Former OU wrestling coach Stan Abel dies at age 87

Former OU wrestling coach Stan Abel dies at age 87

Stan Abel, a National Wrestling Hall of Famer and former OU head coach, died on Friday at age 87, the school announced Sunday.

Abel, who wrestled at OU and later served as head coach from 1973-93, led the Sooners to the 1974 national championship and is the program's all-time leader in wins. He achieved 279 dual victories at OU and finished with a .690 winning percentage.

"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Stan Abel," OU coach Roger Kish said in a release. "Coach Abel was truly one of the greats of our sport, and his impact on the wrestling world will always be felt. We share our deepest condolences to his family and friends."

Abel's wrestling career spanned five decades. A native of Oklahoma City, he was a three-time All-American for the Sooners, winning the 130-pound national title in 1959 and 1960. His championship win in 1960 contributed to OU's team title under Hall of Fame head coach Tommy Evans. As a college athlete, Abel posted a 53-5-1 record for the Crimson and Cream.

During his 21-year tenure as Oklahoma's head coach, Abel guided the Sooners to one national championship (1974) and four runner-up finishes (1975, 1981, 1985 and 1986), and finished outside the top 10 only once. He coached 15 individual champions and 74 All-Americans, leading OU to three Big Eight Conference titles.

Abel was honored as National Coach of the Year in 1985 and Amateur Wrestling's Man of the Year in 1974.

Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989, Abel became the fourth consecutive OU head coach to receive the honor. Although he secured 279 wins with the Sooners, his 29-year overall coaching career included over 350 dual meet victories.

OSU track & field alum Chase Jackson qualifies for Olympics

Former Cowgirl superstar Chase Jackson qualified for her first Olympic Games by winning her third U.S. Championship in the Shot Put with a toss of 20.10 meters on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

Jackson is the reigning back-to-back Shot Put Outdoor World Champion and currently holds the American record in the event with a mark of 20.76 meters. Her throw on Saturday narrowly missed the U.S. Olympic Trials record of 20.12 meters set back in 2021 by Jessica Ramsey. Jackson became the first American woman to win a world title in the Shot Put in 2022 and is believed to be the only Cowgirl across all sports to win an individual world championship.

Only two Cowgirls in program history prior to Jackson had ever qualified for the Olympic Games: Christine McMiken (New Zealand, 1988) and Ingeborg Lovnes (Norway, 2016), with both women placing 23rd at their respective games. Jackson will likely enter Paris ranked No. 1 in the world according to World Athletics and will be looking to become the first American woman to secure gold in the Shot Put.

During her time at OSU, Jackson finished as the NCAA outdoor runner-up in the Shot Put in 2016 and currently holds the school record both indoors and outdoors in the event.

Extra points

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The first non-transfer portal addition for new Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz came with in-state ties. OSU added junior-college transfer C.J. Smith, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound swingman from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College on Saturday. Smith is originally from Oklahoma City and concluded his high school career at Putnam City North, where he led the Panthers to a 24-3 record averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2022-23. He was a first-team selection on The Oklahoman's Big All-City squad.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club overcame three separate deficits but could never get over the hump and take the lead during a 5-4 loss against the Reno Aces Saturday night at Greater Nevada Field. After Reno (4-1/39-41) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Austin Gauthier tied the game with a RBI double in the third inning. Reno scored again in the bottom of the inning, but OKC pulled even in the fourth inning with a RBI single by Diego Cartaya. The game stayed tied at 2-2 until a two-run single with two outs and two strikes by Reno’s Pavin Smith in the seventh inning. Oklahoma City (1-4/41-39) rallied yet again, as Trey Sweeney evened the score with a two-run double in the eighth inning. After OKC left the go-ahead run at third base, Reno took the lead in the bottom of the inning on a home run by Albert Almora Jr. OKC put two runners on with one out in the ninth inning, but Andre Lipcius grounded into a game-ending double play.

—Staff reports