Cowboys Set to Conclude Regular Season with Road Test at No. 2 Iowa on Sunday

Full Notes (PDF)

The Basics
The No. 6 Oklahoma State wrestling team (14-2 overall; 8-1 Big 12) will conclude its regular season schedule in Iowa City against the second-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The Cowboys have won five straight heading into its toughest test of the season, including a 26-6 rout over Oklahoma on Thursday night.

On the Air
Oklahoma State's dual with Iowa will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons on the call. It can also be heard on Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM with Robert Allen going on air at 3 p.m. Live stats for the match can be found on Trackwrestling.com.

The Series - Iowa
The Cowboy/Hawkeye rivalry dates back to 1954, in a dual Oklahoma State won on the road, 24-8. Sunday's dual marks the 56th meeting between the storied programs and the first to take place at a neutral site since 2007. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting in 2022, 23-9, at Bout at the Ballpark, but the Pokes lead the all-time series 29-24-2. John Smith is the winningest coach on either side of the rivalry with an 18-13-1 record against the Hawkeyes. The Cowboys own the longest winning streak in the series with nine consecutive victories from 2000 to 2008. Iowa's longest streak came from 1977 to 1982 with six straight wins.
Iowa and Oklahoma State are two of the prolific programs in NCAA wrestling combining for 58 NCAA team titles throughout history. Here is how things stack up:
- National team titles: OSU 34, Iowa 24
- Individual titles: OSU 143, Iowa 85
- All-Americans: OSU 483, Iowa 357

About the Cowboys
No. 6 Oklahoma State is 14-2 on the season after taking down in-state foe Oklahoma for the 17th straight time on Thursday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Pokes return four All-Americans who have earned All-America honors a total of eight times, headlined by three-time NCAA finalist Daton Fix. Wyatt Sheets and Travis Wittlake are both two-time All-Americans for OSU, while Dustin Plott is coming off of his first appearance on the podium last season. The OSU lineup has seen some movement from a season ago with weight changes from past starters opening opportunities at 165 pounds and heavyweight. Wittlake moved up two weight classes to 184 pounds in the offseason where he is 15-3, while Luke Surber dropped down a weight to 197 pounds. In their places, Wyatt Sheets has filled the void at 165 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Konner Doucet has gone 14-7 as the starter at heavyweight and placed third at the Scuffle. Big 12 champion Kaden Gfeller decided to return to Oklahoma State for his final season in August and has put together a 16-5 record so far 157 pounds, while talented freshman Victor Voinovich has started every dual at 149 pounds. With Sheets and Gfeller back for their COVID seasons, the middleweights could see some different looks throughout the course of the season.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Move the Cowboys to 15-2 overall; 8-1 in road duals
• Improve OSU's record to 30-24-2 in the series
• Make John Smith's record 19-13-1 against the Hawkeyes
• Mark OSU's highest-ranked win since defeating No. 1 Minnesota, 22-15, on Dec. 2, 2012

Cowboys in the Polls
Oklahoma State's roster features 10 wrestlers ranked in various polls this week, with four holding spots inside the top-10. Senior 133-pounder Daton Fix is the consensus No. 2 wrestler at his weight and is the highest ranked Cowboy as the reigning Big 12 champion and a national finalist the last two seasons. Following Fix, Dustin Plott appears as high as No. 7 at 174 pounds after earning All-America honors for the first time last season with a sixth-place finish. Travis Wittlake makes holds the No. 10 ranking in three of the four polls, while Kaden Gfeller (157) is back in the top-10 in Intermat's poll after upsetting No. 8 Jarrett Jacques against Missouri. Carter Young holds steady at No. 15 at 141 pounds, while Luke Surber climbed up the rankings as high as No. 15 at 197 pounds after taking down No. 1 Rocky Elam in a vital upset in OSU's win over Missouri. Victor Voinovich (149) and Konner Doucet (HWT) land at No. 20 and No. 22 in Intermat's rankings this week, but are a few spots higher in other polls. Wyatt Sheets is ranked at No. 19 by FloWrestling at 165 pounds as he continues to navigate a gaunlet of a schedule to close out the regular season. At 125 pounds, Reece Witcraft made his first appearance in Intermat's rankings where he sits at No. 28.

Two Cowboys Chasing the Century Mark
Cowboy seniors Daton Fix and Wyatt Sheets are both nearing 100 wins in their collegiate careers. The active leaders on Oklahoma State's roster with 93 wins for Fix and 84 for Sheets, the century mark could be within reach toward the end of this season. Sheets elected to return to OSU for his COVID season, while Fix is one of the winningest wrestlers in program history based on winning percentage and still has another year of eligibility he could take advantage of. OSU has had 44 wrestlers reach the 100-win mark in their career, most recently accomplished by Nick Piccininni during the 2020 season.

Cowboys Set to Conclude Regular Season with Road Test at No. 2 Iowa on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Konner Doucet

Daton Fix

Kaden Gfeller

Dustin Plott

Wyatt Sheets

Luke Surber

Victor Voinovich

Reece Witcraft

Travis Wittlake

Carter Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics