Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Send Eight Wrestlers to Big 12 Finals
March 06, 2026 | Cowboy Wrestling
Photos
TULSA, Okla. – The Oklahoma State wrestling team wrapped up the first day of the 2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championship with a commanding lead on the field Friday, securing eight finalists and scoring 154.5 points to lead second-place Iowa State by 32 points.
The Cowboys' performance, which secured automatic bids to the NCAA Championships for all 10 wrestlers, came in an event that was suspended for nearly an hour as a tornado warning in Tulsa stopped competition at 6:13 p.m. The all-clear was given at 6:40 p.m. and competition resumed at 7:10 p.m.
OSU's eight finalists, which are four more than any other team, include Troy Spratley at 125 pounds, Jax Forrest at 133 pounds, Sergio Vega at 141 pounds, Casey Swiderski at 149 pounds, Landon Robideau at 157 pounds, LaDarion Lockett at 165 pounds, Alex Facundo at 174 pounds and Konner Doucet at heavyweight.
"We've got to keep progressing, scoring points, closing matches and ending them on top," coach David Taylor said. "As long as we do that, we're going to keep finding ways to win. We've got eight guys wrestling in the finals and nine total tomorrow, so we have nine or 10 opportunities to learn and get better. We're going to be challenged tomorrow, so that's good for our guys and we're going to keep getting better."
With an exception at heavyweight, each of the Cowboy semifinal wins came against an opponent seeded in the top six of his bracket.
Spratley, Forrest, Swiderski, Robideau and Lockett provided more bonus points, and Forrest's third technical fall of the day made him the tournament leader in match points as his three-bout scoring total reached 55-10. His only points allowed have come on releases between his takedowns.
One of the most noteworthy results came from Lockett, who was leading fifth-seeded Connor Euton of Iowa State, 4-0, at the conclusion of the second period when competition was suspended. After nearly an hour sheltering in the bowels of the arena, he resumed the mat and scored two takedowns with a riding time point to secure an 11-2 major decision and his first bonus points of the event.
"It was crazy," Lockett said of the stop in action. "My coaches just told me to stay focused, so that's what I did, and I got two more takedowns. I really relied on my training. During the delay, we talked, told jokes, played games and just messed around to stay loose. Everything in that match was crazy. All we know is chaos, so we just laughed it off."
Cowboy 197-pounder Cody Merrill nearly gave the Cowboys a ninth finalist, but his upset bid of No. 2 seed Joey Novak of Wyoming fell just short in sudden victory, 5-2.
Although he didn't reach the semifinal round, one of the grittiest wins of the tournament came from Zack Ryder at 184 pounds. After falling in the quarterfinals in an injury default, he battled through his injury to earn a tough win over Arizona State's Shay Addison, 7-3, in the consolation bracket. He was then forced to medically forfeit his final two tournament matches after the win, but his last time on the mat at the event secured an eight-place finish and the Big 12's final 184-pound bid to the NCAA Championships.
The final day of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship begins Saturday at noon with the consolation semifinals and placement matches in the third session. Merrill concludes his tournament in that session, and the eight OSU finalists will wrestle in the final session tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+, see live results on TrackWrestling.com and follow updates via @CowboyWrestling on X.
2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championship
March 6, 2026 | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.
Session 2 (Friday Night)
Team Standings After Session 2
Semifinals
125: No. 1 Troy Spratley (OSU) MD No. 5 Conrad Hendriksen (OU), 8-0
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) TF No. 5 Julian Farber (UNI), 21-6; 3:31
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) dec. No. 4 Julian Tagg (SDSU), 4-0
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (OSU) MD No. 4 Maxwell Petersen (NDSU), 16-3
157: No. 2 Landon Robideau (OSU) MD No. 6 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 11-2
165: No. 1 LaDarion Lockett (OSU) MD No. 5 Connor Euton (ISU), 11-2
174: No. 1 Alex Facundo (OSU) dec. No. 4 MJ Gaitan (ISU), 7-3
197: No. 2 Joey Novak (WYO) dec. No. 3 Cody Merrill (OSU), 5-2, SV-1
HWT: No. 2 Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. Luke Rasmussen (SDSU), 4-2
Second Consolation Round
184: No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU) dec. Shay Addison (ASU), 7-3
Consolation Quarterfinals
184: Mahonri Rushton (UNCO) med. for. No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU)
Seventh-Place Match (Scheduled for Noon Saturday)
184: Caleb Uhlenhopp (UVU) med. for. No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU)
Consolation Semifinals Schedule (Noon Saturday)
197: No. 3 Cody Merrill (OSU) vs. No. 4 Bennett Berge (SDSU)
Finals Schedule (Saturday Night)
125: No. 1 Troy Spratley (OSU) vs. No. 2 Stevo Poulin (ISU)
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) vs. No. 2 Kyler Larkin (ASU)
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) vs. No. 2 Anthony Echemendia (ISU)
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (OSU) vs. No. 6 Caleb Rathjen (UNI)
157: No. 2 Landon Robideau (OSU) vs. No. 1 Kaleb Larkin (ASU)
165: No. 1 LaDarion Lockett (OSU) vs. No. 3 Nicco Ruiz (ASU)
174: No. 1 Alex Facundo (OSU) vs. No. 3 Cam Steed (MIZZ)
HWT: No. 2 Konner Doucet (OSU) vs. No. 1 Yonger Bastida (ISU)
TULSA, Okla. – The Oklahoma State wrestling team wrapped up the first day of the 2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championship with a commanding lead on the field Friday, securing eight finalists and scoring 154.5 points to lead second-place Iowa State by 32 points.
The Cowboys' performance, which secured automatic bids to the NCAA Championships for all 10 wrestlers, came in an event that was suspended for nearly an hour as a tornado warning in Tulsa stopped competition at 6:13 p.m. The all-clear was given at 6:40 p.m. and competition resumed at 7:10 p.m.
OSU's eight finalists, which are four more than any other team, include Troy Spratley at 125 pounds, Jax Forrest at 133 pounds, Sergio Vega at 141 pounds, Casey Swiderski at 149 pounds, Landon Robideau at 157 pounds, LaDarion Lockett at 165 pounds, Alex Facundo at 174 pounds and Konner Doucet at heavyweight.
"We've got to keep progressing, scoring points, closing matches and ending them on top," coach David Taylor said. "As long as we do that, we're going to keep finding ways to win. We've got eight guys wrestling in the finals and nine total tomorrow, so we have nine or 10 opportunities to learn and get better. We're going to be challenged tomorrow, so that's good for our guys and we're going to keep getting better."
With an exception at heavyweight, each of the Cowboy semifinal wins came against an opponent seeded in the top six of his bracket.
Spratley, Forrest, Swiderski, Robideau and Lockett provided more bonus points, and Forrest's third technical fall of the day made him the tournament leader in match points as his three-bout scoring total reached 55-10. His only points allowed have come on releases between his takedowns.
One of the most noteworthy results came from Lockett, who was leading fifth-seeded Connor Euton of Iowa State, 4-0, at the conclusion of the second period when competition was suspended. After nearly an hour sheltering in the bowels of the arena, he resumed the mat and scored two takedowns with a riding time point to secure an 11-2 major decision and his first bonus points of the event.
"It was crazy," Lockett said of the stop in action. "My coaches just told me to stay focused, so that's what I did, and I got two more takedowns. I really relied on my training. During the delay, we talked, told jokes, played games and just messed around to stay loose. Everything in that match was crazy. All we know is chaos, so we just laughed it off."
Cowboy 197-pounder Cody Merrill nearly gave the Cowboys a ninth finalist, but his upset bid of No. 2 seed Joey Novak of Wyoming fell just short in sudden victory, 5-2.
Although he didn't reach the semifinal round, one of the grittiest wins of the tournament came from Zack Ryder at 184 pounds. After falling in the quarterfinals in an injury default, he battled through his injury to earn a tough win over Arizona State's Shay Addison, 7-3, in the consolation bracket. He was then forced to medically forfeit his final two tournament matches after the win, but his last time on the mat at the event secured an eight-place finish and the Big 12's final 184-pound bid to the NCAA Championships.
The final day of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship begins Saturday at noon with the consolation semifinals and placement matches in the third session. Merrill concludes his tournament in that session, and the eight OSU finalists will wrestle in the final session tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+, see live results on TrackWrestling.com and follow updates via @CowboyWrestling on X.
2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championship
March 6, 2026 | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.
Session 2 (Friday Night)
Team Standings After Session 2
- Oklahoma State - 154.5
- Iowa State - 122.5
- Arizona State - 78.5
- Missouri - 70.5
- South Dakota State - 69.0
- Wyoming - 64.5
- West Virginia - 55.0
- Oklahoma - 53.0
- Northern Iowa - 41.0
- North Dakota State - 39.5
- Air Force - 24.0
- Utah Valley - 23.0
- California Baptist - 19.5
- Northern Colorado - 12.0
Semifinals
125: No. 1 Troy Spratley (OSU) MD No. 5 Conrad Hendriksen (OU), 8-0
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) TF No. 5 Julian Farber (UNI), 21-6; 3:31
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) dec. No. 4 Julian Tagg (SDSU), 4-0
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (OSU) MD No. 4 Maxwell Petersen (NDSU), 16-3
157: No. 2 Landon Robideau (OSU) MD No. 6 Cael Swensen (SDSU), 11-2
165: No. 1 LaDarion Lockett (OSU) MD No. 5 Connor Euton (ISU), 11-2
174: No. 1 Alex Facundo (OSU) dec. No. 4 MJ Gaitan (ISU), 7-3
197: No. 2 Joey Novak (WYO) dec. No. 3 Cody Merrill (OSU), 5-2, SV-1
HWT: No. 2 Konner Doucet (OSU) dec. Luke Rasmussen (SDSU), 4-2
Second Consolation Round
184: No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU) dec. Shay Addison (ASU), 7-3
Consolation Quarterfinals
184: Mahonri Rushton (UNCO) med. for. No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU)
Seventh-Place Match (Scheduled for Noon Saturday)
184: Caleb Uhlenhopp (UVU) med. for. No. 2 Zack Ryder (OSU)
Consolation Semifinals Schedule (Noon Saturday)
197: No. 3 Cody Merrill (OSU) vs. No. 4 Bennett Berge (SDSU)
Finals Schedule (Saturday Night)
125: No. 1 Troy Spratley (OSU) vs. No. 2 Stevo Poulin (ISU)
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) vs. No. 2 Kyler Larkin (ASU)
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) vs. No. 2 Anthony Echemendia (ISU)
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (OSU) vs. No. 6 Caleb Rathjen (UNI)
157: No. 2 Landon Robideau (OSU) vs. No. 1 Kaleb Larkin (ASU)
165: No. 1 LaDarion Lockett (OSU) vs. No. 3 Nicco Ruiz (ASU)
174: No. 1 Alex Facundo (OSU) vs. No. 3 Cam Steed (MIZZ)
HWT: No. 2 Konner Doucet (OSU) vs. No. 1 Yonger Bastida (ISU)
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