Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Air Force
Cowboys Host Air Force to Begin the New Year
January 02, 2025 | Cowboy Wrestling
The Basics
The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team (6-0 overall; 4-0 Big 12) opens the 2025 calendar year against Air Force on Friday, January 3, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Despite a tough fall schedule that included four ranked opponents, the Cowboys steamrolled through their first semester under head coach David Taylor, surpassing 30 team points in all six duals and winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in historic fashion.
On the Air
Friday's dual is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start and will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with J. Carl Guymon and Hardell Moore on the call. Rex Holt also returns as the voice of Cowboy wrestling to provide live radio coverage, which will be carried on Hot 93.7 KSPI-FM. Live stats and results can be found on okstate.statbroadcast.com, as well as trackwrestling.com.
The Series
The Cowboys and Falcons have only met five times over the years, all of which have come since 2007. In those five matchups, Oklahoma State has averaged a 36-point margin of victory and not allowed more than six team points each time out. The series' first ever meeting came on January 6, 2007, at the Lone Star Duals, where the Cowboys came away with a 40-5 victory, similar to their 45-0 performance in the most recent matchup on December 17, 2021, in Colorado Springs. Just last season, Cowboy wrestlers won all four bouts in official team competition against Air Force despite not meeting during the dual season. Air Force head coach Sam Barber is winless in four tries against Oklahoma State, while Friday marks David Taylor's first dual against the Falcons as a head coach.
About the Cowboys
The 2024 offseason sparked a new era for Oklahoma State as longtime head coach John Smith announced his retirement and wrestling legend David Taylor was hired as the eighth head coach in program history. Excitement for Taylor's first year has skyrocketed ever since, especially after OSU's impressive 6-0 start to the dual season and dominant performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Most recently, Oklahoma State secured its first marquee victory of the year as it downed No. 7 Virginia Tech, 34-9. That performance also extended Oklahoma State's streak of scoring 30+ team points to six straight duals, its longest stretch to open a season since 1996-97. Meanwhile, the Cowboys put together a complete effort as they ran through the CKLV Invitational in early December and took first with 192 points, just short of the record total set by OSU in 1983 (198.25). Oklahoma State also became the first team since 1999 to place its entire lineup on the podium, as well as the first since that same 1983 squad to have nine wrestlers finish in the top four. Currently ranked third as a team in the NWCA Coaches Poll, the OSU lineup features seven wrestlers ranked in the top eight and a top-20 representative at every weight class, giving it all the pieces necessary to contend for a team trophy this upcoming March.
National finalist Dustin Plott is back at 184 pounds to lead perhaps the deepest lineup throughout his time in Stillwater. The three-time All-American has opened his season with wins in nine of his first 10 matches, including a 19-6 major decision over OU's DJ Parker to become the 46th wrestler in program history to reach 100 career victories. He also needs just one more technical fall to crack the program's career top-10 list, currently sitting at 17 total. Newcomers Dean Hamiti Jr. and Wyatt Hendrickson have both made an immediate impact in their first year as Cowboys. Both wrestlers are 11-0 on the season, tied for the team lead with nine bonus-point wins and ranked third in the country at their respective weights. Currently, Oklahoma State's highest-ranked wrestler is 125-pounder Troy Spratley, who resides at No. 2 in the weight and is off to a tremendous start with three top-five wins as part of his 11-1 record. Up to No. 4 at 141 pounds is Tagen Jamison, who has beaten a top-10 opponent in two of his last four matches. Altogether, half of Oklahoma State's starting lineup was ranked in the top five by InterMat on Tuesday.
The rest of the Cowboy lineup is balanced out by several proven veterans who have each qualified for the national tournament multiple times. Cameron Amine enters the weekend ranked sixth at 165 pounds with wins in six of his last seven bouts, while Luke Surber's strong 12-1 start has pushed him up to No. 7 at 197 pounds. Reece Witcraft and Caleb Fish have stabilized the 133- and 157-pound spots for the Cowboys in the last few weeks. Witcraft has secured bonus points in all four of his dual starts, while Fish's 135 career matches are by far the most on the team.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Make OSU 7-0 overall for the third time in the past four seasons
• Improve OSU's record to 5-0 against Big 12 opponents and 4-0 at home this season
• Improve OSU's record against Air Force to 6-0 and 2-0 in Stillwater
• Extend OSU's win streak against Big 12 teams to 16 and make it 21-1 in its last 22 conference matchups
• Give OSU wins in 17 of its last 18 duals inside Gallagher-Iba Arena
• Improve OSU's record to 37-4 in its past 41 duals overall
• Make OSU 31-1 in duals to open the new calendar year since 1994
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Players Mentioned
