The Oklahoma State wrestling team defeated Cornell 22-12 in the opening round of the National Duals Invitational, which took place Saturday morning at the BOK Center in Tulsa. The event was sponsored by Paycom.
Oklahoma State, ranked fifth nationally, secured six victories out of ten matches, earning bonus points in three bouts. With this win, Oklahoma State improved its season record to 2-0, while Cornell started its campaign at 0-1.
“That was a very scrappy dual,” coach David Taylor said. “That was a team effort. It wasn’t about the individuals; it was about the team. As a team, we need to improve, and that’s why we’re here.”
Freshman Landon Robideau, who recently received Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors and is ranked No. 5 at 157 pounds, achieved his second career technical fall with a victory over Benny Rogers of Cornell.
Veteran wrestlers Troy Spratley (125 pounds) and Konner Doucet (heavyweight), ranked No. 2 and No. 9 respectively, both won major decisions against ranked opponents. Both athletes have earned bonus points in every match so far this season.
Other true freshmen also contributed to the win: Dee Lockett (No. 6 at 165 pounds) defeated Louis Cerchio and Sergio Vega (No. 20 at 141 pounds) beat Josh Saunders, moving both to 2-0 on the year. Lockett has now beaten a ranked opponent in each of his matches this season.
Cody Merrill picked up his second victory of the season at 197 pounds by defeating Aiden Hanning from Cornell.
Casey Swiderski (No. 4 at 149 pounds) and Alex Facundo (No. 17 at 174 pounds) lost close matches against top-10 opponents, while Richard Figueroa II (No. 8 at 133 pounds) and Zack Ryder (No. 4 at 184 pounds) were defeated by unranked wrestlers.
Oklahoma State will next face North Carolina State in the quarterfinal round scheduled for Saturday evening at the BOK Center.
Match results:
125: Troy Spratley (OSU) major decision over Marcello Milani (Cornell), 14-5
133: Tyler Ferrara (Cornell) decision over Richard Figueroa II (OSU), 11-9
141: Sergio Vega (OSU) decision over Josh Saunders (Cornell), 5-0
149: Jaxon Joy (Cornell) decision over Casey Swiderski (OSU), 4-3
157: Landon Robideau (OSU) technical fall over Benny Rogers (Cornell), 19-4
165: LaDarion Lockett (OSU) decision over Louis Cerchio (Cornell), 6-3
174: Simon Ruiz (Cornell) decision over Alex Facundo (OSU), 2-0
184: Christian Hansen (Cornell) decision over Zach Ryder (OSU), 4-2
197: Cody Merrill (OSU) decision over Aiden Hanning (Cornell), 8-2
Heavyweight: Konner Doucet (OSU) major decision over Ashton Davis (Cornell),10-2