Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Cody Merrill
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Gilroy, California
- High School:
- Gilroy
Honors & Awards
NCAA All-American (2025-26)
NCAA Qualifier (2025-26)
NWCA Scholar All-American (2025-26)
Cowboy Need to Know: Finished as a national finalist in his first full season as a Cowboy.
2025-26 (Freshman Year): Slid into the starting position at 197 pounds … Went 21-5 in his first full season of competition, finishing 13-3 in duals and 12-5 against ranked opponents … Took a victory in his first dual match against Stanford’s Angelo Posada … At the National Duals, Merrill won a decisive bout against No. 6 Camden McDanel (NEB), then defeated him again in Lincoln … In Bedlam, Merrill secured the team’s shutout of the Sooners with a tight 1-0 decision over ninth-ranked DJ Parker … Lit the GIA crowd up against Iowa, pinning Brody Sampson in just under five minutes to help secure the victory over the Hawkeyes … Finished on the podium at the Big 12 Championships, dropping an early match but battling back to secure the third-place finish with the help of wins over ranked opponents Bennett Berge (SDSU) and DJ Parker (OU) … Defined his first season with a dominant run at the NCAA Championships as the No. 7 seed, rattling off four straight wins to become an NCAA finalist … His top win came against No. 3 Stephen Little (UALR) in the semifinals with a thrilling tiebreaker victory … Ranked as the third-lowest seed of the 20 finalists … Dropped a tough match in the finals to Penn State’s Josh Barr (Dec., 6-3), but was the only wrestler all season to not allow bonus points to the national champion.
2024-25 (Redshirt Year): Tallied an impressive 12-2 record at 197 pounds in his redshirt year with three wins over ranked opponents … Picked up seven bonus-point wins with four coming via fall … Took first place at the Michigan State Open with two bonus-point wins … Garnered second place at the Soldier Salute and the Reno Tournament of Champions, going 4-1 in both.
High School: Went a perfect 109-0 at Gilroy High School while wrestling under former Cowboy Daniel Cormier … Was a consensus top-10 recruit and ranked as high as No. 2 in the country at the time of his signing … Captured a bronze medal at the 2022 U17 World Championships in the Greco-Roman division … Reached the semifinals before beating Hungary’s Marcell Gyuricza, 3-1, for the bronze … Won a pair of California state championships, the first coming at 195 pounds in 2022 and the second as a heavyweight in 2024 … Was a three-time champion at Fargo Nationals in freestyle.
Personal: Son of Stephen and Lorraine Merrill … Brother of Coby, who wrestles at Iowa State and was Cody’s teammate at Gilroy … Studying applied exercise science: strength and conditioning … Nicknamed “Panda.”
Cody Merrill Year-By-Year
NCAA All-American (2025-26)
NCAA Qualifier (2025-26)
NWCA Scholar All-American (2025-26)
Cowboy Need to Know: Finished as a national finalist in his first full season as a Cowboy.
2025-26 (Freshman Year): Slid into the starting position at 197 pounds … Went 21-5 in his first full season of competition, finishing 13-3 in duals and 12-5 against ranked opponents … Took a victory in his first dual match against Stanford’s Angelo Posada … At the National Duals, Merrill won a decisive bout against No. 6 Camden McDanel (NEB), then defeated him again in Lincoln … In Bedlam, Merrill secured the team’s shutout of the Sooners with a tight 1-0 decision over ninth-ranked DJ Parker … Lit the GIA crowd up against Iowa, pinning Brody Sampson in just under five minutes to help secure the victory over the Hawkeyes … Finished on the podium at the Big 12 Championships, dropping an early match but battling back to secure the third-place finish with the help of wins over ranked opponents Bennett Berge (SDSU) and DJ Parker (OU) … Defined his first season with a dominant run at the NCAA Championships as the No. 7 seed, rattling off four straight wins to become an NCAA finalist … His top win came against No. 3 Stephen Little (UALR) in the semifinals with a thrilling tiebreaker victory … Ranked as the third-lowest seed of the 20 finalists … Dropped a tough match in the finals to Penn State’s Josh Barr (Dec., 6-3), but was the only wrestler all season to not allow bonus points to the national champion.
2024-25 (Redshirt Year): Tallied an impressive 12-2 record at 197 pounds in his redshirt year with three wins over ranked opponents … Picked up seven bonus-point wins with four coming via fall … Took first place at the Michigan State Open with two bonus-point wins … Garnered second place at the Soldier Salute and the Reno Tournament of Champions, going 4-1 in both.
High School: Went a perfect 109-0 at Gilroy High School while wrestling under former Cowboy Daniel Cormier … Was a consensus top-10 recruit and ranked as high as No. 2 in the country at the time of his signing … Captured a bronze medal at the 2022 U17 World Championships in the Greco-Roman division … Reached the semifinals before beating Hungary’s Marcell Gyuricza, 3-1, for the bronze … Won a pair of California state championships, the first coming at 195 pounds in 2022 and the second as a heavyweight in 2024 … Was a three-time champion at Fargo Nationals in freestyle.
Personal: Son of Stephen and Lorraine Merrill … Brother of Coby, who wrestles at Iowa State and was Cody’s teammate at Gilroy … Studying applied exercise science: strength and conditioning … Nicknamed “Panda.”
Cody Merrill Year-By-Year
| Year | Overall | Dual | vs. Ranked | Fall | MD | TF | Quick |
| 2024-25 | 12-2 | -- | 3-1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1:21 |
| 2025-26 | 21-5 | 13-3 | 12-5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4:48 |
| Career | 33-7 | 13-3 | 15-6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1:21 |
Thursday, August 20
Monday, August 17
Monday, August 17
Monday, August 17
