Northern Iowa coaches demanded a penalty as Oklahoma redshirt senior Anthony Mantanona attempted to pull Lance Runyon over his shoulder on the edge of the mat.
Officials called Mantanona for locked hands on his No. 21-ranked opponent at the feet of the UNI bench during the second period of the 174-pound match in Sunday’s dual.
The penalty was one of two that No. 22-ranked Mantanona overcame in his 9-6 win over Runyon, and the calls added to a tense atmosphere brimming with coaches and fans' objections to officials calls, which could be heard throughout the bleachers.
Through the chaos, Mantanona landed a reversal on Runyon in the second period, propelling the California native to a bounce back victory following his loss to No. 18 Joel Devine of Iowa State on Friday.
“I’d have to say Anthony Mantanona was probably the highlight,” Sooners’ coach Lou Rosselli said after the dual.
Down by eight points following the 165-pound match, OU rallied down the stretch. The Sooners won three of their final four matches, beginning with Mantanona in the 174-pound class. OU’s rally included five wrestlers leaving the mat with wins, tying UNI in match victories.
Despite the split, two major decision victories gave the Panthers a two-point advantage as No. 21 Oklahoma (6-5, 2-4 Big 12) fell to Northern Iowa (5-5, 4-2) 17-15 on Sunday afternoon.
FINAL | The comeback bid comes up just short for the Sooners. #Sooners 15, Panthers 17
— Oklahoma Wrestling (@OU_Wrestling) January 30, 2022
Redshirt freshman Willie McDougald, redshirt sophomore Josh Heindselman and redshirt seniors Joey Prata and Jake Woodley joined Mantanona in the win column. Prata once again gave the Sooners a 3-0 lead to start the dual, defeating Kyle Gollhofer 4-1.
The crowd at McCasland Fieldhouse echoed “Let’s go Willie,” as McDougald picked up his third ranked win in 10 days. The redshirt freshman stared down at No. 33 Colin Realbuto as the OU wrestler rose to his feet following a 4-3 victory in the 149-pound class.
Woodley propped himself up with one arm while using his other to slam UNI’s John Gunderson to the ground for two points in the first round of the 197-pound match, en route to an 11-5 victory.
Heindselman, the Sooners’ heavyweight, refused to be denied in his match against Tyrell Gordon. The redshirt sophomore from Piedmont used a two-point takedown to break a 1-1 tie for a 3-1 win.
“Heindselman getting a takedown, that’s a huge plus,” Rosselli said. “He wants to win, I love his passion and his fight.”
Senior Tony Madrigal lost his second match of the weekend in the 133-pound class on Sunday. No. 14-ranked Madrigal’s frustration was evident as he hung his head against the mat after being thrown out of bounds by No. 24 Kyle Biscoglia in his 4-0 loss.
Redshirt junior Zach Zeamer was one of three new wrestlers in the Sooners’ starting lineup at the event. The Manheim, Pennsylvania, native replaced redshirt junior Jacob Butler in the 141-pound class, falling 14-5 at the hands of No. 23 Cael Happel. The major decision loss gave Northern Iowa an extra team point.
“(Butler and Zeamer) were close in a wrestle-off,” Rosselli said. “We put Zach in there to try and change it up a little bit and see where he’s at.”
With redshirt senior Justin Thomas nursing an injury suffered in his duel against No. 1-ranked David Carr on Friday, redshirt sophomore Cam Picklo manned the 157-pound class for the Sooners. Picklo was repeatedly slammed against the mat by Derek Holschlag in a 10-2 major decision loss.
The 165-pound match was paused briefly after redshirt senior Joe Grello suffered a finger injury that required attention from the OU medical staff. According to Rosselli, Grello popped a dislocated finger back into place before continuing to wrestle. Despite his toughness, No. 29-ranked Grello was unable to score a point, falling 3-0 to No. 18-ranked Austin Yant.
“(Grello) puts a lot of pressure on himself to be successful,” Rosselli said. “I think it hampers him and paralyzes him.”
Redshirt senior Keegan Moore filled the 184-pound spot for the Sooners’ on Sunday to start against his former team. The Northern Iowa transfer gave No. 4 Parker Keckeisen all he could handle, escaping from underneath the All-American to tie the match in the third round before losing 7-5.
“(Moore) needs to keep getting more gas in the tank,” Rosselli said. “He made some mistakes because he got fatigued.”
Oklahoma will look to stop its two-match losing streak at 6 p.m. on Feb. 4 when it hosts Little Rock.
“I’m not happy still,” Rosselli said. “You can’t lose and be happy, that’s all I can tell you.”
