Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
West Virginia
Cowboys Conclude Homestand Against No. 22 West Virginia
January 17, 2025 | Cowboy Wrestling
The Basics
The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team (8-0 overall; 5-0 Big 12) concludes its homestand with a Big 12 matchup against No. 22 West Virginia on Sunday, January 19. On Monday, the Cowboys cruised past No. 5 NC State, 34-3, for its largest win over a top-five opponent since 1996, winning nine of 10 matches and taking down a pair of former All-Americans in the process.
On the Air
Sunday's dual is scheduled for a 2 p.m. CT start and 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. Live stats and results can be found on okstate.statbroadcast.com, as well as trackwrestling.com.
The Series
The series between Oklahoma State and West Virginia dates back nearly 100 years when the two programs met on February 10, 1927, in a dual that resulted in a 24-5 victory for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State has won each of the 16 meetings since then, including a perfect 10-0 mark at home. The Mountaineers are making their return trip to Stillwater following OSU's 29-9 victory in Morgantown last season, which was highlighted by technical falls from Daton Fix and Dustin Plott as part of seven Cowboy wins. Tagen Jamison also secured a top-10 win over 141-pounder Jordan Titus in that dual, setting up a potential rematch this weekend. Notably, this series also produced the biggest win in program history when OSU crushed West Virginia by a score of 57-0 at the Big 12 Duals on March 8, 2013. That performance was propelled by five forfeits from the Mountaineers and four Cowboy pins, one of which was by current assistant coach Tyler Caldwell. Sunday will be David Taylor's first time facing West Virginia as a head coach, while Tim Flynn is winless in seven tries against OSU between his time at Edinboro and WVU.
About the Cowboys
The 2024 offseason sparked a new era for Oklahoma State as longtime head coach John Smith announced his retirement and wrestling legend David Taylor was hired as the eighth head coach in program history. That momentum has continued to soar into 2025 following OSU's dominant 8-0 start to the dual season and impressive performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Most recently, Oklahoma State thumped fifth-ranked NC State, 34-3, for its largest win over a top-five opponent since 1996 and third biggest in program history. Monday night's performance also extended Oklahoma State's streak of scoring 30+ team points to eight straight duals, which sits alone for the program's second-longest stretch to ever begin a season. In addition, Cowboy wrestlers have combined for a 48.2% bonus rate through 255 total matches, a percentage that would be highest in program history if the season ended today. Ranked third as a team by the NWCA Coaches Poll, the OSU lineup features seven wrestlers ranked in the top eight and a top-15 representative 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 owns an 11-1 record this season and beat Oklahoma's DJ Parker back in December to become the 46th wrestler in program history with 100 career victories. Newcomers Dean Hamiti Jr. and Wyatt Hendrickson have both made an immediate impact in their first year as Cowboys, currently joining Plott at No. 3 in the rankings. Both wrestlers are undefeated and widely considered two of the biggest bonus-point threats in the entire country, regardless of weight. In the lighter classes, Troy Spratley and Tagen Jamison are both ranked fourth at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively. Jamison has won 14 of 15 matches this season, while Spratley boasts three victories over top-five opponents. Altogether, half of Oklahoma State's starting lineup resides in the top five at their respective weight class.
The rest of the Cowboy lineup is balanced out by several proven veterans who have each qualified for the national tournament multiple times. One of the main stories of the year has come at 197 pounds, where Luke Surber's had a bounce-back season and leads the team with nine ranked wins. He sits at No. 7 in the country, just behind sixth-ranked 165-pounder Cameron Amine, who has wins in seven of his last eight matches. Despite breaking into the lineup midway through the year, Caleb Fish also brings a wealth of experience at 157 pounds with 137 career matches to his name.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Make OSU 9-0 overall for the third time in the past four years
• Make OSU 6-0 against the Big 12; 6-0 against ranked opponents; 6-0 at home
• Improve OSU's record against West Virginia to 18-0 and 11-0 in Stillwater
• Extend OSU's win streak against the Big 12 to 17 and make it 22-1 in its last 23 conference duals
• Make OSU 18-1 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2023-24 season
• Give OSU wins in 19 of its last 20 duals at Gallagher-Iba Arena
• Improve OSU's record to 39-4 in its past 43 duals overall
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Players Mentioned
