Oklahoma State toppled one of the ACC’s top programs last Friday and the Cowboys will have a chance to take down another this weekend at Pitt. 

The Cowboys moved up to #8 in the Flowrestling dual meet rankings, trading places with #9 NC State after downing the Wolfpack 22-12 in Raleigh. 

It was a statement victory for coach John Smith, his program, and many of his wrestlers. One had the upset of his career, while one proved he’s back to being himself. More in this week’s Cowboy Insider.

Fix Putting Unusual Start Behind Him

It’s been an unusual start to the season for four-time All-American Daton Fix. While many of his teammates have more than 10 matches under their belt, Fix has three. From injuries to an illness, Fix has had a less-than-ideal start to this season. Smith said it was a tough adjustment for Fix.

“He had a tough time… he had a week where it was a little bit rough,” Smith said. “He never experienced this. Here he is, he’s got [one] match under his belt, he goes to Vegas, we expect him to wrestle and he gets injured. For a guy that’s got a lot of success and wrestled all over the world, pretty frustrating.”

It was a new challenge for Fix, who hasn’t had many injuries in his illustrious career at the high school, college and international levels, and it wasn’t easy. After his first match, Fix wrestled Cooper Birdwell, his former teammate, when the Cowboys traveled to Wyoming. It was what Smith called a “disappointing” match for Fix, who won 8-2. 

When Fix faced NC State’s #5 Kai Orine, many wondered how he would fare against another All-American. It was his first big test of the year, and he showed he’s still Daton Fix by majoring Orine 11-3. Fix said during his time out, it felt like hits never stopped.

“Injury after injury, dealing with a couple different things a little bit of illness,” Fix said. “It felt like one thing after another was hitting me. Just a lot of unfortunate events that were happening back-to-back-to-back. Luckily I got through those and I’m just happy to be back and be with my team.”

Fix is slated to wrestle #15 Vince Santaniello of Pitt and West Virginia’s Davin Rhoads this weekend.

Fix Aiming for 57kg at Olympic Trials

Although the “right now” is the NCAA wrestling season, the “future” is the Olympics, and it always has been for Fix. The Oklahoma native has bounced between 57 kilograms (125.7 pounds) and 61 kg (134.5 pounds) on the international stage 

However, since 61 kg is a non-Olympic weight class, he’ll be going for 57 kg this spring. It is not an easy cut, but he’s made it before. Fix said he can compete with anyone in the world at 57 kilograms. 

“I could go up to (65 kg), but I’d be undersized,” Fix said. “I think at 57 kilos, I can beat anyone in the world. That’s been my goal since I first started wrestling — was to be an Olympic gold medalist. I think being at 57 kilos, that gives me the best chance to accomplish my goals." 

Smith Wants Travis To Reward Himself For His Work Ethic

Smith said he has seen the work Teague Travis has put in during his three years as a Cowboy. He wants him to reward himself with great performances on the mat, just like last weekend when he upset then-#5 Ed Scott 7-6. Smith had high praise for his breakout 157-pounder. 

“He’s a kid that probably in the last two years, he’s the hardest working athlete I have on the team,” Smith said. “You talk about somebody that does all the extras — putting just some serious hours into his conditioning. I basically told him, ‘You gotta reward yourself for this effort.’ And you reward yourself by performing well and going out and doing what you're capable of doing, and really taking advantage of your conditioning… It was (for Travis), ‘We have a tendency to do a lot of work and then we don’t reward ourselves by going and performing well.’ For him, it was just a matter of, ‘I’ve been workin’ hard, I’ve been bustin’ my ass, I’m gonna go win.’ And I think, finally, that sunk in.”