Cowboys Dominate Wyoming, 31-9, in Final Dual of 2023

Tuesday, December 19

Laramie, Wyo.

7 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Wyoming

Photo by: OSU Athletics

December 19, 2023 | Cowboy Wrestling

LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Oklahoma State wrestling team defeated Wyoming, 31-9, in dominating fashion on Tuesday at the UniWyo Sports Complex. With the win, Oklahoma State closed its fall semester with a perfect 4-0 record, while Wyoming dropped to 3-3.

Head coach John Smith improved his record to 20-0 against Wyoming as head coach and is now 24-1 in head-to-head matchups against his former wrestlers. The win was also the 480th of Smith's career, putting him 12 behind Harold Nichols for second-most in NCAA history.

"Good win to end the first semester," coach Smith said. "Put ourselves in position with our guys that put up points. Picked up bonus (points), really stretched the score out, and I like to see us stretch the score out when we have the opportunity. I think, for the most part, that's the highlight of the dual."

Following an opening-bout victory by No. 16 Jore Volk over Troy Spratley, OSU rattled off seven straight wins to take control of the dual. In his first appearance since Nov. 10, Daton Fix got Oklahoma State on the board with an 8-2 decision over Cooper Birdwell.

At 141 pounds, Cael Hughes made the first dual start of his young career against Stockton O'Brien and posted a 14-3 major decision to give OSU the lead. He was one of two true freshman Cowboys to record victories on the night.

Jordan Williams and Teague Travis posted back-to-back wins to send Oklahoma State into the break with a 13-3 edge. Williams fell behind 18th-ranked Willochell 8-3 in the opening three minutes, but rallied back over the final two periods to take the match.

Following the intermission, Izzak Olejnik, Brayden Thompson and Dustin Plott all earned bonus points in three straight matches. Olejnik reeled in his first tech fall as a Cowboy, while Plott posted his 13th bonus point win of the season in 15 tries.

True freshman Jersey Robb also made his dual debut at 197 pounds, nearly defeating No. 21 Joey Novak before surrendering a fall late in the third period. Konner Doucet capped off the night with a 5-1 decision over Kevin Zimmer.

In their first appearance of 2024, the Cowboys will hit the road once again for a meeting with NC State on Jan. 5 in Raleigh, N.C., after nearly three weeks off from dual action. The dual is slated for 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU and will likely feature two top-10 ranked teams.

No. 9 Oklahoma State 31, Wyoming 9
Dec. 19, 2023 | UniWyo Sports Complex | Laramie, Wyo.
Attendance: 957
125: No. 16 Jore Volk (WYO) dec. No. 21 Troy Spratley (OSU), 5-1
133: No. 3 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. Cooper Birdwell (WYO), 8-2
141: Cael Hughes (OSU) MD Stockton O'Brien (WYO), 14-3
149: No. 23 Jordan Williams (OSU) dec. No. 18 Gabe Willochell (WYO), 13-11
157: No. 25 Teague Travis (OSU) dec. Sloan Swan (WYO), 6-2
165: No. 2 Izzak Olejnik (OSU) TF Cooper Voorhees (WYO), 20-4, 6:15
174: No. 28 Brayden Thompson (OSU) MD Brett McIntosh (WYO), 12-2
184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU) fall Quayin Short (WYO), 2:58
197: No. 21 Joey Novak (WYO) fall Jersey Robb (OSU), 6:22
HWT: No. 12 Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. Kevin Zimmer (WYO), 5-1