Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Wrestling Opens Season With Annual Orange-Black Dual
April 16, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
The Cowboys return four All-Americans; Skyler Holman, Johnny Thompson, Shane Roller and Tyrone Lewis, from last year's squad that placed fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Thompson captured his second All-America honors after defeating Minnesota's Ryan Lewis in the finals at the NCAA tournament. The win gave OSU its 122nd Individual National Champion.
Lewis and Roller also earned their second All-America honors after placing third and fourth, respectively. Holman notched his first All-America honors after finishing sixth at the championships.
The Cowboys have an array of veterans returning and expect to see the guys coming out of redshirt compete for starting spots. Along with the vets and redshirts, the Cowboys bolstered one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, and received one of the top transfers in Muhammed Lawal.
Amateur Wrestling News ranked OSU's recruiting class No. 1 in the nation. Among the signees were two-time state and regional champion and National Champion Johny Hendricks, and FILA Junior National Champion Zack Esposito. Both were ranked No. 1 in their weight class coming out of high school.
The Cowboys also inked four Oklahoma products; Derek Fleenor, Eric Dabbs, Kyle Shelton and John Vestal, as well as Ethan Kyle of Missouri and Kansas-product Blake Seiler.
OSU's returners and newcomers will square-off at 7 p.m. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to come watch the second-ranked Cowboys in action.
