No. 3 Pokes drop kicks seventh-ranked Hawkeyes in rematch

Story & Images

By Michael Kinney

STILLWATER– In the 60th meeting between No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Iowa, the Pokes pulled out a convincing 32-11 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. While it was billed as the best rivalry in college sports, OSU dominated from start to finish in front of nearly 13,000 fans Sunday.

“The very first thing I’d like to do is just thank the fans,” said OSU coach David Taylor. “We’ve kind of talked about and articulated this vision of what we want this place to be, become, and reignite. I hear stories about what this place has been like in the past, and to see it come to fruition in a short period of time is pretty awesome.”

The highlight match of the night came at 133 pounds when freshman Jax Forrest took the mat against reigning two-time NCAA finalist No. 9 Drake Ayala. Forrest was the aggressor and dominated the bout from the opening whistle, collecting a 19-3 technical fall victory.

It was the first time Ayala has surrendered bonus points this season. The freshman phenom improves to 10-0 in his collegiate career and now has a pair of wins over top-10 opponents.

However, it was the 197 pound match that put the night away for Oklahoma State. No. 9 Zach Ryder went into an extra period with the Hawkeyes Gabe Arnold. Ryder took the bout to sudden victory, where he was able to collect a 2-1 victory over Arnold, who has three ranked wins this season, including two top-10 wins.

“The energy is getting better; the momentum is continuing to grow, and it’s just special,” Taylor said. “I have been to a lot of wrestling matches, I’ve been in some great environments, but there is nothing like this place. The love, the excitement, the energy. We talk about making this a show; people are going to remember this and these opportunities, these matches.”