Oklahoma State University Athletics
Beyond the Mat: Troy Spratley
September 22, 2026 | Cowboy Wrestling
By his own account, Troy Spratley hunts too much.
"A lot of the times I hunt a little too much, even during the season," Spratley said. "So, the coaches have to have a talk with me about kind of calming it down and getting back into the room."
It is a rare confession from Oklahoma State's soft-spoken 125-pounder, who has built his reputation on the opposite: showing up, working and letting results do the talking.
Spratley, a senior from Eufaula, Oklahoma, enters his final season as a two-time NCAA All-American and the reigning Big 12 champion. He placed fifth at March's NCAA Championships after losing in the semifinals.Â
This summer he added a 57-kilogram U23 Pan American gold medal and U23 national championship to his resume, with one of his newest teammates, Bennett Berge, right by his side, taking the same accolades at 86 kilograms.Â
His Cowboy career has featured plenty of hunts and this season he hopes to go out with the ultimate haul.
Â
The Long Road to Stillwater
Spratley said he has wrestled for 19 years. His father wrestled a little, but the family wasn't deeply tied to the sport. He was simply a kid with a lot of energy.
He won a Pennsylvania prep state title as a freshman and an Oklahoma title at 120 pounds as a sophomore at Collinsville High School. He graduated from Plano West High School in Texas and won the 2022 U.S. Open at 57 kilograms. After a redshirt year at Minnesota in 2022-23, he arrived in Stillwater.
His college career has moved steadily upward. He came within one win of the podium at his first NCAA Championships in 2024, then finished as national runner-up in 2025, losing the title bout in overtime. Last March he won his first Big 12 title, beating Iowa State's Stevo Poulin 5-2 in the final.
Spratley said the biggest turning point in his career was the jump from high school to college. What helped the transition was working on his mental preparation.
"You're at the top of the totem pole and then you're right back on the bottom when you get to college," he said. "So having that self-belief is a big thing for me."
That belief hasn't dimmed. After finishing second in 2025, he told Sports Illustrated's OK State site, "I don't train for second place." This year, he said, the plan is the same as always: a Big 12 title, then a national title, then straight into the U.S. Open.
Â
Leading Without Talking
With a young Cowboys lineup, Spratley is one of the older voices in the room, though he doesn't use his voice much.
"I feel like ever since I got here, I've kind of just been a leader by example," he said. "I'm just kind of quiet and I don't really talk much, but they see the hard work that I do."
Coach David Taylor has pointed to that approach, saying Spratley's daily energy and training habits set a standard for younger wrestlers.
Spratley's job also puts him first on the mat in most duals, a spot he wouldn't trade. Asked whether he would ever want to go last, he didn't hesitate.
"I hate going last. It's the worst thing possible," he said. "I always like going out there and setting a tone for the team. It means a lot to me, especially because the guys feed off that."
He said he doesn't feel added pressure. Early conversations with Oklahoma State coaches changed how he thinks about it.
"When you go out there and set the tone, it puts the pressure on the other guys," he said. "So, if I just go out there and do my job, it puts needed pressure on the others to keep the momentum."
Â
How 'Sparky' Got His Spark
The nickname 'Sparky' began in his freshman year, when then-teammate Izzak Olejnik started using it. "It just kind of stuck," Spratley said.
His favorite memory is from last year's Big 12 Championships, when teammates lined the mat to cheer him on, including some who had lost earlier in the day.
"That's a big thing that separates our team and our chemistry from other teams," he said. "They're always there supporting and I'm always there supporting those guys too, even if I lose."
This year, he's looking forward to the new freshmen, who have trained with the team over the summer. "They're ready to win right out of the gate," he said. "So, it's always nice to kind of freshen it up a little bit."
As for how he wants to be remembered, his answer was as plain as his approach.
"A guy that puts his head down and goes to work," he said. "I just want to show those guys that are coming in here that you can go out there and do it too."
Â
One Hunt Left
Away from the wrestling room, Spratley hunts whitetail deer and turkeys and fishes, mostly in Oklahoma. His closest friend on the team is Casey Swiderski, and the two hunt together often.
He has other trips in the works with his fellow Pokes. Spratley hopes to take teammates Zack Ryder, who is just getting into hunting, and Kody Routledge on a hog hunt when the offseason strikes.
"We have a few hunting trips that are lined up," Spratley said.
His final hunt begins in November, not in the woods or by a lake, but on the mat, and it ends in March, on top of a podium with a national title.Â
Â
"A lot of the times I hunt a little too much, even during the season," Spratley said. "So, the coaches have to have a talk with me about kind of calming it down and getting back into the room."
It is a rare confession from Oklahoma State's soft-spoken 125-pounder, who has built his reputation on the opposite: showing up, working and letting results do the talking.
Spratley, a senior from Eufaula, Oklahoma, enters his final season as a two-time NCAA All-American and the reigning Big 12 champion. He placed fifth at March's NCAA Championships after losing in the semifinals.Â
This summer he added a 57-kilogram U23 Pan American gold medal and U23 national championship to his resume, with one of his newest teammates, Bennett Berge, right by his side, taking the same accolades at 86 kilograms.Â
His Cowboy career has featured plenty of hunts and this season he hopes to go out with the ultimate haul.
Â
The Long Road to Stillwater
Spratley said he has wrestled for 19 years. His father wrestled a little, but the family wasn't deeply tied to the sport. He was simply a kid with a lot of energy.
He won a Pennsylvania prep state title as a freshman and an Oklahoma title at 120 pounds as a sophomore at Collinsville High School. He graduated from Plano West High School in Texas and won the 2022 U.S. Open at 57 kilograms. After a redshirt year at Minnesota in 2022-23, he arrived in Stillwater.
His college career has moved steadily upward. He came within one win of the podium at his first NCAA Championships in 2024, then finished as national runner-up in 2025, losing the title bout in overtime. Last March he won his first Big 12 title, beating Iowa State's Stevo Poulin 5-2 in the final.
Spratley said the biggest turning point in his career was the jump from high school to college. What helped the transition was working on his mental preparation.
"You're at the top of the totem pole and then you're right back on the bottom when you get to college," he said. "So having that self-belief is a big thing for me."
That belief hasn't dimmed. After finishing second in 2025, he told Sports Illustrated's OK State site, "I don't train for second place." This year, he said, the plan is the same as always: a Big 12 title, then a national title, then straight into the U.S. Open.
Â
Leading Without Talking
With a young Cowboys lineup, Spratley is one of the older voices in the room, though he doesn't use his voice much.
"I feel like ever since I got here, I've kind of just been a leader by example," he said. "I'm just kind of quiet and I don't really talk much, but they see the hard work that I do."
Coach David Taylor has pointed to that approach, saying Spratley's daily energy and training habits set a standard for younger wrestlers.
Spratley's job also puts him first on the mat in most duals, a spot he wouldn't trade. Asked whether he would ever want to go last, he didn't hesitate.
"I hate going last. It's the worst thing possible," he said. "I always like going out there and setting a tone for the team. It means a lot to me, especially because the guys feed off that."
He said he doesn't feel added pressure. Early conversations with Oklahoma State coaches changed how he thinks about it.
"When you go out there and set the tone, it puts the pressure on the other guys," he said. "So, if I just go out there and do my job, it puts needed pressure on the others to keep the momentum."
Â
How 'Sparky' Got His Spark
The nickname 'Sparky' began in his freshman year, when then-teammate Izzak Olejnik started using it. "It just kind of stuck," Spratley said.
His favorite memory is from last year's Big 12 Championships, when teammates lined the mat to cheer him on, including some who had lost earlier in the day.
"That's a big thing that separates our team and our chemistry from other teams," he said. "They're always there supporting and I'm always there supporting those guys too, even if I lose."
This year, he's looking forward to the new freshmen, who have trained with the team over the summer. "They're ready to win right out of the gate," he said. "So, it's always nice to kind of freshen it up a little bit."
As for how he wants to be remembered, his answer was as plain as his approach.
"A guy that puts his head down and goes to work," he said. "I just want to show those guys that are coming in here that you can go out there and do it too."
Â
One Hunt Left
Away from the wrestling room, Spratley hunts whitetail deer and turkeys and fishes, mostly in Oklahoma. His closest friend on the team is Casey Swiderski, and the two hunt together often.
He has other trips in the works with his fellow Pokes. Spratley hopes to take teammates Zack Ryder, who is just getting into hunting, and Kody Routledge on a hog hunt when the offseason strikes.
"We have a few hunting trips that are lined up," Spratley said.
His final hunt begins in November, not in the woods or by a lake, but on the mat, and it ends in March, on top of a podium with a national title.Â
Â
Players Mentioned
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