University of Missouri
Oklahoma State
Top-Five Dual on Tap as No. 5 Mizzou Welcomes No. 2 Oklahoma State to Hearnes
2/13/2019 11:17:00 AM | Wrestling
Mizzou has nine ranked wrestlers while Oklahoma State will send eight ranked wrestlers to the mat
WatchESPN | Match-by-Match Results | Season Stats
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling will face its largest test of the season, putting its 35-dual win streak on the line against No. 2 Oklahoma State this Saturday (Feb. 16) at the Hearnes Center. The dual will being at 2:30 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3. Tiger Style comes into the dual at a perfect 15-0 on the year while the second-ranked Cowboys come in at a perfect 13-0.
Mizzou is attempting to break its attendance record, which is currently 2,772 fans, and the dual is the annual Gold Rush dual at Hearnes as all fans are encouraged to wear gold. Mizzou and Oklahoma State, old Big 12 rivals, last met a year ago in Stillwater, with then-No. 3-ranked Mizzou downing No. 5 Oklahoma State, 21-19, overcoming an early 9-0 deficit thanks to a huge pin by Jaydin Eierman at 141 pounds.
The Tigers have an all-time record of 7-41-1 against the Cowboys, but head coach Brian Smith holds an all-time mark of 7-17-1 against the Pokes as many of the all-time meetings came prior to his arrival. While Smith was building Tiger Style into the perennial blue blood power that it is now, he lost his first five meetings with Oklahoma State, but has since went a respectable 7-12-1 against the Pokes, one of the NCAA's most storied wrestling programs. Since 2014-15, Mizzou and Oklahoma State have split the last four duals.
Mizzou and Oklahoma State have faced a pair of common foes this season – Lehigh and Northern Iowa. Mizzou earned a 21-12 decision over Lehigh and a 29-12 win over Northern Iowa, despite forfeiting at 184 pounds. Oklahoma State downed the two teams, 27-6 and 24-9, respectively.
As two of college wrestling's blue bloods are set to square off, it is a given that the dual will feature plenty of nationally-ranked bouts. Mizzou has nine of its 10 projected wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes, while eight of OSU's 10 projected starters are ranked. The dual will feature top-10 matches up 133, 141, 149 and 174 pounds. Below is the complete projected lineup:
Projected Lineups:
- 125 Pounds – Dack Punke (9-6) vs. #4 Nick Piccininni
- 133 Pounds – #10 John Erneste (14-3) vs. #2 Daton FIx
- 141 Pounds – #3 Jaydin Eierman (18-3) vs. #13 Kaid Brock
- 149 Pounds – #7 Brock Mauller (24-1) vs. #5 Kdaen Gfeller
- 157 Pounds – #13 Jarrett Jacques (21-6) vs. Wyatt Sheets
- 165 Pounds – #13 Connor Flynn (16-5) vs. #10 Chandler Rogers
- 174 Pounds – #2 Daniel Lewis (19-1) vs. #6 Joe Smith
- 184 Pounds – #16 Dylan Wisman (13-5) vs. #8 Jacobe Smith
- 197 Pounds – #16 Wyatt Koelling (17-7) vs. Dakota Greer
- 285 Pounds – #19 Zach Elam (19-6) vs. #2 Derek White
Saturday will also be senior day for Mizzou's three seniors – John Erneste (133), Daniel Lewis (174) and Nick Nasenbeny (141). Erneste is a two-time NCAA qualifier and MAC Champion, and has put together an 81-21 record over three-plus years. His 30 career falls rank as the seventh-most in school history. He is ranked 10th nationally this year at 133 pounds
Lewis has a chance to become just the third four-time All-American in program history this year and sits at 19-1 and ranked second nationally at 174 pounds. He just pinned the defending national champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State last week. Lewis now has 46 career pins, needing one more to move into second place all-time at Mizzou. He owns a 109-15 record over his three-plus seasons. His 11 major decision are also tied for the sixth-most in program history.
Nasenbeny has won 25 matches over his four year career, earning five falls and three major decisions. He has put together a 5-5 record over his senior season and picked up his fifth career pin this year
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on social media (Mizzou Wrestling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
Players Mentioned
