Oklahoma State University’s wrestling team ended its regular season with a 32-11 victory over Iowa, ranked seventh nationally. The match took place at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, where all tickets were sold out and 12,629 fans attended. With this win, Oklahoma State improved its record to 15-1 for the season, while Iowa fell to 12-6.
The Cowboys won seven out of ten matches during the event and earned extra points in four bouts. This result marks Oklahoma State’s largest margin of victory against Iowa since 1961 and serves as payback for their only loss earlier in the season at the National Duals Invitational.
“The very first thing I’d like to do is just thank the fans,” head coach David Taylor said. “We’ve kind of talked about and articulated this vision of what we want this place to be, become, and reignite. I hear stories about what this place has been like in the past, and to see it come to fruition in a short period of time is pretty awesome.”
For the second time this season, Gallagher-Iba Arena reached full capacity. This attendance helped boost the team’s average crowd size to 9,259 per match.
“The energy is getting better; the momentum is continuing to grow, and it’s just special,” Taylor said. “I have been to a lot of wrestling matches, I’ve been in some great environments, but there is nothing like this place. The love, the excitement, the energy. We talk about making this a show; people are going to remember this and these opportunities, these matches.”
Highlights from the evening included Jax Forrest’s technical fall win over Drake Ayala at 133 pounds. Forrest won by a score of 19-3 and remains undefeated in his college career with a record of 10-0.
Sergio Vega continued his unbeaten freshman year by pinning Kale Petersen at 141 pounds. Vega has now earned bonus points in five of his last six matches and has not allowed an opponent to take him down so far.
Senior Konner Doucet finished his final home match with a pin against Gage Marty at heavyweight. Doucet leads Oklahoma State in dual points scored this season.
Other notable results included Troy Spratley avenging an earlier loss by defeating Dean Peterson at 125 pounds; Cody Merrill earning a pin at 197 pounds; Landon Robideau securing his seventh consecutive win at 157 pounds; and Zack Ryder winning a close match in sudden victory at 184 pounds.
Losses for Oklahoma State came from LaDarion Lockett (165), Alex Facundo (174), and Kolter Burton (149).
The Cowboys will next compete at the Big 12 Championships on March 6-7 in Tulsa as they attempt to defend their conference title.