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David Taylor will officially be introduced as the new head coach of Cowboy Wrestling on Thursday. Oklahoma State announced Wednesday that Taylor’s introductory news conference will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday inside the Boone Pickens Stadium west end zone team room. The event will be opened to the public. Taylor was announced as OSU’s eighth head wrestling coach late Monday night, replacing John Smith, who retired last month after leading the Cowboys for 33 years. Taylor, 33, won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and he was also a two-time individual NCAA champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner at Penn State. This is his first head coaching job. For fans planning to attend the introductory news conference, parking will be available in Lots 9, 9A and 99, which can be accessed from Washington Street between the Wes Watkins Center and the Greenwood Tennis Center, next to the Sherman E. Smith Training Center. Starting at 2 p.m., fans can then cross the street and enter Boone Pickens Stadium through Gate 14 on the northwest side near the Barry Sanders statue. From there, turn right, go down the escalator, and then turn right again to find the team room. Fans exit using the same escalator and gate. Because of prior obligations following the press conference, Taylor will not be available afterward if fans are seeking pictures or autographs. The press conference will also be live streamed on YouTube here. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. STILLWATER — The Cowgirls this weekend did something that hasn’t been done since the turn of the century, but that wasn’t their goal. Oklahoma State took two games off Oklahoma in Norman — a feat the Cowgirls haven’t conquered since 1997. OSU was able to celebrate with the Bedlam trophy after defeating the three-time defending national champs, who also happen to be its in-state rival, but the season didn’t end Sunday. The Cowgirls now have to get back to work ahead of what the team calls Season 3 — the postseason. Season 3 starts with a Big 12 Tournament game against BYU at 11 a.m. Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Then after this tournament, the Cowgirls will start the NCAA Tournament in hopes of getting back to that stadium. “We’re in here working because that’s not the goal — beating OU was not our goal,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewksi said. “It’s nice to get done on the way to your goal, but if we don’t get to OKC, I don’t think anybody’s really gonna care much, to be very honest.” With the Sooners’ dominance over recent seasons, the Big 12 Tournament has a little more intrigue going into it this season. Texas enters as the 1 seed this season with OU and OSU coming in at 2 and 3, respectively. Texas winning the regular season broke a streak of 11 straight seasons where the Sooners won. OU has won four of the past five Big 12 Tournaments, with OSU breaking up that reign with a tourney win in 2022. OSU would have a semifinal matchup against OU at 5 p.m. Friday should both teams get past their first game. Although the Cowgirls did win their series against BYU this season, they did drop a game to the Cougars. The Sooners haven’t lost to either Kansas nor Houston — who play Wednesday for a chance to play OU. And Texas hasn’t lost to anyone on its side of the bracket this season. Among the three, OSU won its series against both but enters as the lowest seed. This three-team dance is made all the more interesting considering all three are consensus top-five teams in the national rankings. It could turn into a matter of how much each wants to show the others certain pitchers during this tournament in OKC when another tournament in OKC including the three could be looming. OSU had Monday off before getting back to work on Tuesday. The postseason has been good to the Cowgirls over recent years, but this group has a lot of new pieces. Karli Godwin, Rosie Davis and Caroline Wang all earned All-Big 12 honors on Wednesday in their first seasons with the program. Newcomer Jilyen Poullard has come on as the season has winded down, and Ivy Rosenberry has jumped from 37 innings pitched last season to 100 this regular season. From the outside, it’s fair to wonder how this new group will respond to the high highs of this past weekend, but Gajewski doesn’t seem too worried about where his team is at emotionally heading into Season 3. “I don’t think they’ll be any different than what they’ve been after we lost to Iowa State or after we beat Texas,” Gajewski said. “I think it’s the same thing. I think it’ll be workman like. We’re entering into that cool phase where school is almost done, where they’re kind of like pros. It’s kind of ‘I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.’ So, I’m really, really excited about that, where we can just kind of go and their focus can truly be on the softball part, which is not normal, but it’s a lot of fun. I’m excited about that.” Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. The Cowgirls were well represented in the All-Big 12 Softball awards. Lexi Kilfoyl was unanimously named the league’s pitcher of the year and made the All-Big 12 First Team on Wednesday. Karli Godwin and Caroline Wang joined Kilfoyl on the First Team while Ivy Rosenberry made the All-Big 12 Second Team. Godwin and Rosie Davis were on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. This round of awards was voted on by the league’s coaches. Kilfoyl becomes the third Cowgirl in the past four seasons to earn Pitcher of the Year honors — joining Kelly Maxwell (2022) and current OSU pitching coach Carrie Eberle (2021). In 139 1/3 innings this season, Kilfoyl has a league-leading 1.11 ERA and a 21-3 record. Godwin earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team as a freshman. She is fifth in the conference with 13 home runs. Hitting .348 in her freshman season, Godwin has 46 RBIs, which ranks second among Cowgirls. In her first season with the program, Wang has hit a team-high 17 home runs, which ranks third in the Big 12. Among qualifying Cowgirls, the Liberty transfer leads OSU in batting average (.373), OPS (1.153), hits (60), home runs (17) and RBIs (47). Wang was a unanimous selection. Rosenberry is the story of the season for the Cowgirls. Playing through a fractured rib here at the end of the season, Rosenberry has a 1.68 ERA — which is good for fifth in the Big 12. Among players with at least 100 innings pitched, Rosenberry’s ERA ranks second in the league behind only Kilfoyl’s. And all of this came after Rosenberry threw just 37 innings in 2023. Davis makes the All-Freshman Team after hitting .329 in the regular season. She has 30 runs scored and 28 RBIs. 2024 All-Big 12 Award WinnersPlayer of the Year: Reese Atwood, Texas All-Big 12 First TeamShaylon Govan, Baylor, INF, Jr. All-Big 12 Second TeamAliyah Binford, Baylor, P/INF, Jr. All-Big 12 Freshman TeamSierra Humphreys, UCF, INF Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. OSU Wrestling: David Taylors Path from Penn State Recruit to Head Coach of Cowboy Wrestling5/8/2024 David Taylor’s path did not seem to be leading to Stillwater, yet, on Monday night, Oklahoma State announced Taylor as the eighth head wrestling coach in program. Here’s a look at Taylor’s path to leading a storied program after spending most of his life in the Northeast. 2009Although Taylor’s first position off the mat might be a shock to many, his success on the mat shouldn’t have been a surprise. He was a four-time state champion out of Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. He accumulated a staggering 180-2 record and capped his preps career by winning the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as the top high school wrestler in the country. And at the same time Taylor’s high school career was winding down, Cael Sanderson became the head coach at Penn State, where he ultimately recruited Taylor to and began a dynasty. 2009-14Taylor redshirted his first year on campus as the Nittany Lions finished in ninth in the first season under Sanderson. It was one of only two times Penn State has not finished in the top 2 since Sanderson took over. Taylor then cracked the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman, prompting his college career and Sanderson’s coaching career to escalate. Penn State won the NCAA team title every season Taylor was in the lineup between 2011-14. During that span, Taylor made the finals every year, winning an NCAA individual title in 2012 and 2014. He was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy both seasons he won an individual championship. Taylor was also a four-time Big Ten champion while posting a 134-3 record in college. 2015Although he competed in freestyle some while at Penn State, Taylor’s international career took off in 2015 once his college career concluded. He remained in State College to train at Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, though, and has been there until now. Taylor won the U.S. Open at 74 kg that year. It was his first of three U.S. Open titles. Taylor also signed a deal with Adidas this year to launch his wrestling apparel line, “M2,” which started with a signature shoe. 2018Taylor won his first of three world championships at 86 kg in 2018. This was the year Taylor’s career seemed to have turned a corner, as he also won two other major international tournaments and the U.S. Open. He also received the John Smith Award, given to the USA Freestyle Wrestler of the Year. 2020-23Taylor didn’t compete for almost an entire year before winning the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament in March 2020 to earn a berth into the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The trials and Olympics were postponed because of the COVID pandemic, though, prolonging Taylor’s first Olympic appearance. Taylor eventually beat fellow Penn State legend Bo Nickal in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials finals to make his first Olympic team at 86 kg. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Taylor teched his way to the finals against defending Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani from Iran. Taylor mounted a historic comeback to beat Yazdani 4-3 and win Olympic gold. He was the only American wrestler to win a gold medal in Tokyo. Taylor then pinned Yazdani at the World Championship finals to win both an Olympic and world championship in the same year. He also won world championships in 2022 and 2023. 2024As the heavy favorite to represent the U.S. again at 86 kg this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Taylor was upset by another Penn State legend, Aaron Brooks, at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on April 20. Sixteen days later, Taylor was announced as OSU’s wrestling coach after rumors of the seismic move started circulating the week before. There were reports of OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg flying to State College on Friday to meet with Taylor about the position, which was opened after John Smith retired April 11, nine days before Taylor slipped in the team trials finals. Rumors and speculation swirled all weekend before OSU announced the hire at 9:35 p.m. Monday in the midst of a big storm rolling through Stillwater.
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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STILLWATER — The Cowgirls this weekend are headed to Oklahoma City for the first of what they hope will be two different tournaments at Devon Park (newly renamed). Oklahoma State starts its journey in the Big 12 Tournament with a game against BYU at 11 a.m. Thursday. Kenny Gajewksi met with reporters Tuesday in Stillwater to preview the conference tournament. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Oklahoma State’s new wrestling coach is known by more than just his given name. Olympic gold medalist David Taylor was named head coach of Cowboy Wrestling on Monday night. Although “Coach Taylor” might become what he’s called most around Stillwater, throughout the country he’s known as “Magic Man.” It’s even his handle on X, which shortly after OSU announced the hire, Taylor switched from @magicman_psu to @magicman_osu. He quickly changed that but hasn’t updated his bio yet, which again reads his nickname first, plus his weight and international accomplishment as an Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion. Taylor was also a two-time individual NCAA champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner at Penn State before his international career began. Taylor’s “Magic Man” nickname ultimately came from Will Ferrell’s movie, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” In an old interview with Flo, Taylor and former Team USA teammate Kyle Dake reminisced watching the movie on repeat before deciding to steal the nicknames from the movie. Taylor admitted he eventually started using “Magic Man” as his signature at the bottom of text messages. Then it stuck. Taylor made “Magic Man” his own once he backed it up at Penn State. Then during his international career, because of his knack for coming back in matches that seemed impossible to come back in, almost like magic, the nickname became famous and even morphed into a brand. In 2015, Taylor signed with Adidas and partnered with the company on a wrestling apparel line called “M2,” which was based off his nickname. Taylor got a signature shoe under the brand before more apparel was also released. Taylor also named his wrestling academy “M2 Training Center.” Today, even when OSU announced Taylor as its new head coach in what seemed like a magic act in itself, Cowboy Wrestling did so with posts on social media that were punctuated with, “Let’s make some magic!” Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Heading into the Big 12 Tournament, the Cowgirls are ranked as high as No. 2 in the polls, and they’ve beaten the undisputed No. 1 team in a three-game series. Oklahoma State took two of three off three-time defending national champion Oklahoma this past weekend, leading the Cowgirls to the following standings in each of the major polls: ESPN/USA Softball — No. 2 Texas is the No. 1 team in all of the polls, as the Longhorns clinched a Big 12 title this past weekend despite dropping a pair of games in Stillwater. Despite their high standing in those polls, there was still somewhat of a wonder as to whether the Cowgirls would get a top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament because of their RPI ranking. Although the RPI isn’t solely used for seeding, it does play a heavy factor. Getting in the top 8 seeds is important because that would mean the Cowgirls would host a potential Super Regional at Cowgirl Stadium — a place where OSU is 19-1 this season. OSU went into the weekend outside the top 8 in the RPI but after picking up the pair of wins, the Cowgirls are at No. 8. “I think we’re right there,” said OSU coach Kenny Gajewski after Sunday’s game about his team’s standing. “I’d be really shocked if we weren’t, but it’s out of my hands. There’s nothing I can do. I’m not gonna lobby or any of that kind of stuff, but I think we’re set up good. We’ve done everything that we could do. We’ve played a good schedule.” Still somewhat dependent on what happens at the Big 12 Tournament, it seems as if it would be crazy if the Cowgirls didn’t get a top 8 seed. But if they don’t, it sounds like the mindset is there to overcome a potential letdown on Selection Sunday. “Me personally, I don’t really give a dang,” Lexi McDonald said. “We’re gonna go wherever the crap they put us, and we’re gonna go beat the heck out of whoever we play. We have each other’s backs. We’re just gonna go compete and have fun. Compete the Cowgirl way, go play for our program, play for each other and just be thankful God has given us the opportunity to go out there and go compete.” Polls
Up NextOSU starts the Big 12 Tournament with a game against BYU at 11 a.m. Thursday in Oklahoma City. OSU went 2-1 against the Cougars in Provo earlier this season. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell are joined by OWrestle.com’s Seth Duckworth to breakdown OSU wrestling hiring David Taylor. You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud. As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit and Yuengling. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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