No. 3 Cowboys Impress in 34-9 Drumming of No. 6 Virginia Tech
And just like that the Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team put their mark on the sport. The wrestling world has been buzzing about the Pokes program this season. With the ‘Michael Jordan’ of wrestling, David Taylor taking over as head coach prior to the start of the season, Oklahoma State has been virtually unstoppable.
Oklahoma State’s first true regular season test of the year came on Thursday when the Cowboys welcomed No. 6 Virginia Tech to Stillwater in a friendly wrestling match. The news around the NCAA wrestling world predicted the dual had all the potential to be a back-and-forth battle, but the Cowboys had other things in mind.
6-0.#GoPokes l @MidFirst pic.twitter.com/FFPHEJtY0Q
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) December 20, 2024
Troy Spratley kicked off the night for the Cowboys at 125 against the fourth-ranked Eddie Ventresca. Spratley went up early and carried a 4-0 lead into the third. He got two back points at the buzzer to Ventresca by a 10-1 major decision.
Reece Witcraft continued his magical run this season for the Cowboys in the 133-pound division when he took on Dillon Campbell of Virginia Tech. Witcraft held a narrow 4-2 lead in the third, but he used back-to-back bonus point wins to come away with the 14-4 win.
Tagen Jamison put the Cowboys on top 12-0 following his win over No. 13 Sam Latona at 133. The Cowboys suffered a few losses, and Virginia Tech slowly began to claw its way back into the dual.
Straight dominance.#GoPokes l @HamitiDean pic.twitter.com/Rqy6gaeSt9
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) December 20, 2024
Cameron Amine got the Pokes back on track with a hard-fought 7-1 decision in the 165-pound division. Dean Hamiti continued to show that he is a serious contender in the 174-pound division. Hamiti slammed fourth-ranked Lennon Wolak to the mat as time expired to pick up the 20-4 tech fall.
Dustin Plott completely dominated Sam Fischer at 184. Plott secured a takedown at the buzzer to pull off the 20-5 tech fall win. Arguably the match of night took place in the 197-pound division when No. 10 Luke Surber of the Cowboys took on No. 9 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech.
Surber needed a late escape to send the match into sudden victory tied at 1-1. Surber delivered the winning takedown in sudden victory to avenge his earlier season loss to Smith at CKLV.
Sparky & Witsanity >#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/1pejib0xXC
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) December 20, 2024
The Cowboys brought in their closer in the heavyweight division to put the icing on the cake. Wyatt Hendrickson quickly showed why he is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in NCAA wrestling. He recorded pin the opening period to help push the Cowboys to 6-0 on the season.
Oklahoma State’s 34-9 victory over Virginia Tech may have opened some eyes in the sport of collegiate wrestling. They have not only won every match this season, but they have done so in commanding fashion.
Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.