Cowboys in Third at NCAAs With Five in Semifinals

It hasn’t always been pretty, but so far, Oklahoma State has risen to the occasion.

Through three sessions of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse , the Cowboys sit in third place with 64.5 team points, trailing second-place Nebraska by 1.5. While the team title is likely out of reach at this point, another top-three finish is firmly within reach for coach David Taylor and his team.

OSU advanced five wrestlers to the semifinal round, which begins at 7 p.m. central standard time. With that, the Cowboys claimed five All-American wrestlers, with the opportunity to add to that total still awaiting through consolations.

Only two Cowboys have been eliminated thus far — Dee Lockett at 165 and Alex Facundo at 174. And two of OSU’s wrestlers competing in the semifinals — Troy Spratley at 125, Jax Forrest at 133, Sergio Vega at 141, Landon Robideau at 157 and Cody Merrill at 197 — will be favored in their title matches.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys’ outing in the third session.

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Spratley continues prolific outing

Spratley was already riding the highs of a quarterfinal win against North Carolina State’s Vincent Robinson. On Friday afternoon, he further validated that.

The fifth-seeded Spratley faced the daunting task of clashing with fourth-seeded Sheldon Seymour — a reigning All-American who was undefeated heading in — in the 125-pound quarterfinals. He didn’t miss a beat.

An early single-leg takedown provided Spratley enough of a cushion to let his defense do the rest. A third-period takedown finalized an 8-2 decision to clinch Spratley a spot in the semifinals.

On Thursday, Taylor cited his belief that Spratley had been wrestling his best down the latter stretch of the season. Friday might have highlighted that.

Now, a greater test awaits Spratley, who will clash with top-seeded and undefeated Luke Lilledahl of Penn State in the semifinals. But for now, Spratley can ride the adrenaline rush of consecutive marquee wins leading in.

Forrest draws closer to national title

Forrest’s inaugural run in nationals can’t be overlooked.

Through three matches, the top-seeded Forrest is 3-for-3 with bonus-point wins. His latest, coming in the quarterfinals, courtesy of a 18-3 tech fall against 8-seed Markel Baker of Northern Illinois, which took only 2:38 to finalize. He has yet to wrestle a full seven minutes, all while completing each of his bouts in a combined 6:41 of match time.

Forrest will face fourth-seeded Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech in the 133-pound semifinals Friday night. And it’s worth noting that Seidel is the lone wrestler to log a takedown against Forrest this season, which came Feb. 15 in the Cowboys’ win at Virginia Tech. Forrest trailed most of the match, relying on a late escape point to clinch a 10-9 decision.

However, if Forrest’s season-long tear is indicative of anything, it’s that he’ll be ready for the rematch.

Swiderski falls short of upset bid, falls into consolation bracket

For a moment, momentum favored Swiderski.

Tied at 2 with top-seeded Shane Van Ness of Penn State heading into sudden victory, the eighth-seeded Swiderski was holding his own in the 149-pound quarterfinals. Until he wasn't.

Swiderski went in for a winning shot, which Van Ness swiftly countered. Swiderski came out on top of a scramble, until Van Ness wrapped his arms around Swiderski from behind, resulting in a match-ending takedown shortly after. Van Ness clinched a 5-2 decision, while Swiderski was sent into the consolation bracket.

Swiderski will face 21-seed Gabe Willochell of Wyoming in his first consolation bout, and is likely to be favored in the remainder of his bouts. He can still wrestle his way into an All-American placing. And for now, when factoring in potential team points for the Cowboys down the road, that is likely the best-case scenario for Swiderski.

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Team Standings Through Session 3 (Top 10)

1. Penn State - 105.5
2. Nebraska - 66.0
3. Oklahoma State - 64.5
4. Iowa - 50.5
5. Ohio State - 44.0
6. Michigan - 41.0
7. Iowa State - 30.5
8. Stanford - 29.0
9. Virginia Tech - 28.0
10. Wyoming - 24.5

Quarterfinals Results

125: No. 5 Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. No. 4 Sheldon Seymour (LEH), 8-2
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) TF No. 8 Markel Baker (NIU), 18-3, 2:38
141: No. 2 Sergio Vega (OSU) dec. No. 7 Nasir Bailey (IOWA), 4-1
149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) dec. No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OSU), 5-2, SV-1
157: No. 5 Landon Robideau (OSU) dec. No. 4 Kaleb Larkin (ASU), 9-6, SV-1
197: No. 7 Cody Merrill (OSU) dec. No. 15 Remy Cotton (RUT), 8-3
HWT: No. 2 Isaac Trumble (NCST) dec. No. 7 Konner Doucet (OSU), 4-0

Consolation Second Round

165: No. 5 LaDarion Lockett (OSU) dec. No. 6 LJ Araujo (NEB), 8-3, TB-1
174: No. 8 Alex Facundo (OSU) dec. No. 23 Luca Augustine (PITT), 4-3
184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU) MD No. 28 Abraham Wojcikiewicz (STAN), 10-2

Consolation Third Round Results

165: No. 13 Andrew Sparks (MINN) dec. No. 5 LaDarion Lockett (OSU), 10-3
174: No. 18 Colin Kelly (ILL) dec. No. 8 Alex Facundo (OSU), 2-2, TB-1
184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU) dec. No. 14 Jaden Bullock (VT), 4-1, SV-1

Semifinal Bouts

125: No. 5 Troy Spratley (OSU) vs. No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU)
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) vs. No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT)
141: No. 2 Sergio Vega (OSU) vs. No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB)
157: No. 5 Landon Robideau (OSU) vs. No. 1 PJ Duke (PSU)
197: No. 7 Cody Merrill (OSU) vs. No. 3 Stephen Little (UALR)

Consolation Fourth Round Bouts

149: No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OSU) vs. No. 21 Gabe Willochell (WYO)
184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (OSU) vs. No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB)
HWT: No. 7 Konner Doucet (OSU) vs. No. 20 Dayton Pitzer (PITT)