Six of nine Cowboys advance to the second round of the championship bracket.
Dallas Bailey earned a big upset win for the Cowboys.
March 15, 2012
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team wrapped up the opening session of the 2012 NCAA Championships in third place Thursday, advancing six of nine wrestlers to the second round of the championship bracket.
Highlights from the opening round included a technical fall from Jon Morrison in the first Cowboy bout of the day, a first-period fall from Jordan Oliver and a pair of major decisions from Dallas Bailey and Cayle Byers.
Bailey’s upset major decision was one of the biggest surprises of the day and could play a key part in the Cowboy’s run at the tournament.
He entered the match as an unseeded wrestler facing No. 6-seeded Peter Yates of Virginia Tech. Bailey jumped out to a big lead with a takedown and two-point nearfall in the first half of the opening period and never looked back. The sophomore from Catoosa, Okla., added an escape and takedown in the second period and a reversal and nearfall in the third to earn the upset in dominating fashion, 13-2.
Morrison also turned in a dominating performance for OSU. He scored two points in the first period, five in the second and nine in the third behind two takedowns, three nearfalls, an escape and a reversal in a 16-0 drubbing of Appalachian State’s Antonio Gravely.
Oliver, who is defending his national title at 133 pounds, needed only one takedown before taking care of Penn State’s Frank Martellotti in just 2:07. Remarkably, that pin was his 10th first-period fall this season and his 16th fall of the year.
The final bonus-point winner for the Cowboys was Byers at 197 pounds. He traded takedowns for escapes with No. 12-seeded Joseph Kennedy of Lehigh to take a 4-2 lead into the final period. He then rallied with two takedowns and a nearfall in the final seconds to pick up the major decision.
Other Oklahoma State winners in the first round included Jamal Parks, who won, 7-2, over Augustus Sako of Virginia, and Chris Perry, who won, 9-4, over Chris Moon of Virginia Tech. Both wrestlers maintained undefeated recorded with their decisions as Parks moves to 31-0 and Perry improves to 27-0.
Three more Cowboys were in action in the opening round, but fell to the wrestleback with close losses.
Josh Kindig fell to No.4-seeded Michael Mangrum of Oregon State, 6-4, in the first tiebreaker, Albert White fell to No. 10-seeded Anthony Jones of Michigan State, 5-2, and Austin Marsden fell to Brandon Williamson of West Virginia, 5-4, in the first tiebreaker.
The evening session begins at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Fans can watch all the action live on ESPN3.com.
Oklahoma State Results First Round 125: Jon Morrison (OSU) TF5 Antonio Gravely (Appalachian State); 16-0 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) fall Frank Martellotti (Penn State); 2:07 141: No. 4 Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. Josh Kindig (OSU); 6-4;TB1 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Augustus Sako (Virginia); 7-2 157: No. 10 Anthony Jones (Michigan State) dec. Albert White (OSU); 5-2 165: Dallas Bailey (OSU) MD No. 6 Peter Yates (Virginia Tech); 13-2 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) dec. Chris Moon (Virginia Tech); 9-4 197: No. 5 Cayle Byers (OSU) MD Brent Chriswell (Boise State); 12-3 285: Brandon Williamson (West Virginia) dec. Austin Marsden (OSU); 5-4;TB1
Championship Second Round Schedule 125: Jon Morrison (OSU) vs. No. 2 Zachary Sanders (Minnesota) 133: No. 1 Jordan Oliver (OSU) vs. Shelton Mack (Pittsburg) 149: No. 2 Jamal Parks (OSU) vs. Josh Wilson (Utah Valley) 165: Dallas Bailey (OSU) vs. Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) 174: No. 2 Chris Perry (OSU) vs. Curran Jacobs (Michigan State) 197: No. 5 Cayle Byers (OSU) vs. No. 12 Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh)
Consolation First Round Schedule 141: Josh Kindig (OSU) vs. Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) 157: Albert White (OSU) vs. Jake O`Hara (Columbia) 285: Austin Marsden (OSU) vs. Adam Chalfant (Indiana)
