Duckworth: My Oklahoma State Wrestling All-Decade Team

With 2019 coming to a close I thought it would be a good time to piece together an all-decade team for the wrestling Pokes. The only parameters for consideration on the list are as follows.

1. Did they wrestle at the weight I have slotted at any NCAA tournament?
2. Did they wrestle for the Cowboys at any point in this decade?

Here it goes.

125-Nick Piccininni

Piccininni is on pace to be a 4-time Big 12 champ and 3-time All American. Should Nick win the Big 12 this year he will join Johny Thompson, Jordan Oliver, Chris Perry, Alex Dieringer, and Anthony Collica as the only other Cowboys that have accomplished the feat of being a 4-time Big 12 Champ. That’s quite a list.

133-Daton Fix

Fix only wrestled one full season in this decade so I struggled a bit with putting him over Kaid Brock here. But last year the freshman competed at one of the toughest weights in college wrestling history, and walked away with only two losses and a runner up finish at the NCAA tournament. Brock was a two-time All-American and could return this season to add some more to his resume, but with Fix’s runner-up finish being the highest of the two and a near certainty he will have continued success in orange, he gets the nod.

141-Dean Heil

This was maybe the easiest decision on this list. Heil was not only a great wrestler, but he also spent all four years at the same weight making this one a no-brainer. The three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champ had fans on the edge of their seats every time he wrestled. But until a rule change his senior year forced a big change to his style, he still managed to beat pretty much everyone that went out against him. His scrambling ability was unbelievable and with the new neutral danger zone rule it’s probably something we’ll never see again.

149-Jordan Oliver

Oliver won two NCAA titles for the Cowboys. The first his sophomore year down at 133 and the second at 149 after a controversial loss in the finals at 133 his junior year. After dominating the field at Senior Nationals last week, Oliver looks poised to make a run at the 65 KG Olympic spot in April.

157-Alex Dieringer

If there was an award for best wrestler on the “All-Decade” team it would go to Dieringer. He was the only Hodge winner for the Cowboys and only three-time NCAA champ of the era. After winning his first NCAA title his sophomore year at 157 he was flat-out untouchable at 165 his final two seasons, going undefeated and winning two NCAA titles there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urlPOTrQOy4

165-Tyler Caldwell

I should probably put an asterisk next to Caldwell on this list because two years were spent in Norman, but nonetheless his resume was impressive. Caldwell finished as a four-time All-American and his only losses at the NCAA tournament from his sophomore to his senior year were to Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Dake, and David Taylor. All three are now Senior Level World Champions! With leaving Dieringer down at the 157 spot, Caldwell’s the clear guy at 165. If it weren’t for being at the same weight as a few all-time greats during his time in college, Caldwell likely would’ve stood atop the podium at the NCAA tournament at some point.

174-Chris Perry

Perry started out his career at 184 and after dropping down to 174 became a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champ. His rivalry his senior year with OU’s Andrew Howe is one of my favorites of all time. The way Howe dismantled Perry in the first Bedlam match then Perry came back to pick him apart at the NCAAs was just incredible.

184-Nolan Boyd

Pretty much this entire list is made up of blue-chip, can’t miss type recruits that the entire wrestling world knew would be special in college. Boyd is the first one that doesn’t exactly fit that mold. The only two schools that recruited Boyd were OU and OSU, and neither offered him much money. People even told him when he came to OSU that he would just be a practice partner. Ultimately he persevered and ended up as a four-year starter, a four-time NCAA qualifier, and a two-time All-American. He now even lands himself in a spot on the PFB all-decade team!

197-Preston Weigel

Preston Weigel was a two-time All American, a three-time Big 12 champ, and four-time NCAA qualifier. If it weren’t for injuries his junior season he may have done even more. Similar to Boyd, Weigel came in a little underrecruited and outperformed most expectations while also being hurt off and on throughout his career. His top game and strength were incredible, winning him a lot of close low-scoring matches, but also setting him up to rack up tons of bonus. At the NCAA tournament his senior year he scored more team points than any other Cowboy and was an anchor for the Cowboys at 197 during his time in orange and black.

285-Jared Rosholt

The winningest heavyweight in Oklahoma State history didn’t spend all of his career in this decade, but since he closed it out with an NCAA finals appearance in 2010, he gets consideration and ultimately the spot.

OSU has quietly had a strong cast of characters at heavyweight over the past decade. Austin Marsden and Alan Gelogaev were two-time All Americans and Derek White finished as an NCAA runner up this past season. With three All-American honors and one NCAA finals appearance, I gave Jared the edge.