Cowboys Look for Ninth-Straight Ranked Win Against South Dakota State

The Basics
The Oklahoma State wrestling team (12-0 overall; 6-0 Big 12) returns home to Gallagher-Iba Arena to battle No. 12 South Dakota State after moving up to No. 2 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll for the first time since 2019. Now sitting at 12-0, Oklahoma State is joined by Penn State as the only two undefeated teams remaining in the country. The Cowboys are coming off yet another weekend sweep with wins over No. 24 Arizona State on Friday and No. 5 Missouri on Sunday. On Friday, OSU picked up five bonus-point wins, matching its season-high set against Bucknell and Pittsburgh, en route to a commanding 28-9 victory over the Sun Devils. Just two days later, the Cowboys stormed into Columbia, Mo., and defeated No. 5 Missouri, 24-10, for their third top-five win of the year, their most in a single season since 2011-12. Oklahoma State leads the nation with 10 ranked wins and has defeated a ranked opponent in eight straight duals, its longest streak since 2003-04. A victory on Saturday over South Dakota State would mark OSU's 11th ranked win of the year, a total it has reached just once since the 2005-06 season.

On the Air
Oklahoma State's dual on Saturday against South Dakota State will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with J. Carl Guymon and Hardell Moore on the call. The dual can also be heard on the radio as Rex Holt provides coverage on Pete 94.3 FM. Live stats and results will be provided on okstate.statbroadcast.com, as well as trackwrestling.com.

The Series
Oklahoma State and South Dakota State have only met seven previous times with OSU holding a perfect 7-0 record thus far. The series began just in 2014, when the Pokes defeated the Jackrabbits, 28-9, in Miami, Okla., on the opening day of the 2014-15 season. In the seven duals, Oklahoma State has beaten SDSU by an average margin of 21.6 points and held the Jackrabbits to single digits six times. Last season saw the series' tightest dual yet, as OSU traveled to Brookings, S.D., and pulled out a 19-12 victory against the 16th-ranked Jackrabbits. Cowboy returners Reece Witcraft and Daton Fix opened that dual with back-to-back wins. The series now returns to Stillwater, where the Cowboys have earned three victories over the Jackrabbits.

About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State jumped to No. 2 in the NWCA Coaches Poll on Tuesday for its highest ranking since the final regular season poll of the 2018-19 season. The Cowboys, who are 12-0 for the first time since that same season, are joined by Penn State as the only two undefeated teams remaining in the country. OSU leads Division I with 10 ranked wins and has defeated a ranked opponent in eight straight duals, its longest streak in 20 years. Over the weekend, Oklahoma State completed a sweep against No. 24 Arizona State and No. 5 Missouri. The Cowboys matched their season-high of five bonus-point wins against the Sun Devils before securing their third top-five win of the season against the Tigers. OSU has won 17 of its last 18 duals overall, and a win on Sunday would cement it as the only team in the Big 12 with an undefeated record in league competition.

The Cowboy lineup is led by returning All-Americans and Big 12 champions Daton Fix and Dustin Plott, as well as Izzak Olejnik, who finished eighth at 165 pounds last season at Northern Illinois. The trio has combined for a 50-5 record with 35 of those victories earning bonus points. Oklahoma State is one of two teams in the country with at least three wrestlers ranked third or higher. Although the Cowboy lineup features major star power, its depth has been just as vital to the team's 12-0 run. Consistent from top to bottom, all ten Cowboy starters were ranked in the top-20 this week, including seven in the top-15.

Redshirt freshman Troy Spratley has settled into his role down the stretch, providing a much-needed spark at the front of the lineup. Spratley is now 17-4 on the year after defeating a pair of top-11 wrestlers over the weekend, which earned him his first career Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honor on Tuesday. Tagen Jamison, another redshirt freshman, boasts a 16-5 record and has been a consensus top-10 wrestler since his strong performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December. After starting the year as a 149-pounder, Teague Travis has solidified himself as a key piece of the Cowboy lineup at 157 pounds. He is one of four Cowboys with double-digit dual wins and just picked up his second top-10 victory of the season last weekend in Columbia against No. 10 Brock Mauller. True freshman Brayden Thompson has won nine of his last 11 matches at 174 pounds, while heavyweight Konner Doucet is 14-5 and placed seventh in first coaches' rankings, which were released on January 22.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Make OSU 13-0 for the first time since 2018-19; 7-0 at home
• Give OSU 11 ranked wins this season, most in Division I and its most since 2011-12
• Give OSU a ranked win in nine straight duals, its longest streak since 2003-04
• Make OSU 7-0 in the Big 12 this season, the conference's only undefeated league record
• Give John Smith 489 wins as head coach, three shy of Harold Nichols for second-most all-time
• Improve OSU's and John Smith's record against South Dakota State to 8-0; 4-0 in Stillwater
• Make OSU 14-1 in its last 15 duals against ranked opponents
• Make OSU 16-1 in its last 17 duals against Big 12 opponents
• Make OSU 18-1 in its last 19 duals overall

Cowboys Look for Ninth-Straight Ranked Win Against South Dakota State

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Players Mentioned

Konner Doucet

Daton Fix

Tagen Jamison

Izzak Olejnik

Dustin Plott

Troy Spratley

Brayden Thompson

Teague Travis

Reece Witcraft

Oklahoma State University Athletics