Sooners Slip in Matchup with NC State

Friday, January 16

Norman

7:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

NC State

January 16, 2015 | Wrestling

By: Athletics Communications

NC State

Oklahoma

Final Results (with InterMat rankings)
165	Max Rohskopf	dec.	Clark Glass, 6-2
174	Matt Reed	dec.	No. 14 Pete Renda, 3-1 (SV-1)
184	Nick Hall	dec.	Brooks Climmons, 5-2
197	Andrew Dixon	maj. dec.	Michael Boykin, 11-0
HWT	No. 2 Nick Gwiazdowski	dec.	No. 11 Ross Larson, 10-4
125	Joe DeAngelo	dec.	Ryan Millhof, 3-1 (SV-1)
133	Bryan Meredith	fall	Sean Williams, 4:39
141	Sam Speno	dec.	Trae Blackwell, 6-1
149	Sam Melikian	dec.	Shayne Tucker, 7-5 (SV-1)
157	No. 12 Justin DeAngelis	dec.	Chad Pyke, 6-4

NORMAN -- In its season debut inside McCasland Field House, the University of Oklahoma wrestling team fell to NC State, 24-10, on Friday night.

The Sooners (5-5 overall) recorded wins in two of the first four matches of the night at 174 pounds and 197 pounds, but the Wolfpack (11-3 overall, 0-1 ACC), dominated the rest of the way, winning five of the final six.

Fourth-year OU head coach Mark Cody said the dual demonstrated that his squad must be aggressive in future matches.

“You can't stand around and wait for something to happen. If you don't go after it, it's not just going to come to you. The same goes in wrestling matches,” Cody explained. “These guys are standing around waiting for it to happen, and that's why we end up in the close matches and close situations, and we're taking half shots and we're just not the team that we should be at this point, particularly with the level of competition that we've wrestled so far.

“We've seen a much tougher schedule than they have this year,” Cody continued. “Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad, because you wrestle lesser opponents, and sometimes you roll into a gym and have a lot more confidence. For our guys, maybe confidence-wise, they may be a little shell-shocked because of what they've seen so far. But they come in here where I expected a win and expected close matches. This could have been a blowout either way. Unfortunately we're on the short end of the stick this time.”

Redshirt sophomore Matt Reed came up big for the Sooners, knotting the team score at three with an upset of No. 14 Pete Renda at 174 pounds. Reed tallied a takedown late in the first sudden victory to secure a 3-1 decision.

"The issue with him is being able to get him to wrestle the whole match, and for him going out and getting the win in overtime, that's great for him, particularly against a highly-ranked opponent," Cody said of Reed. "Matt is capable of beating everybody, and it really didn't have to come down to the wire like that if he wrestles to his ability. In any event it's a big step forward for him to win a match like that.”

At 197 pounds, Andrew Dixon put on a show in the third period, recording three two-point nearfalls and a three-point nearfall. The freshman downed NC State freshman Michael Boykin by major decision, 11-0, to give the Sooners their first and only lead of the day at 7-6.

OU's third win came in the final bout of the night as redshirt senior and 12th-ranked Justin DeAngelis tallied a 6-4 decision of redshirt freshman Chad Pyke.

Of the Sooners' seven losses, only one came with bonus points attached. The Wolfpack struck first in the dual as sophomore Max Rohskopf topped redshirt sophomore Clark Glass by decision, 6-2, in the opening match at 165 pounds. In the 184-pound match, NC State freshman Nick Hall won by a 5-2 decision over OU freshman Brooks Climmons.

The most anticipated match of the night featured OU's 11th-ranked heavyweight Ross Larson and NC State's second-ranked Nick Gwiazdowski, the defending NCAA champion. The first period was an active one and saw Gwaizdowski lead 4-3. The redshirt junior went on to beat Larson by a 10-4 decision.

At 125 pounds, NC State redshirt senior Joe DeAngelo topped OU freshman Ryan Millhof in sudden victory by decision, 3-1. Freshman Bryce Meredith then added a fall for the Wolfpack, pinning OU sophomore Sean Williams in 4:39.

In the 141-pound match, OU freshman Trae Blackwell fell to junior Sam Speno by 6-1 decision, while redshirt freshman Shayne Tucker lost to freshman Sam Melikian in sudden victory at 149 pounds, 7-5.

The Sooners return to the mat at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 18, as they host No. 23 West Virginia inside McCasland Field House for their first Big 12 dual of the season. Tickets are available online or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU.