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Cowboys End Wrestling Home Stand in Dramatic Fashion

Oklahoma State secures perfect season at GIA.
Taylor Skieens|
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson runs onto the mat with an American flag before an NCAA wrestling meet between Oklahoma State and Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson runs onto the mat with an American flag before an NCAA wrestling meet between Oklahoma State and Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State senior heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson took to the mat in what would be his final dual match in front of the home fans of Galagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys had the match well in hand, but there was a little more meaning behind this match.

Hendrickson spent a majority of his wrestling career at Air Force but when wrestling legend David Taylor was named the next head coach of the Oklahoma State program, Hendrickson knew he wanted to be a part of something special in Stillwater.

Pokes Nation welcomed Hendrickson with open arms, and he quickly became one of us. He became the face of the program and he became our captain. On Sunday, Hendrickson closed out the match against Missouri in true Wyatt Hendrickson fashion.

Wyatt Hendrickson made quick work of Missouri’s Jarrett Stoner, pinning him in 53 seconds to finish the dual. He treated this crowd to his customary backflip and saluted the fans for the final time at GIA. It was as a salute that will be remembered forever in the history books of the David Taylor era.

The 36-3 win over Missouri gave OSU its 45th undefeated home dual season. On a night set aside for the seniors, the Oklahoma State Cowboy faithful poured through the doors to show their gratitude.

10,740 fans were in attendance on Sunday to watch the Cowboys move to 12-0 on the season. O-State has had bigger crowds for individual duals at GIA, but only for elite matchups against OU, Iowa or Penn State. But a matchup with Missouri typically won’t bring in over 10,000 fans so this was a notable accomplishment for that reason.

“Pretty dang awesome,” Taylor said. “That’s pretty dang close to a sellout here. Historically, that’s not something you see here all the time. You don’t see that in many places. We have a wrestling place that can get 11,000 people for a wrestling match, that’s pretty damn special.”

The Cowboys finish February on the road with duals at Little Rock (Feb. 8) and No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 23) before the Big 12 and NCAA Championships next month.

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Taylor Skieens
TAYLOR SKIEENS

Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.

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