OSU Wrestling Midseason Report Card — Cowboys' 10-1 start fueled by freshman breakouts and veteran leadership

The second half of the college wrestling season is underway, and Oklahoma State has been nothing short of dominant thus far. 

The Cowboys (10-1) have blended a mixture of seasoned veterans and freshmen prospects with immense upside. Growing pains have seeped in, which is to be expected with a roster that features nine new starters in contrast to a season ago. Yet, for now, that philosophy has sufficed as second-year coach David Taylor has displayed a sound ability to cater to his roster’s strengths. 

A treacherous slate awaits. But if the featured product is indicative of anything, that won’t matter for Taylor’s squad.

With the latter half of the season lingering, here is a breakdown of how the Cowboys’ lineup has fared thus far. 

Lower weights (125-141): B+

Had it not been for the instability at 133, the Cowboys might have garnered an A-tier rating.

At 125, Troy Spratley has been the spark plug OSU has needed to kickstart duals. In his third season with the Cowboys, Spratley boasts a No. 7 rank in InterMat’s latest slate of rankings, which was released Tuesday. Spratley holds a 8-2 record with four bonus-point victories. And not to mention, both losses have come by a combined 2 points to top-10 opponents.

Freshman Sergio Vega has been a pleasant surprise at 141. After bolstering his stock at the National Duals Invitational in November, Vega dons a No. 2 ranking with a 10-0 record on the year. He’s also secured bonus points in four matches.

But then there’s 133. 

Entering the year, Richard Figueroa was expected to dazzle. With a 125-pound individual title at Arizona State in 2024, Figueroa fit the mold of a premier prospect, waiting to surge in his first season as a Cowboy. But a 2-7 start saw Taylor bench him in favor of freshman Ronnie Ramirez. 

Now, freshman and rising star Jax Forrest is in the mix. Forrest, the former No. 1 pound-for-pound recruit who enrolled early in January, has galvanized OSU’s 133-pound slot. He pinned Oklahoma’s Carter Schmidt 47 seconds into his inaugural collegiate match in the Cowboys’ 37-0 Bedlam onslaught. And most recently, he bullied his way to a 16-1 tech fall against Missouri’s 26th-ranked Gage Walker in OSU’s win against the Tigers in Columbia on Friday. 

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Taylor and Co. have a pivotal decision to pinpoint on whether Forrest will be utilized beyond his five redshirt dates. He’s used three so far, so he’ll likely remain the starter at 133 the rest of the way. It’s also worth noting that if the Cowboys were to opt for Figueroa, the likelihood of him qualifying for an at-large bid in nationals is miniscule.

Regardless of whom Taylor opts to pencil in as the 133-pound starter the remainder of the season, Forrest’s presence provides stability in a weight class where it was lacking during OSU’s first 11 duals. 

Middle weights (149-174): A+

This is where the Cowboys have thrived.

After a sluggish start to the season, former Iowa State transfer Casey Swiderski has turned heads, posting a 8-1 record since November and climbing his way back to a No. 12 individual ranking. Additionally, he’s posted bonus-point wins in three matches.

Landon Robideau (157) and Dee Lockett (165) have been nothing short of impressive as freshmen, posting a combined record 18-1 record with nine total bonus-point victories. Robideau holds a No. 6 ranking — his lone loss came Dec. 21 to Nebraska’s Andrell Taylor — while Lockett boasts a No. 2 ranking in their respective weight classes.

And then there’s Alex Facundo.

After a bleak start to the season, the former Penn State transfer has wrestled his way back into a respectable outlook at the 174-pound class. He’s 10-4 with seven tech falls and holds an eight-match winning streak heading into No. 5 OSU’s home dual against No. 13 Northern Iowa on Friday.

Upper weights (184-HVWT): B+

The upper weights have been precisely what the Cowboys need to close out duals. 

At 184, former Penn State transfer Zack Ryder has improved his stock after a slow start to the season, holding a 9-5 record and a No. 8 individual ranking. At 197, Cody Merrill has dazzled in his first season as a starter, clawing his way to a 10-1 start. His lone loss came in November to Iowa’s Massome Endene via a 4-3 decision. 

At heavyweight, Konner Doucet has filled Wyatt Hendrickson’s slot admirably. As Taylor has profusely noted, it’s never easy to pick up slack left by a reigning national champion, especially one the caliber of Hendrickson’s. But so far, Doucet is 10-1 with three tech falls and the first match pin of his college wrestling career. He also holds a No. 6 individual ranking.

The All-American potential for each wrestler is apparent. But the likelihood of any of the aforementioned three wrestling their way to a title match, much less winning it, is slim in contrast to the lower weights. Not to mention, the total amount of bonus-point wins — eight from the upper weights in comparison to 10 among the lightweight starters.

Hence, the B-plus rating instead of an A. Which is, of course, subjective and could change in The Stillwegian’s end-of-season report card.