Cowboys Suffer First Loss of the Season to Iowa
The Oklahoma State Cowboys had been rolling through the regular season in head coach David Taylor’s first year as the skipper of the ship. The Pokes had been perfect this season on the map and climbed into the No. 2 spot in the latest NCAA rankings.
They entered Sunday’s showdown with third-ranked Iowa riding a wave of momentum and all of the wrestling eyes around the nation had their attention dialed into the dual between the Cowboys and Hawkeyes. As the dust settled on Sunday night, it would be the Hawkeyes who would come away with the 21-16 win over O-State.
The Cowboys’ Troy Spratley came a takedown away from a technical fall, instead finishing with a 17-3 major decision to give the Cowboys a 4-0 lead to begin the dual.
Doing what he does ⚡️#GoPokes l @troyspratley125 pic.twitter.com/KogEdbXX0x
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) February 24, 2025
Rin Sakamoto’s debut at Oklahoma State came in as difficult a situation as one could imagine. The freshman from Japan, who enrolled at OSU in January, lost an 11-1 major decision to Iowa’s No. 2 Drake Ayala at 133 pounds.
Following Taegan Jamison’s ride out win at 149, the Cowboys went ice cold. Three straight losses by Carter Young, Caleb Fish and Cam Amine had the Hawkeyes maintaining control heading into the final matches of the night.
Needing a rideout, OSU’s Dean Hamiti couldn’t quite close the door on a bonus-point victory, instead settling for an 8-1 decision over Iowa’s Nelson Brands.
Tagen Jamison gets the major decision over Jace Rhodes 🤠 pic.twitter.com/zfpfsa8Xen
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) February 24, 2025
Hamiti used a third-period takedown to take a 7-0 lead and secure riding time, but Brands managed an escape and Hamiti couldn’t land another shot.
Surviving a wild third-period scramble and near reversal, OSU’s third-ranked Dustin Plott finished off a rideout to force overtime, but Iowa freshman Angelo Ferrari worked his way to a takedown for the sudden-victory decision in the night’s most anticipated match.
Luke Surber lost at 197 and the Cowboys only holes at victory rest on the shoulders of heavyweight superstar Wyatt Hendrickson. OSU had a bright final moment thanks to Hendrickson with a technical fall, 18-3 at the end of the second period against Iowa’s Ben Kueter. It wasn’t enough for the Cowboys as they dropped their first dual of the season by a score of 21-16.
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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.