The absurd difficulty of Alex Facundo’s schedule this season provided a brief moment of levity on Wednesday during David Taylor’s weekly gathering with the Oklahoma State wrestling media.
The coach of the Cowboys shook his head and began to laugh when he figured out where the question was headed.
Did you know going into the year that basically every match Alex has is going to be against a top-10 dude?
“I remember looking and being like, ‘Man, he’s going to have a pretty fun year this year — a lot of challenges,’” Taylor said. “That’s just part of it sometimes. Sometimes you really can’t control that stuff.”
It became apparent early in the season that Facundo wasn’t going to get many pushovers this season. He wrestled four bouts at the National Duals Invitational. His opponents: #2 Patrick Kennedy, #3 Simon Ruiz, #4 Christopher Minto and #5 Matthew Singleton.
That was the start of what’s become a recurring theme — Facundo getting challenged against a high-caliber opponent.
Seventh-ranked Facundo is 10-4 this season and 9-1 since facing the gauntlet in Tulsa.
“Alex is doing a good job,” Taylor said. “Again, you think about — he hasn’t competed frequently in the last three or four years, so this is his first real season in quite a long time. He’s almost approaching it like a freshman. I think that’s where his progression has been this year.
“His last couple of matches, just the way he’s starting to carry himself, he’s starting to hit a little bit of growth. You gotta run with those things. When you’re getting (a) growth (stretch) in wrestling … you gotta make the most of them. He’s going through that right now, and it’s fun to watch.”
Since the National Duals Invitational, Facundo won a rematch with Minto, downed #8 Carter Schubert and knocked off returning All-American Cam Steed in his last outing. He’ll face two more tests this weekend when the Cowboys take on Northern Iowa and Iowa State and 13th-ranked Panther Jared Simma and #12 Cyclone M.J. Gaitan come to Stillwater.
Big Test’On Deck For Merrill
Cody Merrill’s stingy style lends itself to tight, low-scoring matches and he’s won his fair share of them this season. Although the freshman 197-pounder has the lowest bonus-point percentage among Oklahoma State starters at 18.2 percent, Merrill owns a 10-1 record.
The degree of difficulty increases for Merrill this weekend when he tangles with second-ranked Rocky Elam of Iowa State. Elam, a four-time All-American at Missouri, is 11-0 this season with the Cyclones.
“The Elam kid is pretty good, been around a long time,” Taylor said. “He’s got a good takedown, he’s tough on top, you know, similar matchup. I think it’s gonna be a good test, and I know he’s looking forward to the opportunity.”
Merrill has been difficult to take down and he’s been tough on top, too. Those qualities have helped him win five matches this yar by two points or fewer.
“He has a patience about him,” Taylor said. “A lot of guys on top, they get a little anxious and they make a mistake and their hand comes over top. He just has really good patience and he’s willing to stick with it. He has a really good, strong, committed ride on top. I think that’s kind of an art that’s been lost in college wrestling, and it’s because it’s hard. Riding someone’s hard, a lot of people don’t want to put that work in. We put a lot of effort in there.”
Down A Dual
After Oklahoma State’s Friday trip to Missouri, the Cowboys were slated to take on Utah Valley in Stillwater on Sunday. However, Winter Storm Fern had other plans in store. Due to inclement weather, the dual was cancelled, and a statement from Oklahoma State Athletics said both programs would look to reschedule at a later date.
“A little disappointing that we lost our Sunday home match last week,” Taylor said. “We really value our home matches and the experience that it gives to the state.”
With less than a month remaining in the regular season, Taylor acknowledged that the dual might not get rescheduled.
“I would love to get it back on this schedule, but it doesn’t look promising,” he said.
