Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

‘This is a good thing’

The saga is finished: Oklahoma and Texas are leaving the Big 12 after the 2024 athletic year.

The O’Colly spoke with Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg on Friday about the newlook Big 12, and what

OSU’s future will be.

“This is a good thing,” Weiberg said. “It allows everyone to move forward with certainty. We have four great, new schools coming into the conference, and now we know the timing of how things will roll out. Overall, I think it’s a great thing.”

The talks among OU, Texas, media

partners and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark on when the teams would leave caused the expected date to change. Now that there is a date, Weiberg is excited for all parties to move on to their own path.

“It’s a very complicated process,” Weiberg said. “I know the commissioner has been working on this

Pink out: OSU honors

Kendra Kilpatrick during game vs Baylor

The usual orange emblem on the front of their jersey was a potent pink in their 77-56 win against Baylor in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday. Each referee has swapped their usual whistle for to rock a rosier one. Each Baylor player is showing their support by sporting fuchsia footwear.

The Cowgirls painted their social media pink in preparation for the afternoon game. Of those posts, a few stand out. There are images of Riley Kilpatrick, and a

video where she reads a letter to the Cowgirls sharing her story. Riley is the daughter of coach Kendra Kilpatrick.

Kendra was the coach for Stillwater High School girls’ basketball for six seasons, and a mother of two. Kilpatrick’s life was changed on April 8, 2020, when she was diagnosed with stage three papillary breast cancer.

“It is an honor of a lifetime for Cowgirl basketball to have the pink game,” Hoyt said, “We showed the video of Riley before shoot around today. We had to regroup as a team because it’s so emotional and

our team understands that today was bigger than basketball.”

In Kendra’s final season coaching, she was undergoing chemotherapy. That didn’t stop her from taking the Lady Pioneers to the 6A state tournament and becoming the Oklahoma Girls’ Basketball Association’s Coach of the Year.

In November 2022, Kendra found herself having struggles breathing. On Nov. 13, she was told that she had RSV, a viral infection making it difficult for her to raise her oxygen levels.

See Pink on page 2

for a long time. I give (Yormark) a lot of credit for keeping it moving. Back in July 2021, the outcome was determined then, the question was when and how, and now we have the answers. They want to move on, we are ready to move on. It was just doing it in a way that made sense for everyone involved.”

See Chad on page 3

Courtesy of OSU

OSU’s turfgrass criticized after Super Bowl

some extra, built-in features. The bermudagrass is improved for cold tolerance, drought resistance and saving water.

Oklahoma State University marked its presence on Sunday at Super Bowl LVII. From touchdowns to Rihanna’s half-time show, none of it would have been all thrown together without Tahoma 31.

Tahoma 31 is a bermudagrass turf developed by OSU researchers. It is similar to the kind of grass people can ssee in their own backyard, but there are

The turf was recently installed in the State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. Tahoma 31 is used around the world, especially on golf courses, but its fine texture and other great qualities made it a no-brainer when choosing quality turf for such an important day in the NFL.

Unfortunately, players were not shy of criticizing the field due to the turf, stating it felt like they

were playing in a waterpark and it was not up to standard for the NFL’s biggest game of the year. Because of how slippery the playing field was, many players found it difficult to keep their footing and fans, sports analysts and players took their complaints to Twitter and other news sites.

Mark Schlereth, former NFL player and current football analyst for Fox Sports shared a tweet where he said “This field is absolute trash. The NFL should be absolutely embarrassed.”

See Turf on page 6

File Photo

Chad Weiberg has dealt with NIL, conference realignment and more since taking over as AD in 2021.

Oklahoma State AD Chad Weiberg on OU, Texas leaving Big 12, opportunity for OSU

Carson Toulouse OSU basketball wore jerseys with pink logos in support of breast cancer awareness on Saturday.

Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass Turfgrass, Grown by Charles Biney at Riverview Sod Ranch

Gabe Trevino and Sam Hutchens

Tessa Dorrell Staff Reporter

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Continued from page 1

Kendra died on Nov. 27, 2022.

“The legacy that Coach Kilpatrick left and the battle that she had to fight is inspiring,” Hoyt said, “To see Riley go about life the way that she does. I

mean that is so inspirational and for all of those who are going through that battle or maybe have lost that battle, it is truly inspiring…It was really neat today to be able to have such a big platform to give our thanks back and to honor them.”

“They were playing for something much bigger, and I think that we all saw that in their performance,” Hoyt said.

Lior Garzon, a junior from Raanana, Israel, said the pink game was special since it was not a part of her culture. Garzon finished the game with 14

points and hit four threes.

“I think it is special since we (Garzon and Naomie Alnatas) are not from here,” Garzon said, “We don’t really have the pink game back home and to support other people and this culture is very special. It is always special to play for something bigger than basketball.”

Carson Toulouse

Lior

Chad...

Continued from page 1

Since it was first announced OU and Texas will be leaving the conference, Weiberg has not found it to be more difficult communicating with the respective athletic departments, but the discussions have been delicate.

“It’s been different,” Weiberg said. “It has remained collegial. It became a lot more awkward, and more complicated. They were conversations about the future, and the future is not involving everyone. But everyone has remained professional.”

As a part of OU and Texas leaving the conference early, the two schools will have to pay a combined $100 million to the Big 12. Each of the eight legacy institutions, including OSU, will be receiving a portion of that money. With 12 teams in the conference instead of 10 going forward, the money from media deals will be split to more teams. This money received will offset the differences.

“I do feel good about (the settlement amount),” Weiberg said. In terms of football scheduling, OSU scheduled teams such as Alabama, Arkansas, Oregon, Colorado and Nebraska for nonconference games in the near future, expecting to still play OU every year. Now that Bedlam will not be played every year, and OSU is scheduled out until the 2030s, OSU and OU will have to make time in the future to face each other.

Weiberg said he will not change any scheduling, nor hold OU and Texas at a higher priority, but if the opportunity presented itself, he would set up a game.

For sports other than football, where the teams are not scheduled ahead decades in advance, Weiberg said he would also be willing to schedule OU or Texas.

“Each sport will be different,” Weiberg said. “In terms of what makes sense, what we have on our side, what we have on theirs. I suspect OU will be on our schedule in some form or fashion, in at least some of those sports.”

Weiberg said the Cowboys’ football schedule will undoubtedly feel different without the Longhorns and Sooners. Before 2021, Weiberg said OSU playing OU in football felt like a way of life.

“I never really considered the fact that Bedlam wouldn’t be played every year,” Weiberg said. “That was a decision that they made in terms of conference affiliation that changed for reasons that clearly made sense

to them.”

Weiberg reflected on a conversation he had with Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU’s president, in 2021 when OU and Texas first announced their intentions to leave the Big 12. He said their prediction rang true, and the Big 12 has dissolved the doom-and-gloom narrative that was once perpetuated.

“Even though you might not be able to see it immediately, we believe that in here somewhere is opportunity,” Weiberg said. “We just have to find what that opportunity is moving forward. Fast forward to February 2023, knowing what we know now, the narrative around the Big 12 has changed tremendously.

Despite OU’s and Texas’ departure, Weiberg said he does not expect a college to emerge as a power leader in the new Big 12. There really isn’t a throne to be grabbed.

“I would push back a little bit on this concept of a power vacuum…the last three (football) championship games, Texas hasn’t been in any of those,” Weiberg said. “OU has been in it once. The other five teams are teams that are staying in the Big 12 conference. The last two teams that will be in our conference that have been in the CFP were Cincinnati and TCU.”

Weiberg said he believes in the new-look Big 12 and is looking forward to how the

conference performs in its next media deal when Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and BYU join the league.

“There’s going to be great teams moving forward in this conference,” Weiberg said.

“I think that’s been recognized by the media partners in the new deal. They recognize that this is great football. This is football people across the country want to watch. And I think it will only get stronger. I’m excited about the next round of media negotiations.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Chad Weiberg said OSU is ready to move on in the new-look Big 12.

3 takeaways: Trash talk, streaks snap in OSU wrestling’s win over Stanford

collected two takedowns and a reversal, DiSario rode for the majority of the second and third periods.

“It can happen again and again and with a guy that can ride your legs,” OSU coach John Smith said. “Everybody is gonna watch that. Another situation where we’re sending you out to get bonus. It’s hard to give up a period on bottom. He gave up the whole second period on bottom.”

Smith said Darracott should’ve been ejected.

Key bonus point wins powered the Cowboys to their fourth straight win. No. 7 OSU defeated Stanford 25-9 on Sunday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Here are three takeaways from the dual.

Fix snaps bonus point streak in win Daton Fix often provides momentum and extra points. Not Sunday. OSU’s star 133-pounder defeated Stanford’s Jackson DiSario, 6-1. Though Fix

Tempers flare at 157

Repeated hands to the face caused a verbal scuffle at the final buzzer.

OSU’s Kaden Gfeller outlasted Stanford’s Charlie Darracott, 9-5, at 157.

Gfeller earned a penalty point because of illegal hands to the face from Darracott, a move that caused blood time.

The two exchanged words after the bout. The officials, Smith and Stanford coach Rob Koll separated the pair.

CheckouttheOriginalHideaway!

SINCE 1957,

“Official needs to take care of that,” Smith said. “Get out there and get in the middle of it. What am I doing out there trying to control the guy? The kid was out of control. Hands to the face and a couple of cheap shots in the middle of the match. One point penalty but eventually second time, you kick their tails out of the damn gym before somebody throws a punch.”

Sheets 0-3 vs national champions, finishes gauntlet below .500

An underdog became Wyatt Sheets’ label lately.

Odds for OSU’s 165-pounder haven’t been great against three national champions and other All-Americans. The rankings showed as Sheets concluded a stretch against four All-Americans at 3-4. He lost to three national champions — Iowa State’s David Carr, Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole and Stanford’s

Shane Griffith on Sunday.

Sheets took Griffith to sudden victory but lost on a leg sweep takedown. The champs outscored Sheets 23-9.

He pinned Northern Iowa’s Austin Yant and beat South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook, both higher-ranked opponents.

It’s a measuring stick for Sheets’ progress and pursuit for All-American honors.

“You build confidence when you’re competing,” Smith said. “You’re in a position in overtime against a national champion and you gotta hit those guys. Those guys are gonna hit you. They’re not national champions for no reason. You got to hit them before they hit you in overtime.”

No wrestlers were made available to the media. sports.ed@ocolly.com

Molly Jolliff

Kaden Gfeller, OSU’s 157-pounder, defeated Stanford’s Charlie Darracott in a chippy scrap, 9-5, on Sunday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Adam Engel

Editor-in-Chief

Cowboy wrestling: Surber’s pin shows growth in OSU’s win

There was both good and bad in No. 7 OSU’s 25-9 victory vs Stanford — its fourth consecutive win and 10th in its past 11 duals. One of the positives being Luke Surber’s pin over No. 28-ranked Nick Stemmet.

Daniel Allen Staff Reporter

As John Smith sat in GallagherIba Arena after Sunday’s dual, his emotions were mixed.

“Luke looked like he had a purpose,” Smith said.

Smith placed emphasis on the vitality of bonus-point victories throughout the season. Midway through the second period of Surber’s bout on Sunday afternoon, it clicked.

Stemmet was locked in the bot-

tom position, being held at a standstill for the first half-minute of the second period. A sudden burst of energy from Surber put the Stanford wrestler in a perilous position on the mat. Seconds later, a whistle blew, and the bout was over.

Surber earned his fourth pin of the season, sealing the dual for him.

“I wasn’t expecting that out of him,” Smith said. “It was good to see him (bounce back).”

In hindsight, OSU took 7-of-10 duals, earning two bonus-point vic-

tories. While a win is a win, Smith expects more than just a nonchalant victory-by-decision from his veteran wrestlers. On Sunday, Surber proved his coach wrong, doing more than the bare minimum to assist his team in any necessary manner.

“I’m gonna tell him I didn’t expect that,” Smith said. “I am. I’ll let him know I was surprised. ‘You surprised me, that’s good, and hopefully you didn’t surprise yourself’.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

Molly Jolliff

Luke Surber, OSU’s 197-pounder, pinned Stanford’s Nick Stemmet in the Cowboys’ 25-9 win over Stanford on Sunday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Turf...

Continued from page 1

Despite Tahoma 31 being specially bred to resist water and all advertisements stating the amazing quality of this turf, the Super Bowl has people ques-

tioning what went wrong with the field and why it was so slippery. The Kanas City Chiefs pulled through in the last few minutes of a tight game to come out on top of the Philadelphia Eagles. The final score was 38-35, leaving the Chiefs this year’s Super Bowl Champions. Since many of the Eagles players took their time to highlight their disappointment in the turf and NFL, questions were raised on wethe there could have been a different outcome on a different field with a different

kind of grass.

The turfgrass used in Super Bowl LVII took almost 2 years and more than $800,000 to prepare for this past Sunday. To learn more about Tahoma 31 and what went into the process of creating this turf and Oklahoma State University’s involvement, visit OSU’s website. news.ed@ocolly.com

HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE

Rich Sugg/Courtesy of Tribune News Service

OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine receives

donation from retired physician

tice medicine,” he said. “Osteopathic medicine has a strong history in rural Oklahoma, and we want it to continue.”

Dr. Johnny Stevens is the president of OSU Center for health Sciences, and he said the Turrentines’ donation will help support and fund OSU-CHS’s aspirations to serve rural communities and areas in the state.

Dr. James and Regina Turrentine, longtime residents of Ardmore, will donate $500,000 to the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. This donation will grant scholarships for Oklahoma students with a preferred preference for those from Ardmore, Stigler and surrounding areas.

Turrentine has been involved in osteopathic medicine and the community throughout his career. He has been the recipient of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association’s “Outstanding and Distinguished Service Award.” He said his family’s donation and gift is an investment in the state of Oklahoma and its residents.

“We hope it will help to educate Oklahomans close to home, and that they will stay close to home to prac-

“All of us at OSU Center for Health Sciences are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Turrentine,” Stephens said. “The impact of their gift will be felt by our students for decades to come and allows us to continue to fulfill our mission of educating physicians for rural and underserved Oklahomans. This legacy the Turrentines have created is truly immeasurable.”

Dr. Turrentine and his wife, who were high school sweethearts, started from humble beginnings in Stigler. Dr. Turrentine’s home did not even have running water. The couple, together, grew a commitment to education that they have had since high school.

“I was valedictorian, and he was president of his class,” Mrs. Turrentine said. “In high school, we had supportive teachers and received encouragement

from our school family.”

Education is vital to the Turrentines and the legacy they will leave is an expression of gratefulness to a career field that has been good to them. The couple cares deeply about the wellbeing of the community and the state. Mrs. Turrentine has been committed to education for most of her life. She is a retired teacher who taught in Missouri and Oklahoma. Leadership Oklahoma recognized her with the Community Leadership Excellence Award in 2004. She also served as a Board of Regents member at Murray State College and was the director and founder of the Ardmore Beautification Council.

“We have had a great life in the osteopathic profession, and we have been part of it for a long time,” Dr. Turrentine said. “We’ve never looked back. It’s been great.”

Dr. Turrentine said their own story inspires them to give back to communities in meaningful ways.

“We really started out with nothing,” Dr. Turrentine said. “Life has been good to us. For some reason, we’ve had a guiding hand that put us in the right direction. We want to leave a legacy and a better world. This is a way we can

continue to educate future osteopathic physicians.”

“We are always looking to do one step better,” Mrs. Turrentine said.

Mrs. Turrentine reflects on her husband’s career and the communities he served with gratitude and fondness.

“It was exciting to watch his career grow,” she said. “He lived for his medicine and his patients. We still can’t go to the grocery store, or anywhere, without someone stopping to talk to him.”

Mrs. Turrentine received her Bachelor of Science in education from OU.Dr. Turrentine earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City College Osteopathy and Surgery and Doctor of Pharmacy also from OU.

Since OSU began the College of Osteopathic Medicine more than 50 years ago, the Turrentines have been supporters of its mission to prepare physicians to practice in rural Oklahoma.

“When they started the program, we jumped in,” Dr. Turrentine said.

“We are all for it.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of OSU

Dr. James and Regina Turrentine have pledged $500,000 to the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Mallory Pool Staff Reporter

1 is 2 Many held event on sexual health, consent and support

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

1 is 2 many is OSU’s commitment to maintain a safe environment for all members of the community, focusing on sexual health, consent and support for all students on campus.

On the evening of Feb. 8, 1 is 2 Many held an event in the Student Union called “Sex-Ploration,” in hopes to educate students on consent, sexual violence and sexual health.

Claire Leffingwell is the coordinator of 1 is 2 Many and put together this event with the help of other facilitators from different groups and partners on campus.

The event consisted of five stations constructed by each facilitator. Rotating in intervals of 10 minutes, students were given the chance to learn about myths and facts about consent, practice consent in a safe space using handhshakes, talk about personal boundaries and talk about how growing up in todays society has affected personal views on sex and sexuality. The final event was bingo, and people got a prize after going through all of the stations.

Kelley E. Rhoads, an asssistant professor in the public health program at OSU and the director of the sexual health research lab, said there are many opportunities for students to get involved.

“We have undergrad and graduate students working on a plethora of different research projects,” Rhoads said. “Students do not have to have any sort of research experience at all if they just want to learn about research. We work around sexual consent, sexual violence prevention, STIs, HIV, LGTBQ+ populations and things about the intersexuality of mental health, stigma in sexuality. We have some really great projects, a lot of it is student driven.”

Sexual education is often limited and it is common for people to grow up with little to no knowledge on how to be sexually safe. In a college town, this is an important topic and students have

the resources to educate their selves and encourage others to seek guidance about.

“We do live in a part of the country where talking about sex and sexuality is pretty taboo and I would say overall the general perspective in the U.S. is “hush-hush,” Rhoads said. “We don’t really talk about it, and part of decreasing that stigma is having these conversations and feeling safe. Having safe spaces where you can have these conversations in a productioive manner and realize it doesn’t matter your religion or political affiliation, it is about knowledge.”

Rhoads said having events like Sex-Ploration and Condom Bingo get the conversation going and that is a start in the right place. Rhoads added having support for sexual health initiatives on campus, like with the condom dispensers in the Colvin, are extremely important .

“That was something that maybe wasnt 100% popular when it first came out but students love it,” Rhoads said.

“That’s us destigmatizing the fact that, “Hey, people are using condoms and lubricant” and it is normal to engage in sexual behavior in college, and if you’re going to do that, here is a safe way to do it.”

This event also took time to highlight the importance of sexual health for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Students can still face judgement at times and are often scared to reach out to others for education on the topic. OSU has made it clear that LGBTQ+ students are welcome and safe here, and they are working on ways to educate everyone regardless of sexual orientation.

“[Sexual education] it’s basically non-existent for non-heterosexual people,” Rhoads said. “The multicultural center I believe specifically has LGBTQ+ representatives, they were responsible for the safe zone training, so they trained other faculty and staff on campus so that we could create safe spaces where LGBTQ+ folks could feel comfortable and go to faculty and staff and have conversation as it relates to their sexual health or gender iden-

news.ed@ocolly.com

tity. There are places on campus like the department of wellness. If you see anybody that has the safe zone training sign, that is somebody that you can go to for resources here on campus.”

There are options on campus that will respect every student’s situation and will have people to support and listen with no judgement. Being sexually healthy is another way to be healthy overall.

“It is ok if people make the decision to wait to engage in sexually activity until they are married, it is still important for them to know how to do

things safely and properly,” Rhoads said. “I think there is a lot of focus on pregnancy prevention and STD prevetion, but there is also kind of a sex positive persecptive where we can also focus on pleasure and I think that gets lost in the conversation. It is ok if you choose to be abstinent, you can still talk about it, it’s education that we need to know about our bodies and our partners bodies.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Lethal fentanyl poisoning is real.

The drastic increase in opioid overdose deaths is largely due to fentanyl poisoning. Illegal fentanyl is cheaper than most other drugs on the streets and is being intentionally substituted into cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and drugs like counterfeit Adderall®, Percocet® and Xanax® as well.

Jaycee Hampton Sexploration was an event focused on educating students on sexual health, sexual violence and on the resources available on campus.

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

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The best selection of beer, wine and li quor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

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Open 10-6

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Check out “Cowboy Cabin” 550 steps east of Boone Pickens Stadium

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Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes (TNS)

Today’s Birthday (02/14/23). You’re especially charming, creative and articulate this year. Honoring your word as yourself builds confidence with practice. Repair domestic breakdowns this winter, preparing for exciting springtime creative triumphs. Summer career twists reorient you toward fascinating educational adventures and investigations next autumn. Connect over shared passions.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Adapt your exploration around an obstacle. Wait for better conditions to launch. Ensure that the theory works. Test and investigate. Research and study.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Love is the common thread that binds your enterprise. Avoid financial arguments. Keep your word or change it. Investigate lucrative opportunities. Let conditions ripen naturally.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Dance gracefully with your partner. Don’t get pushy or sparks could fly. Maintain a loving connection. Listen generously. Share support around challenges. Nurture each other.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Your work, fitness and health routines could get disrupted. Patiently navigate an obstacle to avoid accidents. Eat and rest well. Take extra care of yourself.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Love is the game and the prize. Plan something fun with someone special. Share delicious flavors and views. Spin a tale of romance and intrigue.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Domestic comforts draw you in. Avoid traffic or roadblocks and stick close to home. Savor family fun. Bake something delightful and share with your crew.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 9 — Words get farther than action today. Look to philosophers, musicians and poets for inspiration. Abandon preconceptions. Express your creative vision. Share beauty and passion.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Research potential purchases for value and quality. Impulsive moves could get expensive. Simplify plans to keep the budget. Keep lucrative wheels in motion.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Set an intention or two. Inspire, rather than demanding. Decide who you’re growing up to be. You get to say. Update your personal vision.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Breathe deep. Slow to enjoy the scenery. Savor peaceful, private spaces. Linger near a tranquil view. Avoid noise or hustle. Imagine and invent possibilities.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is an 8 — Let friends know what you appreciate about them. Take advantage of an opportunity to acknowledge someone. Keep pulling for others, for amplified returns.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Professional obstacles could cause delays. Assess the situation carefully before advancing. Communication eases things. Don’t push. Listen for solutions. Work things out in conversation.

Lynn Lempel