Oklahoma State University announced on Mar. 12 that Jax Forrest, a 133-pound wrestler, has earned the top seed for the upcoming NCAA Championships, with eight other Cowboy wrestlers also seeded in the top eight of their respective weight classes.
This development highlights Oklahoma State’s strong presence in collegiate wrestling, as it is one of only six schools to have a representative at every weight class for the championships. The university’s total of 39 qualifiers over the past four seasons ties it for the most in the country, and its nine top-eight seeds mark its highest number since 2017.
Forrest, a true freshman, secured his top seed after starting his career with a 14-0 record and earning bonus points in all four bouts at the Big 12 Championships. Sergio Vega, competing at 141 pounds, received the second seed following an undefeated 19-0 freshman season. Both Forrest and Vega are noted as the only unbeaten freshmen entering this year’s field.
Other notable seeds include Troy Spratley (125 pounds), Landon Robideau (157 pounds), and Dee Lockett (165 pounds), each ranked fifth in their brackets. Spratley recently won a Big 12 title and leads his team in ranked wins this season; he is also the only Cowboy wrestler returning from last year’s NCAA tournament. Konner Doucet (heavyweight) and Alex Facundo (174 pounds) are ranked seventh and eighth respectively after recent Big 12 title appearances. Casey Swiderski (149 pounds), who went undefeated at last weekend’s conference tournament, was seeded eighth after winning ten consecutive matches.
Cody Merrill (197 pounds) claimed the seventh seed following a third-place finish at Big 12s, while Zack Ryder (184 pounds) enters as No. 22 after placing eighth before medically forfeiting out of last weekend’s event.
The NCAA Championships will take place March 19-21 with sessions broadcast on ESPN networks.