PERFECT PURSUIT
OSU junior looks to remain unbeaten this season
Dean Heil won, but he might as well have lost, so there he was in late February carrying the weight of a burden he didn’t own in a GallagherIba Arena news conference.
The top-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team had just fell to No. 2 Penn State, 27-13, in the NWCA National Duals final. Heil, a 141-pound junior, was one of three Cowboys to earn a match victory, and yet, he struggled to find the right words, his voice shaky, as he tried to make sense of OSU’s first dual defeat of the season.
“I honestly take full blame,” Heil said. “I could say that I’ve been a horrible team leader to my teammates.”
A blunt explanation. One that requires a better understanding of the man behind it. Because as the Cowboys prepare for the opening rounds of the NCAA championships Thursday inside the Scottrade Center, Heil’s record indicates otherwise.
One year removed from claiming an individual NCAA title, Heil enters this season’s tournament finale 27-0, including nine wins against top-20 opponents, to maintain a season-long No. 1 national ranking. Dating back to last year, Heil has won 36 consecutive matches.
Perfection, though, is defined by different terms for a wrestler with his mindset.
“I kind of reminded him about a month ago, ‘You really have about three losses, because you walked off the mat and you were disgusted with yourself,’” OSU coach John Smith said. “Sometimes you don’t need to lose to feel that pain.”
That was certainly the case against Penn State as Heil narrowly escaped two pin attempts in the last seconds of the final two periods to edge No. 10 Jimmy Gulibon with a 3-2 victory. In that same post-dual news conference, Heil wondered aloud how a major decision win might have sparked his team. He pledged to better motivate his fellow wrestlers as well with the Big 12 tournament ahead.
“That guy, he’s an animal,” said 184-pound senior Nolan Boyd.
“If you watched him in the practice room, you would understand why,” added 174-pound senior Kyle Crutchmer.
Heil’s renewed focus appeared to pay dividends, too, in OSU’s historic dominance in the conference championships with eight Cowboys claiming individual titles in addition to the team crown. Heil recorded two pins, his first of the season, in qualifying for the final where four takedowns fueled a 10-7 victory against Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith — the same wrestler Heil defeated to earn the NCAA title last season.
Vindication for his tough self-assessment after Penn State?
“Maybe I was holding it back a lot during the season because I was afraid to lose, who knows what it was,” Heil said. “But it’s postseason. It’s time for title No. 2 and that’s what I’m aiming for.”
There are no promises Heil will roll through the NCAAs this week with championship matches set for Saturday night. But Heil has a unique set of mentors on his path. Dating back to 1958, 22 Cowboy wrestlers have won at least two consecutive individual NCAA titles.
Three are currently on the coaching staff — Smith (1987-88), Eric Guerrero (1997-99) and Chris Perry (2013-14).
“We’ve been pretty fortunate with helping guys repeat championships,” Smith said. “That’s not given. History tells us that doesn’t happen very often.”
Heil aims to become No. 23.