The O’Collegian

In order to be the best,  you have to beat the best.

The Oklahoma State wrestling team met that challenge and now seeks to regain its status quo of wrestling dominance.

After an unconventional start to the season that included a 21-18 loss against then-No. 5 Penn St., the Cowboys are regaining their composure and heading back toward the top of the polls.

OSU, a program familiar with being ranked No. 1 for seasons at a time, had dropped as far as No. 6 in the USA Today/Intermat/Coaches Poll after falling to Penn St.

But after surging back to defeat top-ranked Iowa 19-14 on the road, the No. 3 ranked Cowboys are back on track.

Top-ranked 133-pounder Coleman Scott, who pulled off a thrilling decision at Iowa, said after the match that OSU is right back in the thick of things nationally.

“We’re progressing every week,” Scott said. “We’re going to be there right in the mix at the end of the year.”

One of the main reasons for the Cowboys’ momentum is the contributions of newcomers such as 165-pounder Jake Dieffenbach.

Dieffenbach was a three-time NAIA All-American at Lindenwood University in Missouri before joining up with the Cowboys for his senior year.

He has climbed his way up to No. 5 in the nation after defeating Iowa’s Mark Perry, who was ranked No. 2 nationally. However, Dieffenbach said that rankings don’t mean as much to him as an NCAA championship would come March.

“This is nice, but it’s not what I’m after,” Dieffenbach said about his experience against Iowa. “If I go 0-2 at NCAAs, nobody will remember me.

“If I win an NCAA championship, then I’ll call it the time of my life.”

Dieffenbach’s accomplishments earned him the title of Wrestler of the Week for Jan. 1-7 by TheMat.com, the official Web site of USA Wrestling.

Dieffenbach and the Cowboys will now carry their momentum into the Virginia Duals as the event’s top seed today and Saturday.

They will get an early start today at 9 a.m. against Drexel and work their way through a 16-team bracket that includes No. 17 Illinois and No. 23 Old Dominion.

Oklahoma State holds a dominant 50-1-0 all-time record against teams competing  in the Virginia Duals. Although the Cowboys are undoubtedly the favorite to cruise through the bracket, coach John Smith says they will take it very seriously.

“Without question, we aren’t going to (Virginia) expecting four easy wins,” Smith said. “We’ll definitely have to earn it.

“We are coming off a big win, but this team isn’t anywhere near able to just show up and beat people.”

After the Cowboys showed up in full force against Iowa, a dominant weekend at the Virginia Duals could prove that OSU is right back where it needs to be. Still, Smith refuses to let his team look too far ahead.

“We will need to come out and wrestle if we’re going to have a good showing because nobody’s going to hand it to us,” Smith said.