Cowboys Return Home for Wyoming, No. 23 Arizona State

The Basics
The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team returns home from a successful road trip to compete inside Gallagher-Iba Arena for the first time under head coach David Taylor this weekend. The Cowboys will play host to a pair of conference opponents, first facing Wyoming on Friday, November 22, at 7 p.m. CT before 23rd-ranked Arizona State visits Stillwater two days later at 1 p.m. CT.

On the Air
Both of this weekend's duals will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with J. Carl Guymon and Hardell Moore on the call. Rex Holt also returns as the voice of Cowboy wrestling to provide live radio coverage, which will be carried on Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM on Friday and Sunday's dual still to be determined due to the OSU men's basketball schedule. Live stats and results can be found on okstate.statbroadcast.com, as well as trackwrestling.com.

The Series: Wyoming
An all-Cowboy battle between Oklahoma State and Wyoming will commence for the 29th time on Friday, continuing a familiar series that has gone OSU's way in 27 of 28 previous renditions with a tie in 1957. The two programs have met every year since 2009, the only exception being the shortened 2021 schedule which still saw Wyoming visit Stillwater for the Cowboy Challenge Tournament. Oklahoma State's first win in the series came on January 30, 1956, as it downed Wyoming by a score of 21-3, whereas its most recent win occurred in Laramie last season behind a dominant 31-9 performance. In the 13 Stillwater matchups, OSU holds a 20.6 average margin of victory and has won by single digits just two times.

Former OSU wrestler and current Wyoming head coach Mark Branch is winless in 16 tries against his alma mater. Competing from 1994-1997, Branch was one of the most successful Cowboy wrestlers ever as a two-time national champion and four-time All-American.

The Series: Arizona State
Sunday's contest marks the 45th meeting between Oklahoma State and Arizona State, as OSU holds a 40-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Cowboys have captured half of those victories consecutively, a winning streak that dates back to January 15, 1994. The two programs have matched up 21 times in Stillwater, including a meeting just last February that saw Oklahoma State win seven of 10 bouts en route to a 28-9 final score. Five Cowboy returners secured victories in that dual, highlighted by Troy Spratley's major decision over future national champion Richard Figueroa at 125 pounds. Along with the 2024 matchup, Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones dropped his only other attempt against OSU as the head coach of Penn in 2012.

About the Cowboys
The 2024 offseason sparked a new era for Oklahoma State as legendary head coach John Smith announced his retirement and wrestling icon David Taylor was hired as the eighth head coach in program history. Excitement has been buzzing for Taylor's first year ever since, even more so after OSU's sweep at Utah Valley and No. 24 Oregon State this past weekend to open the 2024-25 campaign. It was a statement weekend for the Cowboys, who racked up a dozen bonus-point wins and scored its highest team total through two duals in 17 years. The Oklahoma State roster features 13 national qualifiers and a ranked wrestler at every weight class, giving it all the pieces necessary to contend for a team trophy this upcoming March.

National finalist Dustin Plott is back at 184 pounds to lead perhaps the deepest lineup throughout his time in Stillwater. The three-time All-American opened his season in familiar fashion over the weekend, racking up 44 total points for a pair of technical falls. He now has 14 technical falls for his career, just four back of reaching the program's career top 10 list.

Nicknamed "Sparky" for his prowess atop the Cowboy lineup, Troy Spratley is set to make a big jump in 2025 following a breakout freshman season in which he went 23-8 and finished one win shy of the podium at 125 pounds. He pulled out two tight decisions last weekend, including one in sudden victory against Oregon State's 24th-ranked Maximo Renteria. Following Spratley at 133 pounds will likely be in-state product Cael Hughes or two-time national qualifier Reece Witcraft.

Newcomers Dean Hamiti Jr., Wyatt Hendrickson and Cameron Amine impressed in their Cowboy debuts by scoring bonus points in five of their first six matches. Among a laundry list of accolades, the three wrestlers combined for seven All-America finishes, three conference titles and a 247-50 record at their previous stops. Meanwhile, the Cowboy lineup is balanced out by a stable of national qualifiers in Tagen Jamison, Carter Young, Teague Travis and Luke Surber.

A Pair of Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Make OSU 4-0 for the second straight season and fourth time in the past five years
• Make OSU 3-0 in conference duals and 2-0 against ranked opponents
• Give OSU its 25th straight win in home openers
• Give David Taylor his first two home wins as a head coach
• Improve OSU's record against Wyoming to 28-0-1 and 14-0 at home
• Improve OSU's winning streak against Arizona State to 21 and overall record to 41-4
• Make OSU 14-1 in its past 15 duals against ranked opponents
• Improve OSU's winning streak in Big 12 duals to 14 and record against its last 20 conference opponents to 19-1
• Give OSU wins in 15 of its last 16 duals at Gallagher-Iba Arena
• Improve OSU's record to 34-4 in its past 38 duals overall

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Players Mentioned

Cameron Amine

Dean Hamiti Jr.

Wyatt Hendrickson

Cael Hughes

Tagen Jamison

Dustin Plott

Troy Spratley

Luke Surber

Teague Travis

Reece Witcraft

Carter Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics