STILLWATER — Wrestling season is flying by, as the Cowboys are somehow just days out from their home finale this weekend.
Oklahoma State wrestles Missouri at 2 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys had a media availability on Wednesday to preview the dual and recap duals from this past weekend. Here are a few topics that stood out.
Plott on ‘Really Liking Gilman Now’
David Taylor being hired as the Cowboys’ coach this offseason took the entire wrestling landscape by surprise, but perhaps even more surprising than that was the fact that Thomas Gilman was going to be on his staff in Stillwater.
Gilman was a three-time All-American at Iowa, with his college career coming to a close in 2017. The OSU-Iowa wrestling rivalry needs little explanation, but even past that, Gilman was an OSU villain. In 2017, Gilman got into it with the Cowboys during the post-dual handshake line. OSU won the dual 24-11, but Gilman had a major-decision victory against Nick Piccininni. Here’s a fun video Flo did about the encounter:
So, yeah, Gilman being an OSU wrestling coach was rather surprising, even to Dustin Plott. Plott was only a high school freshman when that incident took place, but being a lifelong Oklahoma State fan, he shared this funny story about what he thought when he saw Gilman was coming to Stillwater.
“It’s been a really cool experience, especially being a lifelong OSU fan actually really liking Gilman now,” Plott said. “When I first saw he was announced to the staff, I was like, ‘Ah, gosh, I can’t stand this guy.’ And then I started talking to him, and he’s phenomenal. Really cool.”
‘Oklahoma State’s Brand Is a Worldwide Brand’
With one home dual remaining, it’s likely the Cowboys are going to set a program average attendance record in Taylor’s first season.
OSU is averaging 7,073 fans at home duals this season and that comes despite rivals OU and Iowa both being on the road this season. OSU announced Thursday that club, reserved and floor seats for Sunday’s home finale against Missouri have sold out with general admission being all that’s left.
But it isn’t just at home where people are packing gyms to watch the Pokes wrestle. OSU started the season on the road against Utah Valley, where a Utah Valley record 5,053 were in attendance. Northern Iowa set an attendance record of 6,030 on Friday when OSU came to town, and two days later, 6,533 went into Hilton Coliseum to watch the Cowboys wrestle Iowa State.
“I think it just speaks a lot about the tradition of our program,” Taylor said. “Oklahoma State’s brand is a worldwide brand. It’s not just statewide, it’s not nationwide, it’s a worldwide brand. …
“The tradition of our program is longstanding, and then I think obviously some of the excitement that we’ve had this year, people want to come watch our team wrestle. It’s exciting to be a part of a team that makes a difference in wrestling. Whether it’s here or whether it’s on the road, it’s pretty exciting for our guys to have the opportunity to go and compete in those environments all the time.”
‘I Think You Learn from Your Wins’
There are a handful of cliches used in sports that amount to something along the lines of losing give you an opportunity to learn.
If you could only learn from losses, David Taylor wouldn’t have a ton of learning opportunities. While wrestling at Penn State, Taylor went 134-3. At the senior level, he’s won three world championships, three US Open championships and an Olympic gold medal.
The Cowboys went to the state of Iowa this past weekend and earned two tough dual victories. When discussing those wins Wednesday, Taylor talked about the ultimate competitor mindset of constantly seeking improvement.
“When you’re an ultimate competitor, people say you learn from your losses — I think you learn from your wins,” Taylor said. “You’re just not satisfied. Like, you win by a decision, well, I could’ve won by a major. You win by a major, well, I could’ve secured some back points. I think that’s when you can really separate yourself as a competitor individually, and that’s only gonna help your team. Although we won both matches this weekend, I think there’s a lot to learn there.”
Taylor Praises Fish’s Discipline
Over the span of a few months, Caleb Fish has gone from redshirting as a 165-pounder to jumping into the All-American conversation at 157 pounds.
Teague Travis suffered an early season injury before Fish accepted the challenge of dropping some weight and jumping into OSU’s lineup. He seems to be getting better and better at that weight. He earned a third-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December and has gone 5-2 in duals this season. He has six wins against ranked opponents (two of those via medical forfeit) including a statement 7-4 decision against No. 4 Ryder Downey on Friday. Fish did suffer a loss to No. 12 Cody Chittum at Iowa State, a match that had a bit of controversy to it when Fish wasn’t awarded a takedown that the majority of people online thought should have been awarded.
Regardless, Fish is No. 12 in Intermat’s rankings for 157 pounds. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier at Michigan State at 165 pounds but finished short of All-America status on all three occasions. With how he has wrestled lately, it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing to see Fish push for a podium spot in 2025.
“He’s just a guy who is so disciplined,” Taylor said. “He’s been disciplined from the moment he got here. He’s a really enjoyable guy to coach. When you’re disciplined, you know exactly what you want. He’s doing a great job. He’s making the most of his opportunity. He’s a fun guy to have on our team.”
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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