

Terry was wrestling only his second match since returning from a neck injury he sustained in the NWCA National Duals. Terry put Primus on his back at the 4:22 mark of the second period to secure the victory.

No. 2 Matt Storniolo was defeated for the first time this season as No. 9 Josh Wagner upset the Sooner senior by a decision of 10-4 at 149 pounds.

Looking Back at Arizona State
The No. 8/13 Oklahoma Sooners (9-5, 0-2 Big 12) defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils, 31-9 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Oklahoma has won the last eight meetings in the series, including tonight. Jack Spates is 10-3-1 all-time versus the Sun Devils. OU is 22-13-1 all-time versus Arizona State.
Seven Sooners recorded victories for Oklahoma, with OU scoring one fall.

Matt Storniolo (149 pounds) and Will Rowe (157 pounds) both recorded victories for the Sooners as they drew forfeits from the Sun Devils

At 174 pounds Joshua Weitzel defeated Alex Pavlenko by a pin at the 2:08 mark. Heavyweight Brad Framer recorded a major decision at heavyweight. Farmer defeated Thor Moen by a score of 14-3.

Recording decisions for the Sooners were Brian Shelton at 133 pounds over Shawn Jones by a score of 10-4, Kyle Terry at 141 pounds defeating Robert Galvan, 8-1, and Joel Flaggert defeated Jason Trulson, 9-3 at 197 pounds.

Looking Back at Iowa State
The No. 8/13 Oklahoma Sooners (8-4, 0-2 Big 12) were defeated by the No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones (8-3, 2-0 Big 12), 27-9 in Ames, Iowa at the Hilton Coliseum.

The Sooners were able to get within a point of the Cyclones lead with Matt Storniolo's 4-0 decision over Cyler Sanderson at 149 pounds after losing the first match of the evening. This was Storniolo's first action since partially tearing his left bicep muscle against Utah Valley State on Jan. 6 at the Lone Star Duals.

After Storniolo's decision, Oklahoma was not able to score another victory until Joshua Weitzel put up three team points for OU at 174 pounds. Weitzel notched a 4-0 decision over Iowa State's Grant Turner.

Joel Flaggert (21-2) pushed his current winning streak to six as he defeated Cyclone Kurt Backes by a decision of 6-5 at 197 pounds. Flaggert's decision was the last victory for the Sooners.

The Sooners are still without three starters as Sam Hazewinkel (125 pounds), Joe Comparin (133 pounds), and Kyle Terry (141 pounds) still recover from injuries. Hazewinkel and Terry were injured at the NWCA National Duals and Comparin (pronounced com-PREEN) is still recovering from a pre-season injury.

Looking Back at Oregon
The No. 9/12 University of Oklahoma wrestling team defeated the University of Oregon Ducks 29-10, at the Howard McCasland Field House.

The Sooners came out of the gates slow, losing the first three matches before Freshman Chad Terry sparked a seven match OU run.

Terry defeated Ryan Dunn of Oregon at 149 pounds by a major decision, 5-2. After that victory the Sooners reeled off two-straight falls and a technical fall.

Chris DeVilbiss pinned Kyle Bounds of Oregon in the first period of their 157 pound match. DeVilbiss put Bounds on his back at the 2:04 mark.

Shane Seibert followed that up with a fall of his own at 165 pounds. Seibert registered his fall in the first period over Jake McCoy at the 1:20 mark.

Joshua Weitzel shut out Ronnie Lee of Oregon at 174 pounds winning 16-0. Weitzel recorded his technical fall of Lee in the third period. The victory put the Sooners up 20-10.

Josh Hinton recorded a decision over Brysen French at 184 pounds to continue the Sooners run. Hinton defeated French, 7-6.

Joel Flaggert made easy work of Chris Robertson at 197 pounds. The Sooner senior won his fifth straight match as he recorded a decision of 9-3.

Brad Farmer finished out the dual for Oklahoma as he defeated Chris Dearmon in the heavyweight match. Farmer won by a decision of 7-4.

With the victory, the Sooners have now defeated the Ducks nine straight times. Oregon last defeated Oklahoma in 1980. Jack Spates pushed his career record against Oregon to 6-0.

Looking Back at the National Duals
No. 7 Oklahoma dropped its first round match at the 2007 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals to No. 9 Central Michigan, 21-15.

OU began the dual taking the lead 6-0 after the first two matches, but could not sustain the momentum as the Chippewas won six out of the next eight matches.

No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds defeated Luke Smith by a decision of 10-4. Hazewinkel kept his unbeaten streak alive as he pushed his season record to 16-0. The senior has only allowed 18 points to his opponents this season.

Freshman Brian Shelton recorded his fifth victory as a Sooner. The El Reno, Okla. native shutout Conor Beebe at 133 pounds with a 6-0 decision.

No. 14 Shane Seibert continued his hot streak as he recorded his third fall in his last four matches. Seibert pinned Andy Keller at the 3:55 mark in their 165 pound match.

Joel Flaggert held on for his third straight victory as he defeated Wynn Michalak by a decision of 6-5 at 197 pounds.

No. 7 Oklahoma (7-3, 0-1) dropped its consolation match to No. 12/13 Cornell, 23-15 and are now out of the 2007 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. The Sooners dropped their first round match to No. 9 Central Michigan, 21-15 on Saturday morning.

No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel once again provided Oklahoma with a 125 pound victory to begin the dual. Hazewinkel defeated Luis Salinas by a technical fall, 17-2. The Pensacola, Fla. senior was one of three Sooners to win both of their matches. The other two were Shane Seibert and Joel Flaggert.

No. 14 Seibert recorded a shutout and a major decision by defeating John Testy-Bastings at 165 pounds, 13-0. Seibert is now on a four match winning streak.

No. 9 Joshua Weitzel picked up his only victory of the day as he defeated Joseph Hooker, 2-0.

No. 5 Flaggert defeated Carl Landers at 197 pounds by a decision of 6-2. Flaggert is now 19-2 on the season and has won his last four matches.

Looking Back at the Lone Star Duals
Oklahoma flexed its muscle in a 55-0 drubbing of Marion Military Institute in session one of the 10th annual Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The Sooners got five falls in the dual as Sam Hazewinkel, Kyle Terry, Will Rowe, Shane Seibert and Brad Farmer all pinned their opponents.

Matt Storniolo, Josh Hinton and Joel Flaggert all won their matches by technical falls. Jarrod King won by a major decision and Joe Comparin won by forfeit.

Comparin at 133 pounds began the dual with no match as he took the victory. Terry pinned Steve Chandler of Marion at 141 pounds at the 2:23 mark, putting the Sooners up 12-0 two matches in.

Storniolo wrestling for OU at 149 pounds disposed of Zach Brewer by a technical fall, 16-1 in the third period. Rowe scored the second fall for Oklahoma as he pinned Darron Stowe at 157 pounds to begin the third period. Rowe's victory put OU up 23-0.

Seibert made it back-to-back falls for the Sooners as he put Jon Ruiz on his back in the first period of the 165 pound match. King wrestling at 174 pounds won by a major decision over Derick Miller, 16-4.

Hinton scored another technical fall for Oklahoma at 184 pounds as he marched his way to a shutout of Will Hurst, winning 16-0. Flaggert scored another technical fall for the Sooners as he corralled Tyler Barberi at 197-pounds, 17-2. Farmer at heavyweight for Oklahoma took care of Jay Bruniwitz in the first period pinning him :25 seconds into the match.

Hazewinkel, whose father and uncle co-coach Marion, pinned C.J. Hamilton in the second period to cap the Sooners 55-0 shutout of Marion.

The Sooners continue their day in Texas with a Session five dual against Navy beginning at 4 p.m. OU closes out the day with Utah Valley State in session six at 6 p.m.

Oklahoma powered its way to two consecutive victories in sessions two and three as they defeated Navy in session two and Utah Valley State in session three.

OU rolled to its second victory in session two as they defeated Navy, 30-9.

The Sooners only lost two matches and received a fall from Sam Hazewinkel in his 125- pound match. Hazewinkel put Alex Usztics on his back in the third period at the 5:58 mark.

OU also got victories from Kyle Terry, Matt Storniolo, Will Rowe, Shane Seibert, Joshua Weitzel, Josh Hinton and Joel Flaggert.

Seibert and Flaggert scored bonus points for the Sooners in their two matches. Seibert defeated Justin Jacobs at 165 pounds for his second victory of the day. Jacobs could not hold off the Sooner Junior as he recorded a technical fall winning, 17-2.

Flaggert also recorded his second victory of the day as he recorded a major decision over Tyler Mayer in their 197 pound match.

Weitzel wrestling his first match of the day defeated Matt Stulpinsk in their 174 pound match by a decision of 6-2.

The Sooners closed out the day as they shutout Utah Valley State, 47-0 in session three.

Freshman Brian Shelton wrestling in his first match of the day made easy work of Alex Smith at 133 pounds. Shelton recorded a major decision and shutout Smith, 12-0.

Redshirt freshman Nolan Spring also wrestled in his first match of the duals and defeated Justin Rawle at 149 pounds by a decision of 4-3.

Seibert recorded his second fall of the day as he pinned Dustin Olsen, :39 seconds into the first period of their 165 pound match. Weitzel earned a fall at 174 pounds as he defeated Marc Fenwick. Weitzel made quick work taking the match :40 seconds into the first period.

Matt Cole made his first appearance of the day as he defeated Eric McAllister at 197 pounds. Cole won by a major decision of 14-5.

Also recording victories for Oklahoma were Hazewinkel, Terry, Rowe, Hinton and Brad Farmer.

Looking Back at Cal Poly
The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (4-1, 0-1) defeated the No. 20/21 Cal Poly Mustangs (0-1) to close out the 2006 portion of their schedule.

Oklahoma has won the last 10 meetings in the series dating back to a tie in 1997. OU is unbeaten in the last 16 duals, with Cal Poly's last victory coming in the 1991-92 season. Head coach Jack Spates is 13-0-1 all-time versus the Mustangs.
Eight Sooners recorded victories for Oklahoma, with OU scoring two falls.

At 165 pounds Jarrod King defeated Evan Barbre by a pin at the 3:15 mark. Heavyweight Brad Framer recorded his fall over Cody Parker at the :52 mark.

Kyle Terry recorded a major decision over Blake Gaughran, 12-2 at 14 pounds.

Recording decisions for the Sooners were Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds over Chad Mendes, 4-1, Matt Storniolo at 149 pounds defeating Eric Maldonado, 4-2, Will Rowe defeated Chase Pami, 4-2 at 157 pounds, Joshua Weitzel defeated Nicholas Herenandez, 6-2 at 174 pounds and Josh Hinton defeated Yuri Kalika, 4-3 at 184 pounds.
Joel Flaggert lost for only the second time this season as Matt Monteiro defeated Flaggert at 197 pounds, 7-5.

Looking Back at Oklahoma State
The No. 5/9 Oklahoma Sooners (3-1, 0-1) were defeated by No. 1/2 Oklahoma State (3-0, 1-0) 17-15, inside The Howard McCasland Field House in part one of the Bedlam Series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your local Ford Dealers.

OU dropped their first dual of the season, and with the victory Sunday the Cowboys have now beaten the Sooners in 17 straight duals. OU and OSU wrestled to a tie in 1999.

No. 2 Sam Hazewinkel kept his unbeaten streak alive with an 8-2 decision over No. 18 Tyler Shinn in their 125 pound match. Hazewinkel, pushed his record to 11-0 with the victory.
Oklahoma got two big victories at 149 and 157 pounds. No. 2 Matt Storniolo pitched a shutout as he defeated Ryan Freeman by a score of 7-0, in their 149 pound match.

Will Rowe, No. 20 at 157 pounds, defeated Newly McSpadden by a score of 8-5. The Sooners took the lead in the dual with Rowe's victory leading OSU 9-8.

No. 1 Johny Hendricks defeated No. 15 Shane Seibert at 165 pounds to give the lead back to the Cowboys at 11-9.

Joshua Weitzel came up big for the Sooners as he upset No. 5 Brandon Mason at 174 pounds. Weitzel shutout Mason as he won in sudden death 2-0.

Joel Flaggert defeated Jared Shelton at 197 pounds, by a decision of 10-4. Flaggert's victory was the last win for the Sooners as he put OU up 15-14 heading into the final match.

No. 10 Jared Rosholt defeated Brad Farmer at heavyweight by a decision of 5-0 to give the victory to Oklahoma State.

Looking Back at Central Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma wrestling team defeated the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos 20-18, at the Howard McCasland Field House.

Oklahoma scored two technical falls and a major decision to help them secure their 12th consecutive victory over the Bronchos.

Sam Hazewinkel got the Sooners off to a fast start as he recorded a technical fall on Tyler Zuckerman of Central Oklahoma in their 125 pound match. Hazewinkel scored two near falls in the first period than added two takedowns and a near fall in the second period on his way to a 16-1 final.

The Bronchos got back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 pounds to take a 9-5 advantage.

Matt Storniolo earned a big win for the Sooners as he defeated Shea Timothy at 149 pounds. Storniolo won by a decision of 2-0, after a takedown in the second period that ended up being the only points scored in the match. Storniolo's win brought the Sooners within one point of the lead as UCO still led 9-8.

Will Rowe put the Sooners up 11-9 going into intermission as he defeated Jason Leavitt at 157 pounds. Rowe used two take takedowns and an escape in the third period to come from behind to win by a decision of 9-6.

Central Oklahoma took the lead back at 12-11 after winning at 165 pounds.

Joshua Weitzel gave the lead back to Oklahoma for good by defeating Daniel Morrison by a technical fall at 174 pounds. Weitzel scored six points in the second and eight points in the third to notch the shutout, 16-0.

Joel Flaggert put OU up by five points heading into the heavyweight match as he scored a major decision over Heath Jolley of Central Oklahoma. Flaggert scored four takedowns and added a single point due to riding time to take the 197 pound match 11-2.

Looking Back at the Oklahoma Open
The Oklahoma wrestling team crowned five individual champions and placed seven wrestlers at the 36th annual Oklahoma Open Saturday, Nov.25, in Norman.

Sooners claiming individual titles were Zack Bailey (133), Will Rowe (157), Shane Seibert (165), Joshua Weitzel and Jeff James (Tie, 174), Joel Flaggert (197).

Oklahoma Open
133 Pounds: Zack Bailey - First Place
157 Pounds: Will Rowe - First Place
165 Pounds: Shane Seibert - First Place
165 Pounds: Jarrod King - Second Place
174 Pounds: Joshua Weitzel - First Place
174 Pounds: Jeff James - First Place
197 Pounds: Joel Flaggert - First Place

Looking Back at the Missouri Open
The Oklahoma wrestling team placed 10 wrestlers at the seventh annual Missouri Open Nov. 19, in Columbia, Mo. Freshman Nathan Fernandez won the only Oklahoma individual title as he defeated teammate Luis Hernandez in the heavyweight final of the freshman/sophomore division. Fernandez won by a major decision of 10-1.

Fernandez was the lone champion for the Sooners who did not take Sam Hazewinkel, Matt Storniolo or Will Rowe because they are scheduled to compete in the 41st annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps inside the Dallas Convention Center on Monday at 7 p.m.

Freshman Greg Cannon defeated John Fleming for fifth place at 125 pounds winning by a forfeit. At 149 pounds Chad Terry lost by forfeit to Andrew Sherry to finish sixth. Shane Seibert finished fourth as he lost to Roger Smith-Bergsurd of Illinois by a decision of 3-0.

Joshua Weitzel and Jeff James both wrestled their way into the 174 pound third place match and the OU coaches decided not to wrestle the teammates and both took third place. Josh Hinton won his fifth place match as he defeated Eric McCray of Cumberland by a decision of 4-3.

Joel Flaggert lost in the 197 pound final to Max Askren of Missouri by a decision of 2-1. Brad Farmer took third place as he defeated Josh Leadingfox of Central Oklahoma by a 3-1 decision.

Looking Back at the Brockport Classic
The University of Oklahoma wrestling team won the seventh annual SUNY Brockport/Oklahoma Gold tournament for the seventh consecutive year. OU won by 32.5 points as it accumulated 143 team points. Kent State was the runner-up with 109.5 team points. The Sooners also claimed five individual titles.

Oklahoma was led by Sam Hazewinkel as he won his fourth straight 125 pound championship. Hazewinkel defeated Mike Sees of Bloomsburg by a fall at the 5:55 mark. In addition to his individual title Hazewinkel also won the Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament.

Shane Seibert won the 165 pound weight class as he defeated Shawn Kitchner of Brown by a major decision of 7-0. Joshua Weitzel claimed the 174 pound weight class title as he defeated Aaron Miller of Kent State by a decision of 5-0. Joel Flaggert earned his second 197 pound Brockport title as he defeated Conner Sanders of Army, by a fall at the 6:34 mark. Brad Farmer earned his first individual title as he defeated Michael Sprigg of Army by a decision of 7-3.

Nolan Spring defeated Dan Hilt by a decision of 5-3 for fifth place. Kyle Terry lost in the finals of the 141 pound weight class by a decision of 4-3 to Tony Curto of Bloomsburg. Chad Terry defeated Brian Rowan of Army by a decision of 7-2 for fifth place at 149-pounds.

Will Rowe was the runner-up at 157 pounds as he was defeated by Arie Fuhrman of Bloomsburg by a decision of 6-5. Josh Hinton claimed fifth place at 184 pounds as he defeated Tom LaRosa of Kent State by a major decision of 10-2.

Looking Back at Missouri Valley and OCU
The University of Oklahoma wrestling team defeated Missouri Valley 43-0, and Oklahoma City University 49-0 Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Howard McCasland Field House.

Head coach Jack Spates and the Sooners dominated and never trailed either school winning both duals by a combined score of 92-0.

The first dual matched Missouri Valley and OU with the Sooners scoring two major decisions to begin the evening.

Sam Hazewinkel defeated Billy Exline 15-3 and Nolan Spring followed up with a 17-7 defeat of Garrett Harding.

Kyle Terry beat Clint Leonard by a decision of 8-3, with his twin brother Chad winning by a forfeit to put OU up 17-0.

Will Rowe sparked the Sooners with a technical fall of Chad Jennings winning 17-2. Shane Siebert wrestling his first ever match for the Sooners disposed of Kyle Nelson by a major decision of 14-0.

Also wrestling his first match for Oklahoma, Joshua Weitzel made quick work of Jake Oberfoell pinning the Viking wrestler in the first period at the 2:04 mark.

Josh Hinton need overtime to finish off Josh Lockett. Hinton won his 184 pound match by a decision of 6-4. Joel Flaggert scored another technical fall for OU as he defeated Kyle Riley, 18-2 in the second period.

Heavyweight Brad Farmer kept the goose egg on the board for the Sooners as he defeated Wade Empting by a decision of 11-4.

Wrestling for the first time since 1932 Oklahoma City University was not able to challenge the Sooners as OU cruised to their second victory of the evening.

Sam Hazewinkel won by forfeit to begin the second dual of the evening. Nolan Spring scored his second major decision of the night by defeating Justin Blumer 12-1. Kyle Terry defeated Gabe Hale by a major decision of 19-4 to put the Sooners up 11-0 after three matches.

For the second straight match Chad Terry was without an opponent as he drew his second victory by forfeit at 149 pounds.

Will Rowe scored his first pin of the season when he took Trevor Adkisson down at the 3:25 mark in the second period. Shane Siebert also recorded his first pin of the young season, as he scored a fall on Dillon Blackmon at the 2:46 mark in the second period.

Josh Weitzel scored a technical fall of John Wilcox at 174 pounds winning 18-2. Josh Hinton won a 6-1 decision over Mitchell Eichenauer. Joel Flaggert recorded his second technical fall when he defeated Corey Johnson 23-5.
Brad Farmer ended the evening by posting a shutout winning a major decision over Jeremy Johnson 10-0.

Looking Back at the Red/White Ranking Match
The Red squad dominated the White, 28-15, in its annual Red/White ranking match. Sam Hazewinkel scored a fall over Anthony Hayes at 125 pounds to give the red a 6-0 advantage.Hazewinkel disposed of Hayes at the 3:58 mark in the second period. Freshman Brian Shelton continued where Hazewinkel left off in the 133 pound match, defeating Nolan Spring by a decision of 5-3.In the following match, Redshirt freshman Kyle Terry registered a major decision, 14-4, over Trey Blakely at 141 pounds.

Chad Terry recorded the white's first points of the evening as he defeated Matt Sansone by a decision of 10-4. Will Rowe kept the white team in the match at 157 pounds as he pinned Chris DeVilbiss with one second remaining in the third period at the 3:59 mark of the match.
Shane Seibert put the red up by seven after the 165 pound match as he scored a major decision by a score of 13-2 over Blake Allen. Josh Hinton defeated Eugene Young by a decision of 5-2 at 184 pounds. Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert rounded out the scoring for the red at 197 pounds as he pinned Matt Cole in the first period at the 1:22 mark to put the red up by 16. At heavyweight Brad Farmer defeated Nathan Fernandez by a decision of 5-4.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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