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http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/wyoming-wrestlers-stun-oklahoma/article_4d387cd3-a962-598a-b306-71a0df1f3814.htm
LARAMIE — Wyoming wrestlers Shane Onufer and Pat Martinez knew Tuesday's dual against No. 9 Oklahoma at the Arena-Auditorium would come down to how they performed.
"They're Oklahoma. And we're Wyoming. Wyoming beat Oklahoma in wrestling, and that doesn't get said a lot."
Trailing 17-11 heading into the final two matches, Onufer and Martinez delivered to lift the Cowboys — who are ranked anywhere from No. 12 to No. 20 in the national polls — to a thrilling 18-17 victory against the Sooners.
"It feels awesome," the third-ranked Onufer, who beat OU's Bubby Graham 7-3, said. "They're Oklahoma. And we're Wyoming. Wyoming beat Oklahoma in wrestling, and that doesn't get said a lot."
Fact is, it had never been said before. In a series that dates back to 1955, this is Wyoming's first victory against the powerhouse.
But Martinez dominated OU's Nolan McBryde in the final two periods to earn a 15-2 major decision and get the four points UW needed for the victory.
"I was a little nervous because in high school that kid had beat me and that was in the back of my head," Martinez said. "I just had to go out there and wrestle for myself and wrestle for the team.
"Warming up, Shane and I talked about how it was going to come down to us. And it sure did. It was nice to see both of us get wins in big situations."
The victory was UW's first against a top-10 team since the Cowboys beat No. 9 Virginia in the Virginia Duals last January.
UW, which was coming off a disappointing 24-17 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma State on Sunday, jumped to an early 8-0 lead on the strength of No. 3 Joe LeBlanc's 18-3 technical fall at 184 pounds and No. 12 Alfonso Hernandez's 6-5 decision at 197.
Hernandez trailed throughout the match but tallied a takedown of a tiring Keldrick Hall to pull out a 6-5 victory.
"A win like this goes a long way in the public eye," UW coach Mark Branch said. "It's a little bit of a monkey off our back to get over another hurdle.
"I thought it was sloppy and ugly. But sometimes getting over hurdles, you knock them down; you don't just clear them with a breeze. I think that's what we did; we knocked down the hurdle more than we cleared it.
"But we did get past it, and that's something to say."
UW also got a big victory from 17th-ranked Michael Martinez at 125 as he used a late escape to upset No. 5 Jarrod Patterson 4-2 in the second tiebreaker.
"It's a big win for him in the long run, because he hasn't been getting the respect he deserves," Branch said. "This puts him in good position for the rest of the year."
The Pokes now are 1-14-2 all-time against Oklahoma.
The Cowboys improved to 1-2 in dual matches this year. UW travels to Oregon State to take on the No. 15 Beavers on Jan. 15 before returning home to wrestle Cal Poly, another top-25 team, on Jan. 20.
Contact sports reporter Jack Nowlin at 307-266-0528 or [email protected].. Follow him on Twitter @CASJackN
Read more: http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/wyoming-wrestlers-stun-oklahoma/article_4d387cd3-a962-598a-b306-71a0df1f3814.html?shr=f#ixzz1iUxIVh1h
LARAMIE — Wyoming wrestlers Shane Onufer and Pat Martinez knew Tuesday's dual against No. 9 Oklahoma at the Arena-Auditorium would come down to how they performed.
"They're Oklahoma. And we're Wyoming. Wyoming beat Oklahoma in wrestling, and that doesn't get said a lot."
Trailing 17-11 heading into the final two matches, Onufer and Martinez delivered to lift the Cowboys — who are ranked anywhere from No. 12 to No. 20 in the national polls — to a thrilling 18-17 victory against the Sooners.
"It feels awesome," the third-ranked Onufer, who beat OU's Bubby Graham 7-3, said. "They're Oklahoma. And we're Wyoming. Wyoming beat Oklahoma in wrestling, and that doesn't get said a lot."
Fact is, it had never been said before. In a series that dates back to 1955, this is Wyoming's first victory against the powerhouse.
But Martinez dominated OU's Nolan McBryde in the final two periods to earn a 15-2 major decision and get the four points UW needed for the victory.
"I was a little nervous because in high school that kid had beat me and that was in the back of my head," Martinez said. "I just had to go out there and wrestle for myself and wrestle for the team.
"Warming up, Shane and I talked about how it was going to come down to us. And it sure did. It was nice to see both of us get wins in big situations."
The victory was UW's first against a top-10 team since the Cowboys beat No. 9 Virginia in the Virginia Duals last January.
UW, which was coming off a disappointing 24-17 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma State on Sunday, jumped to an early 8-0 lead on the strength of No. 3 Joe LeBlanc's 18-3 technical fall at 184 pounds and No. 12 Alfonso Hernandez's 6-5 decision at 197.
Hernandez trailed throughout the match but tallied a takedown of a tiring Keldrick Hall to pull out a 6-5 victory.
"A win like this goes a long way in the public eye," UW coach Mark Branch said. "It's a little bit of a monkey off our back to get over another hurdle.
"I thought it was sloppy and ugly. But sometimes getting over hurdles, you knock them down; you don't just clear them with a breeze. I think that's what we did; we knocked down the hurdle more than we cleared it.
"But we did get past it, and that's something to say."
UW also got a big victory from 17th-ranked Michael Martinez at 125 as he used a late escape to upset No. 5 Jarrod Patterson 4-2 in the second tiebreaker.
"It's a big win for him in the long run, because he hasn't been getting the respect he deserves," Branch said. "This puts him in good position for the rest of the year."
The Pokes now are 1-14-2 all-time against Oklahoma.
The Cowboys improved to 1-2 in dual matches this year. UW travels to Oregon State to take on the No. 15 Beavers on Jan. 15 before returning home to wrestle Cal Poly, another top-25 team, on Jan. 20.
Contact sports reporter Jack Nowlin at 307-266-0528 or [email protected].. Follow him on Twitter @CASJackN
Read more: http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/wyoming-wrestlers-stun-oklahoma/article_4d387cd3-a962-598a-b306-71a0df1f3814.html?shr=f#ixzz1iUxIVh1h
