Wrestling
Sophomore Barrett Abel earned a major decision at 149 pounds and senior Tyler Bernacchi won at 174 pounds, but 13th-ranked Oklahoma State earned wins in seven of the nine contested bouts, including a technical fall, to earn a 29-7 victory over UC Davis in a collegiate wrestling dual at the Gallagher-Iba Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Cowboys improve to 8-2 in duals this season while the Aggies drop to 3-2. It marked the 76th consecutive time Oklahoma State has defeated an unranked opponent and its third straight win over the Aggies.
Abel claimed a 16-4 major decision over Luke Silver during the 149-pound match. Abel scored two takedowns and two three-point nearfalls in the first period. He added reversal points in the second and third period along with over four minutes of riding time to earn the Aggies‘ only bonus-point win.
Bernacchi won a 7-4 decision over Cody Hill at 174 pounds to give UC Davis its second victory. Bernacchi had to overcome a 4-2 deficit after the first period to earn the win. In the second period, Bernacchi scored an escape point and a takedown to jump ahead, 5-4. A second stall warning on Hill in the third period gave Bernacchi another point and over two minutes of riding time sealed Bernacchi’s three-point decision.
Seniors Dustin Noack and Marcos Orzoco, and sophomore Ricky Alcala all lost close two-point decisions to opponents ranked in the top 15. Orozco dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 14 Obenson Blanc; Noack lost 2-0 to No. 12 Brandon Mason and Alcala dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 1 Jared Rosholt. Alcala held a 3-2 advantage over the Rosholt during the second period.
UC Davis is next in action at the Stanford Duals on Jan. 10 at 12 p.m.
Aggie Digest is compiled by the California Aggie sports staff with briefs from the UC Davis athletics website, ucdavisaggies.com.
