Cowboys Face Early Test at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

The Basics
The Oklahoma State wrestling team (1-0 overall) is headed to Las Vegas on Dec. 1-2 to compete at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for the first time since December of 1999. With a couple of changes to the middle weight classes from the season opener against Bucknell, the Cowboys are sending their full lineup to wrestle at the two-day event.

How to Follow
Streaming options, brackets and live results will all be available on FloWrestling.org throughout the weekend. In addition, updates will be provided as they become available by @CowboyWrestling on X and @cowboywrestling on Instagram.

The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational has consistently been one of the deepest and best regular season tournaments on the NCAA wrestling calendar. The CKLV will play host to 35 teams, 16 of which were included in the most recent NWCA Coaches Poll. According to FloWrestling, this weekend's field could boast up to 176 ranked wrestlers, which would be over half of the ranked wrestlers in the country. This weekend offers Oklahoma State a great opportunity to gain familiarity with upcoming ranked opponents in No. 22 Arizona State, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 2 NC State, No. 16 Northern Iowa, No. 15 Oregon State and No. 14 South Dakota State, as well as conference foe Wyoming. This weekend marks the 41st edition of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

On Friday, the action will begin at 11 a.m. CT and run until late in the evening. The following day, the championship semifinals and late consolation rounds will commence at noon before the first-place and third-place matches at 5 p.m. CT later that evening.

Cowboys at CKLV
Oklahoma State is traveling to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Following the early-season test, the Cowboys went on to win the Big 12 Championship and finished fifth at the NCAA Championships later that season.

About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11 in the NWCA Coaches Poll after dominating Bucknell, 38-6, in its season opener and bringing home 15 first-place finishes at the Lindenwood Open.

A pair of returning All-Americans lead the Cowboy lineup, as OSU added two more former All-Americans through the transfer portal prior to the season. Daton Fix is a four-time All-American, while Dustin Plott has earned the honor in back-to-back seasons. Northern Illinois transfer Izzak Olejnik finished eighth at NCAAs just last season at 165 pounds and Sammy Alvarez was named a NWCA Second Team All-American in 2020 at Rutgers following the cancellation of the NCAA Championships. Alvarez will not be eligible to compete until the spring semester, however, due to his transfer in January.

The OSU lineup has seen some movement from a season ago with weight changes from past starters, opening opportunities for a number of newcomers and unproven talent. Minnesota transfers Troy Spratley and Tagen Jamison are off to fast starts in their Cowboy careers, providing fire power around Fix at the lower weights. Spratley moved up to No. 21 at 125 pounds in Intermat's most recent poll following his 5-0 run to open the year, while Tagen Jamison appeared at No. 24 in the ranking.

Jordan Williams looks to secure the 149-pound starting role after compiling an 8-7 record while redshirting a season ago. He entered this weekend at No. 14 in Intermat's rankings, but Teague Travis earned the start in the Cowboys' season opener against Bucknell, defeating Aiden Davis, 6-1. Veterans Jalin Harper and Daniel Manibog battle for the spot at 157 pounds after the departure of Kaden Gfeller. Harper moved to No. 27 in Intermat's polls thanks to his 5-4 decision over Nick Delp of Bucknell.

Dustin Plott's weight change allows room for standout freshman Brayden Thompson to step into the 174-pound role. Thompson was the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler in last year's recruiting class and has extensive experience in high-level freestyle competitions. Luke Surber and Konner Doucet round out the Cowboy lineup for the second year in a row and look to improve upon their NCAA qualifying campaigns in 2023.

Cowboys in the Polls
Despite the new look lineup, Oklahoma State's roster still features ranked wrestlers at nine of ten weight classes early in the season. Four Cowboys hold spots inside the top-10, including Daton Fix, who recently rose the No. 1 spot at 133 pounds in the Intermat rankings. Dustin Plott is ranked 5th at 184 pounds across the board, as is 165-pounder Izzak Olejnik at the No. 4 spot. Luke Surber moved to No. 8 in Intermat's polls, while 149-pounder Jordan Williams is the next highest-ranked Cowboy wrestler at No. 14.

Troy Spratley is included in multiple polls and is WIN Magazine's 16th-ranked 125-pounder. At 141 pounds, Tagen Jamison is No. 24 in the Intermat rankings and picked up his first career win in the dual with Bucknell. Konner Doucet and Jalin Harper are both included in the most recent Intermat rankings at No. 16 and No. 27, respectively.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Cowboys Face Early Test at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

Players Mentioned

Sammy Alvarez

Konner Doucet

Daton Fix

Kaden Gfeller

Jalin Harper

Tagen Jamison

Daniel Manibog

Izzak Olejnik

Dustin Plott

Troy Spratley

Luke Surber

Brayden Thompson

Teague Travis

Jordan Williams

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