Oklahoma State claimed four champions and set a Southern Scuffle record for points (198) on the way to its first Scuffle title Monday at McKenzie Arena.
While Penn State is the defending NCAA champion, the Cowboys will give the Nittany Lions a battle for wrestling's supremancy in St. Louis in March. Note: Penn State was not able to attend this year's Scuffle due to a scheduling conflict, but will return in 2018.
"This is a great tournament to compete in mid-season for us as it shows what improvements we need to make in the practice room," said Oklahoma State coach John Smith.
"The competition is so great here and many wrestlers in this tournament will be All-Americans at the NCAA tournament."
Cowboy Champions: The four OSU champs are Kaid Brock (133), Dean Heil (141), Anthony Collica (149) and Chandler Rogers (165).
Tourney of Firsts: The Scuffle is known as the best in-season wrestling event in the nation and this year could be described as the tournament of firsts.
The Cowboys won their first Scuffle title, Duke has its first individual Scuffle champion in No.5 seed junior Jusitn Kasper (285) and a Penn State true freshman (Mark Hall) became the first unattached wrestler to win an individual championship since Kirk Smith (Boise State) in 2007.
Kasper beat the Nos. 4,1 and 2 seeds in order on the way to his title, including two-time All-American Michael Kroells (Minn), 5-3, in the finals.
UTC Good Showing: While Oklahoma State had four champions, host UTC had medalists in junior Bryce Carr (3rd, 184) and senior Jared Johnson (6th, 285).
Penn State Freshman Makes a Splash: Penn Srate freshman Mark Hall (9th seed) made quite a showing as the 19-year-old (wrestling unattached) beat the Nos.8, 5, 1 and 2 seeds on the way to a Scuffle title at 174 and receiving the Outstandiing Wrestler Award.
Hall, a six-time Minnesota high school state champ, won the FILA Cadet Junior World Championship in 2014 and reached the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials quarterfinals.
"I am glad to win this great tournament, but I came in here with no pressure on me," said Hall.
Tough Start: Hall's dad, Mark Hall Sr., said his son started wrestling at the age of four and lost many times in the 5-6 year old age division before seeing any success.
"But those early losses did not effect him as he has always enjoyed the sport."
Back to Class: Hall carried a 3.78 grade point average in high school and earned a 3.1 GOS in the recently completed first semester of college.
PSU coach Cale Sanderson wants him to have a 3.5 in this upcoming semester so the Minnesota native will be in two monitored study halls for the upcoming semester.
"The biggest change from high school to college is good time management," said the PSU freshman."
Penn State Question: Will the PSU coaches keep Hall on the redshirt list and believe they can win the NCAA tournament without him or move him into the starting lineup soon.
2017 Southern Scuffle Final Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State 198
2 Missouri 126
3. Lehigh 124.5
4. Minnesota 118
5. Northern Iowa 87.5
6. Edinboro 73
7. Virginia 64
8. Cornell 63
9. North Carolina 56
10. Stanford 55.5
11. Chattanooga 46
12. Drexel 43.5
13. Duke 40.5
14. Appalachian State 36
15. Northern Colorado 29.5
16. Gardner Webb 27.5
17. Campbell 27
17. Penn 27
19. Navy 22
20. Utah Valley 21
21. Cleveland St 15.5
22. Air Force 13.5
23. The Citadel 5.5
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrapped up another exciting Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Clothing, at the McKenzie Arena tonight. Top-ranked Oklahoma State set a tournament record with 198 points, outpacing No. 5 Missouri who finished second with 126 points.
The Mocs came in a respectable 11th place with 46 points in the 23-team field that included 10 of the top 25 programs in the country. The rest of the top five was No. 9 Lehigh with 124.5 points, No. 13 Minnesota with 118 points and No. 22 Northern Iowa with 87.5 points.
"It was a great tournament and another outstanding showcase for collegiate wrestling," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "I thought we competed well in a very tough tournament."
There were story lines up and down the brackets, highlighted by Cornell's Gabe Dean winning his fourth title at 184 pounds. He defeated Oklahoma State's Nolan Boyd 7-2 to become just the third in the 14-year history of the event to win four titles.
The 1-2 match-up at 197 pounds between Missouri's J'Den Cox and Minnesota's Bret Pfarr was the final match of the evening, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Cox needed a late takedown for the 6-4 win to keep his No. 1 ranking.
Penn State freshman Mark Hall entered the 174 bracket unattached and unseeded. He mowed down the competition, including a 10-3 decision over Oklahoma State's No. 6 Kyle Crutchmer in the finals. He went on to win the Scuffle's Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.
The Cowboys did have four winners, including Kaid Brock at 133, Dean Heil at 141, Anthony Collica at 149 and Chandler Rogers at 165. It was their first Scuffle title in five appearances and heavyweight Austin Schafer won the Gregorian Award.
The Mocs were led by junior Bryce Carr who placed third at 184 pounds. He blew through the backdraw with three wins Monday, beginning with a 13-2 major decision over Lehigh's Paul Dunn.
Carr followed that with a 4-0 win over Northern Colorado's No. 20 Dylan Gabel. In the third place match, he beat Gardner-Webb's No. 18 Hunter Gamble 7-4. Carr is now 13-2 on the season and should break into the top-20 with his performance at the Scuffle.
Senior Jared Johnson also placed for the Mocs. He finished sixth at heavyweight after going 2-2 today. Johnson, ranked No. 14 at heavyweight, had a big 3-2 win over Edinboro's No. 9 Billy Miller. He improved to 15-4 on the season.
Mocs at Home - Sunday Jan. 8 ... The Mocs return to dual action this weekend when they host a tough Campbell squad on Sunday, Jan. 8. Match time is set for 2 p.m. (E.S.T.) in Maclellan Gym.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net