Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Tunnel vision
An inside look as wrestlers handle loss, prepare for matches during the NCAA Wrestling Championships
Adam Engel Editor-in-Chief TULSA — Dreams die in the tunnels. Some wrestlers trudge off the mat after elimination, shout profanities, spike headgear and cry into their hands. Seasons ends and so do some careers. This is day two of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa. Wrestlers live in their own mini cities beneath the crowds and away from public view in the bowels of the arena. In the tunnels, the distance screams crescendo. Chaos on
the mats. Seats are less empty. Bloodround and semifinals. A round so significant that it warrants a “dogbone” mat formation. Two mats on the left side of the arena vertically stacked that lead to two mats laid horizontally in the middle and two mats on the right side. “It’s phenomenal,” said Matt Ramos, Purdue’s 125-pounder. “It’s no joke. You can be the 30th seed and beat a top five guy in the country. You can’t sleep on anyone. You can’t plan ahead. Just gotta be ready at all times.” Ramos said this hours before he pinned Iowa’s Spencer Lee, a three-time national champion, in the semifinals. In the tunnels, each team retreats to its own team camp between matches. See Tunnel on page 2
Jaiden Daughty A wrestler catches his breath as he comes to grips with a loss.
US issues warning about Mexican pharmacies selling tainted, counterfeit pills Keri Blakinger and don’t know about the scope of this issue, and Connor Sheets
Andy Crown
Cowgirls conquer Red Raiders for weekend sweep
The Cowgirls are 4-0 in Big 12 play so far this season.
PJ Tikalsky Staff Reporter When the dust settled in the Greenwood Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon, the OSU Cowgirls emerged victorious yet again, defeating Texas Tech 5-2 in one of the most exciting home matches of the season so far. Friday evening against TCU was the Cowgirls’ outdoor home debut for the season, Sunday’s match was moved indoors to beat the cold weather. Head coach Chris Young has said before that his team is better suited to outdoor play and knew they would have to play up to the strength of multiple opponents. “[Texas Tech] have some big hitters,” Young said. “I think that it really was an advantage for them on some of the courts… But when they come inside, we just
got to manage the match, and I thought that’s what the girls did pretty much today.” After losing the doubles point on courts one and three, the Cowgirls quickly responded in singles play. Ayumi Miyamoto, Lucia Peyre and Sofia Rojas’ straight sets victories put the Cowgirls in pole position, losing only 12 games total betwixt the four of them. Alana Wolfberg’s 7-5, 6-4 win vs No. 117 Avelina Sayfetdinova clinched the match for the Cowgirls in a match that proved to be one of her toughest tests of the season. Wolfberg credits assistant coach Jaime Sanchez-Cañamares for getting her game into the right place for victory. “Really, I just struggled first set making returns,” she said, “So Jaime and I kind of adjusted that and looked to hit big targets, deep returns and play the points a little bit smarter and strategically.” Serving for the match at 5-3, Wolfberg lost a break point to Sayfetdinova. Despite the weight of the match hanging in the air, she knew that the only way to lock up the win was to think forward.
“I definitely thought about it longer than I should have. But at 5-4, I was like ‘there’s there’s no point in still thinking about it anymore.’ … I knew what the pressure was on her at that point and so for me, it was just mentally thinking about, ‘OK, what’s the strategy of this return point? that’s all that matters right now.’” Wolfberg said. “Thinking about the past, thinking about those shots isn’t going to help me, so I need to do whatever is going to help me which is listening to coach and executing the return of serve points.” With the Cowgirls now at 4-0 in conference play, Wolfberg described the feeling in the locker room as “great.” Chris Young agrees, and thinks their strength at this point in the season is a reason the Red Raiders put up the type of fight that they did. “I think that’s what our girls are seeing now; because we’re kind of out there as one of the front runners in the league, we’re gonna get everybody’s best.”
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I think finding that will be critical to issuing more precise warnings The U.S. State and taking action.” Department issued a The department warning Friday for did not answer a list of Americans to “exercise questions about the adcaution” when buying visory, instead sending medications from drug a statement. stores in Mexico, postOn Friday, “the ing the health alert a U.S. Embassy in week after a letter from Mexico City issued a two lawmakers and an Health Alert informinvestigation by the Los ing U.S. citizens of the Angeles Times. danger of counterfeit “The U.S. Depart- pharmaceuticals availment of State is aware able at pharmacies in of recent media reports Mexico, including those regarding counterfeit potentially tainted with pharmaceuticals avail- fentanyl and methamable at pharmacies in phetamine,” the stateMexico, including those ment said. tainted with fentanyl Mexican agenand methamphetamine,” cies and officials did the alert said. “Counter- not respond to requests feit pills are readily ad- for comment. In revertised on social media cent weeks, President and can be purchased at Andres Manuel Lopez small, non-chain phar- Obrador has denied that macies in Mexico along his country is involved the border and in tourist in the fentanyl trade, areas.” despite ample evidence. The new notice is The State Departstronger than previous ment’s warning comes language on the depart- one week after Sen. ment’s website, which Edward J. Markey, Dwarned that counterfeit Mass., and Rep. David pills were common in Trone, D-Md., sent a the country. It did not letter asking the departspecify that they could ment to immediately be purchased at le“warn Americans travgitimate pharmacies or eling to Mexico of the that they might contain danger they face when such potent and deadly purchasing pills from substances. Mexican pharmacies.” “The State DeThe letter cited partment warning is the Los Angeles Times’ a good and necessary investigation and the step,” said Chelsea UCLA researchers’ findShover, a University of ings, California, Los Angeles researcher whose team documented the problem this year. “But See US on page 4 there’s still a lot we