NCAA Wrestling: Undefeated freshman Daton Fix wins Southern Scuffle, Cowboys place 2nd

Charles Page High School alumnus Daton Fix improved his collegiate record to 22-0 Saturday evening in Chattanooga as one of four Oklahoma State University wrestlers to win the Sixteenth Annual Southern Scuffle.

The No. 3 ranked Cowboys finished in second place with 188.5 points, behind No. 1 Penn State (216.5) who had six champions, eight finalists, and three consolation champions. Oklahoma State put five in the finals.

Fix outscored his five opponents 92-21 at 133 pounds, giving up nothing but escape points. He scored a 19-3 technical fall against Rider freshman Chris Wright in 5:57 with five takedowns and eight nearfall points, then recorded his first collegiate pin against Air Force senior John Twomey. He scored four takedowns and four nearfall points before sticking his foe in 5:28.

In the quarterfinals Fix teched NC State freshman Jarrett Trombley, a four-time Michigan State Champion, 25-10 with twelve takedowns in 6:47. Fix took on Cal State Bakersfield senior Sean Nickell, who is ranked twentieth in the nation by InterMat Wrestling, in the semis. The Cowboy scored four takedowns, a reversal, and eight nearfall points for the 18-3 victory in only 3:58.

In the finals Fix met No. 9 ranked Iowa State freshman Austin Gomez, a three-time Illinois State Champion. Fix dealt Gomez (18-1) his first collegiate loss with a 6-3 decision, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods with a second-period escape.

Saturday was the Cowboys’ second-best performance in tournament history, trailing only a 198-point team title in 2017. They have come in runner-up four times. Nicki Piccininni, Kaden Gfeller, and Derek White also won titles for the Pokes.

Oklahoma State (5-0, 4-0) will return to action with a four-dual road stretch, beginning on the 12th at No. 27 Princeton (3-3). They will travel to No. 25 Rutgers (6-1) on the thirteenth, West Virginia (2-7, 2-1) on the eighteenth, and No. 24 Pittsburgh (4-0) on the nineteenth.

Possible ranked foes for Fix include 125 No. 12 Pat Glory (Princeton), 133 No. 2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 133 No. 18 Matt Schmitt (West Virginia), and 133 No. 4 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh).

Southern Scuffle Champions
125: Nick Piccininni (OSU)
133: Daton Fix (OSU)
141: Nick Lee (PSU)
149: Kaden Gfeller (OSU)
157: Jason Nolf (PSU)
165: Vincenzo Joseph (PSU)
174: Mark Hall (PSU)
184: Shakur Rasheed (PSU)
197: Bo Nickal (PSU)
285: Derek White (OSU)

Team Scores
216.5 Penn State
188.5 Oklahoma State
104 Iowa State
82.5 Stanford
75.5 U.S. Naval Academy
71.5 Lock Haven
70 Duke
54.5 Ohio University
48.5 Virginia Tech
46.5 Cal State Bakersfield

NCAA Wrestling: Undefeated freshman Daton Fix wins Reno Tournament of Champions

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Daton Fix has continued his undefeated career at Oklahoma State University with a second-consecutive Reno Tournament of Champions title, improving to 17-0 as a redshirt freshman.

Fix racked up eleven takedowns in a 24-9 technical fall against Cal Baptist sophomore Vince Zavala in only 6:26, and led Oregon State sophomore Devan Turner 12-3 before the Beaver was disqualified with four stalling penalties. In the quarterfinals he teched Old Dominion junior Steven Simpson 18-2 in only 2:52 with three takedowns and twelve nearfall points.

In the semifinals Fix took on former teammate, North Carolina senior Gary Wayne Harding, who, like Fix, was a four-time Oklahoma State Champion in high school. The Cowboy scored takedowns in all three periods for a 10-2 major decision.

In the finals Fix easily easily handled two-time NCAA qualifier, Michigan State senior Anthony Tutolo with four takedowns for a 10-4 decision.

Oklahoma State won the team title with seven champions and 204.5 points. Nick Piccinini (125), Kaden Gfeller (149), Chandler Rogers (165), Jacobe Smith (174), Dakota Geer (197), and Derek White (285) secured titles for OSU while Dustin Hone (149), Jonce Blaylock (157) and Joseph Smith (174) settled for silver. Michigan State placed second with 150.5 points and one champion.

Last month Fix knocked off 2017 NCAA Finalist No. 8 Ethan Lizak 6-1 in a dual with Minnesota, then won 3-0 against No. 12 ranked All-American Montorie Bridges from Wyoming.

Two weeks ago the Cowboys dominated Oklahoma 41-2 in their biggest Bedlam win in 26 years. Fix teched Anthony Madrigal 20-5 in 6:27. In their latest dual the Cowboys blanked Northern Colorado 47-0, aided by a 16-1 Fix tech fall against Sean Cannon, a three-time Nevada State Champion.

Oklahoma State is currently ranked No. 3 in the country with a 5-0 overall record and 4-0 Big Twelve record. FloWrestling has Fix ranked seventh in the 133-pound weight class.

The Cowboys will return to action January 1st at the Southern Scuffle tournament in Chattanooga, against powerhouse programs like No. 1 Penn State, No. 7 NC State, and No. 14 Virginia Tech. No. 4 Tariq Wilson, No. 10 Austin Gomez, No. 17 Roman Bravo-Young, and No. 20 Sean Nickell could all present tough competition for Fix at that event.

On the horizon for Fix is a potential matchup with No. 2 Nick Suriano when the Cowboys travel to No. 25 Rutgers (6-1) after the new year. The two set the world record for longest high school folkstyle match at the FloWrestling Who’s Number One event in 2014. Suriano ultimately won 3-1 at the 31:12 overtime mark.

NCAA Wrestling: Undefeated Daton Fix upsets National Runner-Up in second collegiate dual

Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Daton Fix, a Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate, extended his undefeated college win streak to 9-0 after a pair of dominant wins in his collegiate dual debut.

The No. 4 ranked cowboys (2-0) steamrolled No. 22 South Dakota State (0-2) 45-6 and topped No. 13 Minnesota (1-1) 23-9.

Fans hoped to see Fix take on defending NCAA Champion Seth Gross Saturday, but the top-ranked Jackrabbit backed out of the lineup for medical reasons and instead it was Spencer Huber on the losing end of a 19-1 technical fall. Fix needed only 4:43 to rack up three takedowns and three nearfalls.

Ninth-ranked Fix got a far closer matchup against No. 6 ranked Ethan Lizak on Sunday, but easily handled the 2017 NCAA Finalist 6-1 with two takedowns and a reversal.

Fix went undefeated at 168-0 for four State Titles during his time in Sand Springs and was the top-ranked recruit in the country pound-for-pound. He is a Junior Freestyle World Champion and Youth Olympic Silver Medalist. He holds the all-time Sand Springs records for wins, technical falls, and takedowns.

The Cowboys will host No. 20 Wyoming (2-1) in their home debut Sunday, November 25th at 2:00 p.m. in their second Big 12 dual.

Wrestling: Daton Fix wins OCU Open, faces defending NCAA Champion Saturday

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Daton Fix kicked off his freshman year with an Oklahoma City University Open Championship earlier this month, but will soon face far tougher tests.

Fix finished his high school career as a four-time undefeated State Champion and has made waves in international Freestyle competition, winning a Junior World Title in 2017.

After redshirting his freshman year, Fix is diving into the deep end this coming weekend when No. 4 ranked Oklahoma State begins the dual season on the road. Projected to wrestle at 133 kilograms, Fix should be matched up against the defending NCAA National Champion when the Cowboys visit No. 19 South Dakota State on Saturday. Seth Gross has lost only three matches in the past two seasons. Both wrestled at 133 in their latest bouts.

Then, less than 24 hours later, the Cowboys will travel to No. 13 Minnesota where Fix will likely take on No. 6 ranked Ethan Lizak, a two-time All-American and 2017 National Finalist who went 30-7 last season.

Fix is far from unprepared, however. At the OCU Open he won a pair of technical falls, 19-3 against Kristofer Hudson and 19-4 against teammate Andrew Nieman.

Last year he won the Reno Tournament of Champions while wrestling unattached. In that event he outscored his five opponents 58-11, giving up only escape points. Fix started the tournament with three-straight technical falls, then won a pair of 2-1 decisions over two-time Pac 12 Champion Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) and ACC Champion Sean Fausz (North Carolina State).

With two All Americans under his belt as a true freshman, Fix will now look to add two more this weekend.

UWW Wrestling: Daton Fix takes Bronze at Junior Freestyle World Championship

Charles Page High School Class of 2017 graduate Daton Fix recently brought home bronze from the Junior Freestyle World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.

Fix was the defending World Champion at 57 kilograms after a dominant 5-0 performance in 2017 when he outscored his opponents 53-1. He also won bronze in 2016 and 2015.

Fix was equally dominant in his early matches this time around, defeating Turkey’s Ahmet Tas and Ukraine’s Andrii Dzhelep 10-0 each. He was defeated 5-4 in the semifinals by eventual silver medalist Naveen Naveen from India, but won his bronze medal match 10-0 against Kazakhstan’s Bekbolot Myrzanazar Uulu. Russia’s Akhmed Idrisov won the gold 12-1 over Naveen.

Russia won the tournament handily with six finalists and five champions. No other country crowned more than one champion, though the United States had the second-most finalists with three. Virginia Tech freshman Mekhi Kevin Lewis was the lone American champion, taking the 74KG weight class 5-1 over Azerbaijan’s Abubakr Abakarov.

Japan won the Women’s Freestyle tournament with six champions, while the United States placed eighth with a silver medalist. Iran placed first in Greco Roman with four champions and the United States was eighth with a silver medalist. Russia was second in both Greco and Women’s Freestyle.

Fix will soon begin his freshman year at Oklahoma State University after redshirting last season. Fix was a four-time undefeated State Champion at Sand Springs. Last year he defeated the defending Pac 12 Champion and an ACC finalist at the Reno Tournament of Champions while wrestling unattached.

The OSU Cowboys went 13-2 last season, winning their sixth-consecutive Big 12 title, and placed thirteen at the NCAA tournament.

Sand Springs Summer Wrestling: Fix punches ticket to World Championship in Slovakia

Three Sandites competed at the USA Wrestling Freestyle National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota this week.

Oklahoma State University freshman and Charles Page High School graduate Daton Fix won a best-of-three series against Arizona State freshman Brandon Courtney, a three-time undefeated high school State Champion.

Fix dealt his foe a pair of technical falls at 11-0 and 10-0 to secure his spot on the Junior World Team. The defending Junior Freestyle World Champion, Fix attempted to dethrone Senior World Silver Medalist Thomas Gilman last month. Gilman won the two matches 6-3 and 2-1.

While Gilman represents the United States in Budapest, Hungary in October, Fix will aim to repeat his Junior Championship in Trnava, Slovakia in September.

CPHS sophomore Carter Young (45-9) got off to a great start at 113 pounds in the Cadet competition, winning his first three matches by technical fall before falling 12-6 to nationally ranked No. 12 Anthony Noto. Christian Forbes (14-2) competed at 94 pounds and went 4-2.

The Cox Business Center in Tulsa recently hosted the Junior National Duals.

The Oklahoma Outlaws placed second in the nation in the Greco-Roman Junior National Duals despite losing two bouts. They placed second in the D Pool, defeating Florida 49-17 and Kansas 40-23 before falling 42-24 to Washington. In the Gold Pool they defeated Ohio 40-27, California 35-30, and Iowa 39-27 before falling 44-21 to Illinois in the finals. Washington fell 44-23 to Illinois in pool play and topped Ohio 35-32 in the 3rd Place Match.

The Outlaws placed fourth in the nation in Junior Freestyle. They started the tournament with five straight wins before falling in the Gold Pool. Oklahoma defeated Georgia 47-16, Pennsylvania 33-31, Nebraska 46-20, Washington 43-22, and North Dakota 44-25. Ohio ended the streak at 38-30 and Illinois won the placement round 50-15. Ohio edged out Minnesota 33-32 for the title. Young went 3-1 in the freestyle competition with two technical falls.

Oklahoma placed sixth at the Cadet Freestyle Nationals in Spokane, Washington, defeating North Carolina Red 78-0, Washington B 64-12, Florida 58-23, and Washington 43-31. They fell 39-35 to Minnesota, 55-20 to Pennsylvania, 44-35 to Illinois, and 40-38 to Kansas. Pennsylvania won the tournament 45-29 over Minnesota.

The Cadet Greco Roman team also placed sixth, defeating Utah 48-33, Colorado 47-28, and Georgia 39-27. They fell 41-38 to Minnesota, 48-27 to Washington, 42-31 to Kansas, and 40-38 to Pennsylvania. Illinois won the tournament 39-36 over Washington.  

Young (35-2 GR) also competed with the Cadet team and finished 4-1 in Freestyle with three tech falls and a pin. His only loss came on criteria. In Greco he went 5-1 with two techs and a pin.

Oklahoma Blue placed fifth at the Schoolboy Freestyle Duals in Indianapolis, Indiana. They defeated South Carolina 82-3, Nebraska 58-22, Minnesota 62-17, Georgia 59-21, and Ohio 42-37. Michigan topped the Okies 41-40, Illinois won 43-33, and Pennsylvania won 45-36. In the placement match the Oklahomans edged out Washington 39-37. Illinois steamrolled Michigan 55-25 for the title.

Team Big wrestler Clayton Giddens-Buttram (17-0) went undefeated with seven technical falls and two pins, outscoring his opponents 83-6. Abraham Flores (17-5) and Ethan White (23-11) won two tech falls apiece.

Oklahoma Red finished sixteenth overall with wins over Tennessee and Maryland. Rhett Peak (19-10) won four of his five matches with two tech falls and a pin. Josey Jernegan (5-6) won three tech falls. Jim Mullin (6-2) won two tech falls.

Oklahoma Red placed ninth in Greco Roman and Oklahoma Blue finished seventeenth. Giddens (9-1) recorded four tech falls and a pin and only lost one decision. Flores (13-8) won one pin and one tech fall, Ethan White (14-4) won three pins, and Peak (13-8) won one tech fall.

The Charles Page High School wrestling facilities are open from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays to all ages. The Sandites have been a top-three team at the OSSAA 6A State Tournament for the past four years, including a State Title in 2017. They will return two State Champions in 2018 under first-year Head Coach Jarrod Patterson.