ST. LOUIS — Oklahoma State will have some presence in tonight's NCAA Championship finals, but it's not exactly what the Cowboys had hoped.
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Coleman Scott advanced to his second consecutive finals match with a 4-2 win over No. 2 seed James Kennedy of Illinois on Friday. Scott was a runner-up last year and will take on Iowa's Joe Slaton for the right to stand at the top of the awards podium. Scott met Slaton in a dual in January and beat him, 8-6.
"It's everything I've dreamed about,” Scott said. "I have no more chances. This is it for me.”
And Scott knows he can't lose focus as he did a year ago.
"I was a little nervous going into that match,” Scott said. "I got the only takedown of the match last year and lost. That doesn't happen very often. I have to have a better match this time and walk away with the title.”
Nathan Morgan (141) and heavyweight Jared Rosholt also made it to the semifinals, but each lost close matches. Morgan lost 1-0 to Cal Poly's Chad Mendes. Rosholt came in as a No. 5 seed and won his first three matches. But the sophomore couldn't get past top-seeded Dustin Fox of Northwestern, losing 3-2.
Brandon Mason (174) was eliminated after losing 1-0 in the second day of consolations, and 165-pounder Jake Dieffenbach exited the tournament with a 4-2 overtime decision to Central Michigan's Trevor Stewart. He scored a takedown with 11 seconds left.
Earlier, Tyler Shinn (125) ended his tournament run with a 5-3 loss to Central Michigan's Luke Smith. Shinn was a No. 12 seed and stayed alive with two consolation wins Friday.
OSU wrapped up Day 1 in a tie for sixth place with Missouri with 23 team points. All eight wrestlers stayed alive, including Dieffenbach, who has been battling a knee injury.
Scott and Morgan had strong first days. Morgan won his first match by technical fall and followed it up with a fall over Cornell's Adam Frey. Scott won both of his first-day opponents by decision, including a 4-0 victory over Oregon's Ryan Dunn. Rosholt capped the Cowboys first-day with a 4-2 decision over Mizzou's Mark Ellis.
"Nathan looked good,” OSU coach John Smith said Thursday night. "There were things that I haven't seen out of him in quite some time, just being aggressive. He has the right attitude out there. Coleman has to wrestle better than he has the last two matches.”
Newly McSpadden (157), Mason and Jack Jensen (184) lost their quarterfinal matches by narrow decisions but stayed alive in the consolation bracket Friday morning.
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Central Michigan's Luke Smith, top, ties up Oklahoma State's Tyler Shinn in the third consolation round of the NCAA Championship on Friday. Smith beat Shinn with a 5-3 decision. Associated press
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