Oklahoma State University Athletics
Skyler Holman
April 17, 2003 | Cowboy Wrestling
2002: Earned All-America honors after placing sixth at the NCAA Championships. Holman finished the year with a 26-6 record, including victories over Leroy Vega and Matt Ridings. In his 14 dual victories, he recorded five falls, four technical falls and accumulated 58 dual points. Holman hit the 20-win mark against Bedlam-rival OU when he upset Ridings, 7-4, in Norman. He then defeated Ridings at the Big 12 tournament en route to capturing his first Big 12 crown.
2001: In the 18 matches Holman wrestled, he recorded 16 victories with only two losses. Holman recorded a nine-match win streak before losing to Oklahoma's Bo Maynes. He went on to win the rest of his matches to boost his record to an astonishing 16-2.
2000 (at North Carolina): Highlighted by an ACC Championship, Holman posted a 34-4 record in his redshirt freshman season at UNC. He pinned eventual NCAA Runner-up Steve Garland of Virginia in the 125 pound finals of the ACC Tournament. At the NCAAs, Holman won his opening round match over Kent’s Brent Thompson 14-5 before being upset in the second round by Paul Gomez of Nebraska. Holman drew a tough opponent in the wrestleback in Oklahoma’s Quantres Bates. The fourth-ranked Bates earned a technical fall in 6:49 with a 23-7 win.
1999 (at North Carolina): Redshirted as a true freshman at the University of North Carolina. He won the University Nationals at 123 pounds, defeating Minnesota All-American Leroy Vega. He was also a second-place finisher at the Fila Junior World Trials. In open competition, Holman finished third at both the East Stroudsburg Open and the Carolina Open.
High School: As a prepster, he was the second-ranked recruit in the country at 119 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News. During his high school career at Broken Arrow, Holman posted 110 wins against only 10 losses. He was a two-time state champion and was named the outstanding wrestler at the 1998 Oklahoma State Championships. He also earned junior All-America honors and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Personal: Skyler is the son of Kyle and Tina Holman and has one sister, Mandi. He is contemplating an economics major at Oklahoma State. In his spare time, he enjoys church, skiing, hunting, fishing and spending time with family. He was born May 16, 1979.
