Cowboys Continue Homestand Against Pair of Ranked Foes

The Basics
The fifth-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team (8-0 overall; 3-0 Big 12) is set to continue its homestand inside Gallagher-Iba Arena with a pair of ranked matchups against No. 22 Northern Iowa on Friday, January 26, and No. 4 Iowa State the very next night. Last Sunday, the Cowboys returned to Stillwater and defeated No. 16 Oregon State, 27-9, in a dual that featured four Cowboy wins in either sudden victory or tiebreakers. Prior to its victory over the Beavers, Oklahoma State spent over a month on the road, competing in five straight duals away from home against four ranked opponents. The Cowboys came away unscathed, however, outscoring their opponents 141-45 throughout the road stretch. OSU enters this weekend looking for its seventh and eighth ranked wins this season, including its second over a top-five opponent in the fourth-ranked Cyclones.

On the Air
Oklahoma State's duals on Friday and Saturday will both be available for streaming on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with J. Carl Guymon and Hardell Moore on the call. The duals can also be heard on the radio as Rex Holt provides coverage on Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM. Live stats and results will be provided on StatBroadcast.com and TrackWrestling.com.

The Series: Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa have met 33 times in the all-time series, with the Cowboys winning all but four of those meetings. The series has tightened up as of late, however, as two of the Panthers' wins have come in the past four duals following 18 straight wins by the Cowboys from 1994-2019. In the series' most recent matchup, Oklahoma State traveled to Cedar Falls last January and pulled out a tight 19-17 victory. The Cowboys are 15-1 against the Panthers in Stillwater, but UNI pulled off the upset in its last trip to Gallagher-Iba Arena in 2021, snapping Oklahoma State's 26-dual winning streak at home. Head coach John Smith is 20-2 against the Panthers, while Doug Schwab owns a pair of wins over Oklahoma State in eight tries.

The Series: Iowa State
Saturday's meeting between Oklahoma State and Iowa State will be the 88th dual matchup in the all-time series. Only Oklahoma (187) has competed against the Cowboys more times in the program's long history. Oklahoma State has won 62 of the previous 87 meetings against the Cyclones, but ISU enters this weekend with back-to-back wins after 14 straight victories by the Cowboys from 2011-2021. Last January, Oklahoma State met the Cyclones in Ames and dropped a competitive 18-11 dual. Cowboy returners Daton Fix, Carter Young and Dustin Plott all earned wins that night, but weight changes and lineup shuffles from a year ago will likely set up no rematches in Saturday's contest. Head coach John Smith boasts a 28-9 record against the Cyclones, as Kevin Dresser is 3-4 against OSU between his time at ISU and Virginia Tech.

About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State sits in the top-five of the NWCA Coaches poll for the third week in a row after picking up its fourth-straight win over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 16 Oregon State, 27-9, on Sunday. The Cowboys are now 8-0 with six ranked victories and continue their homestand with a pair of conference foes this weekend. OSU has won nine of its past ten duals against ranked opponents, 12 of its past 13 against Big 12 teams and 13 of its past 14 overall.

Returning All-Americans and Big 12 champions Daton Fix and Dustin Plott lead the Cowboy lineup alongside Izzak Olejnik, who finished eighth at 165 pounds last season at Northern Illinois. The trio has impressed throughout Oklahoma State's 8-0 start to the season, each climbing into the top-three of their respective weight classes according to FloWrestling and combining for a 41-2 record. On Sunday, Plott defeated fourth-ranked Trey Munoz, 4-2, for his second top-five win this month, which ultimately earned him Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors. The senior is 18-1 on the year with 15 bonus-point wins.

Newcomers Troy Spratley and Tagen Jamison have provided a much-needed spark at the lower weights around Fix. Spratley is 13-4 at 125 pounds and sits just outside the top-10 at No. 11 in FloWrestling's latest poll, while Jamison is currently a consensus top-10 wrestler at 141 pounds with four top-10 wins. At 149 pounds, Sammy Alvarez made his GIA debut on Sunday and secured a clutch 4-1 decision over No. 15 Nash Singleton, which shifted the dual's momentum back in OSU's favor. Teague Travis has been a key piece in the Cowboy lineup at 157 pounds, compiling a 13-1 record and winning his match in all eight duals thus far. Plott's weight change to 184 pounds has allowed room for standout freshman Brayden Thompson to take on the 174-pound role, in which he has won six of his last seven matches. Rounding out the lineup, Konner Doucet has put together a solid junior season at 13-2 with a pair of wins over top-10 foes. For his efforts, Doucet is ranked as high as No. 8 in the country according to The Open Mat and in the top-10 of multiple polls.

A Pair of Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Make OSU 10-0 overall; 8-0 against ranked opponents; 5-0 at home
• Give John Smith 486 wins as head coach, six shy of Harold Nichols for second-most all-time
• Improve OSU's record against Northern Iowa to 30-4 and 16-1 in Stillwater
• Improve OSU's record against Iowa State to 63-22-3 and 34-7-1 in Stillwater
• Improve OSU's record to 4-1 in its last five duals against top-10 opponents
• Make OSU 15-1 in its last 16 duals
• Make OSU 11-1 in its last 12 duals against ranked opponents
• Make OSU 14-1 in its last 15 duals against Big 12 opponents
• Give OSU its second top-five win of the season
• Improve John Smith's record against Northern Iowa to 21-2; Iowa State to 29-9

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sammy Alvarez

Konner Doucet

Daton Fix

Tagen Jamison

Izzak Olejnik

Dustin Plott

Troy Spratley

Brayden Thompson

Teague Travis

Carter Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics