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#FreestyleFriday: Oklahoma State vs. Iowa features World and Olympic-level wrestlers and coaches

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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling

On Sunday, No. 2 Oklahoma State will host No. 3 Iowa in one of the sport’s longest and most historic college wrestling rivalries. The matchup will be the dual season finale for both squads.

OSU owns 34 wrestling national championships and Iowa holds 27, making them the two most successful programs in the nation. In addition to producing multiple team title and even more individual NCAA champions, Oklahoma State and Iowa have a rich history of achievement on the international levels.

Below is a breakdown of freestyle success from each team’s current lineup and coaching staff. Included are those who have won World, Olympic or Pan American medals as well as World Team members. 

Oklahoma State

  • John Smith (head coach) – Four-time World champion (1987, 1989-1991) and two-time Olympic champion (1988, 1992)
  • Chris Perry (assistant coach) – 2014 University World silver, 2010 Junior World bronze, 2015 Senior Pan American silver
  • Alex Dieringer (volunteer assistant coach) – 2013 Junior World silver, 2012 Junior World Team member, three-time Senior National Team member (2016-18)
  • Daton Fix (133 pounds) – 2017 Junior World champion, two-time Junior World bronze (2016, 2018), 2015 Cadet World bronze, 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze, 2014 Cadet World Team member, 2017 U23 World Team member, 2018 Senior National Team member
  • Kaden Gfeller (149 pounds) – 2014 Cadet Pan American freestyle gold

Iowa

  • Tom Brands (head coach) – 1996 Olympic champion, 1993 World champion
  • Terry Brands (associate head coach) – Two-time World champion (1993, 1995), 2000 Olympic bronze
  • Spencer Lee (125 pounds) – Two-time Junior World champion (2015, 2016), 2014 Cadet World champion, 2013 Cadet World Team member
  • Jacob Warner (184 pounds) – 2016 Cadet World bronze, 2018 Junior World Team member

Also of note, Sam Stoll of Iowa and Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State have both made age-group Greco-Roman World Teams, with Stoll claiming bronze at the 2016 Junior World Championships and Rogers finishing eighth at the 2012 Cadet World Championships.

Oklahoma State and Iowa will go head-to-head on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT live on Flowrestling.org.

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