Cowboys Look to Cement U20, U23 World Team Spots

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head wrestling coach David Taylor and his staff get the first chance to coach their wrestlers this weekend as several Cowboys look to secure World Team membership at the U20 World Team Trials and U23 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.

The group consists of eleven current and future Cowboys, including seven registered in the U23 freestyle division, three competing in the U20 freestyle brackets and a single Greco-Roman entrant for the U20 age group.

The event features a full challenge tournament and best-of-three championship series. Each U20 bracket has a seat in the championship series reserved for winners at last month's U.S. Open, however, the U23 division does not. This weekend's champions in the U20 competition will seal their place at the World Championships this fall, while the U23 winners do not automatically make Team USA due to the possibility of age-eligible athletes on the Senior National Team electing to take the spot.

Thanks to his title at the U.S. Open, freshman Cael Hughes will await the 61 kg challenger in the best-of-three series. Hughes proved to be a step above the field at the U.S. Open, plowing through his competition for a perfect 6-0 record and 59-13 combined margin of victory. Now appearing in the U20 finals for the second-straight year, Hughes aims to improve upon his runner-up result in 2023.

Incoming freshmen JJ McComas and Cody Merrill round out the trio registered for the U20 freestyle division. McComas joins Hughes at 61 kg following a solid showing at the U.S. Open, while blue-chip recruit Merrill will take on the 97 kg field. Originally from Gilroy, Calif., Merrill is a three-time Fargo Junior national champion in freestyle.

Former World Team member Christian Carroll highlights the squad competing in the U23 division after winning the younger 125 kg bracket in 2023. It has been a busy summer for Carroll, who had a strong weekend at the Olympic Team Trials last month and was victorious at the Last Chance Qualifier before that. Carroll is set to wrestle at 92 kg.

Elsewhere in the U23 division is Brayden Thompson, who also makes the age jump following a U20 runner-up finish last summer. Slated for 86 kg, Thompson spent his true freshman season in Stillwater as the full-time starter at 174 pounds, placing third at the Big 12 Championships and qualifying for his first NCAA Championships. Sam Smith (57 kg), Jayce Mullin (57 kg), Cutter Sheets (70 kg), Benjamin Mower (86 kg) and Trevor Dopps (92 kg) will all take the mat in the U23 division as well.

Meanwhile, Hayden Simpson is set for action in the U20 Greco-Roman competition. He was a runner-up at the U.S. Open and finished fourth at the U20 Trials last year.

The Cowboys found much success at the event's previous rendition with Christian Carroll and Dustin Plott each punching tickets to the World Championships as part of Oklahoma State's six finalists between the two age groups.

Action begins Friday, May 31, with Greco-Roman competition for both age groups. The freestyle tournaments then begin Saturday morning, concluding the U20 division that night and the U23 brackets then spanning into Sunday afternoon. Fans can follow along with streaming options, live stats and brackets available on FloWrestling.org.

Friday, May 31
9 a.m. – U20 GR Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Challenge Finals, Consolations
3 p.m. – U20 GR Medal Matches, Championship Series

Saturday, June 1
8:30 a.m. – U20 FS Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Challenge Finals, Consolations
3 p.m. – U20 FS Medal Matches, Championship Series

8:30 a.m. – U23 FS Preliminaries, Consolations
3 p.m. – U23 FS Preliminaries, Consolations

Sunday, June 2
9 a.m. – U23 FS Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations, Medal Matches, Championship Series

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Trevor Dopps

Cael Hughes

JJ McComas

Cody Merrill

Benjamin Mower

Jayce Mullin

Dustin Plott

Cutter Sheets

Hayden Simpson

Sam Smith

Brayden Thompson

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