Cowboys Storm Back to Defeat No. 5 Northern Iowa, 22-14

 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team overcame an early seven-point deficit to defeat No. 5 Northern Iowa, 22-14, in front of a record crowd at the McLeod Center on Friday night. With the result, the 10-0 Cowboys became the last undefeated team in the conference as Northern Iowa dropped to 9-1.

“This was a really good dual and it was a great wrestling environment,” head coach David Taylor said. “There were good things, there were things our guys have to improve on, but I’m glad we got to experience this.”

The Panthers jumped out to a 10-3 lead through four matches, but an upset at 157 pounds and strong performance from the back half of the lineup pushed the Cowboys over the edge. Oklahoma State has now beaten two top-five teams in the last two weeks and are 5-1 against such opponents since the start of last season.

In the first match of the night, 125-pounder Troy Spratley got back on track following back-to-back losses by defeating No. 30 Trever Anderson, 10-5. The Panther scored the first takedown, but Spratley managed two reversals, a pair of back points and a third-period takedown to ice the match. Northern Iowa then grabbed the momentum and a 10-3 lead, however, following wins at 133, 141 and 149 pounds.

The performance of the night came at 157 pounds, where Caleb Fish knocked off the weight’s defending Big 12 champion and fourth-ranked Ryder Downey by a score of 7-4. Downey scored a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining in the match that appeared it would give UNI its fourth consecutive victory, but Fish escaped just before the buzzer and then secured the winning takedown in sudden victory. A victor in 11 of his last 12 matches, the performance was tied for Fish’s highest-ranked win of his career and his third ever against a top-five opponent.

 

Coming out of the intermission, Cameron Amine evened the dual score at 10-10 behind a 10-2 major decision over No. 21 Jack Thomsen. Amine led 4-2 late in the third period but had two takedowns in the final 30 seconds to earn his fourth major decision of the season. Dean Hamiti Jr. then gave Oklahoma State a 14-10 lead through a 16-4 dismantling of No. 16 Jared Simma at 174 pounds, improving his season record to 15-0 with an 80% bonus rate.

The 184-pound match saw second-ranked Parker Keckeisen defeat Dustin Plott, 15-4, in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA finals to even the dual at 14-14 with just two bouts remaining.

At 197 pounds, Luke Surber put the Cowboys back in front as he gritted out a clutch 4-3 win over No. 14 Wyatt Voelker. A first period takedown proved to be the difference for Surber, who is now 16-1 on the year and has beaten 10 ranked wrestlers.

With a 17-14 lead and the dual on the line, heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson closed the night in dominant fashion by beating No. 15 Lance Runyon via technical fall, 19-4. Hendrickson jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead in the first period and completed the thumping through four more takedowns in the second.

The Cowboys quickly return to action on Sunday as they battle No. 13 Iowa State at 4 p.m. in a nationally televised dual on ESPN.

No. 3 Oklahoma State 22, No. 5 Northern Iowa 14

Jan. 24, 2025 | McLeod Center | Cedar Falls, Iowa

Attendance: 6,030

125: No. 4 Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. No. 30 Trever Anderson (UNI), 10-5

133: Julian Farber (UNI) MD No. 19 Cael Hughes (OSU), 13-4

141: No. 5 Cael Happel (UNI) dec. No. 4 Tagen Jamison (OSU), SV-1 4-1

149: No. 16 Colin Realbuto (UNI) dec. No. 14 Carter Young (OSU), 6-4

157: No. 11 Caleb Fish (OSU) dec. No. 4 Ryder Downey (UNI), SV-1 7-4

165: No. 6 Cameron Amine (OSU) MD No. 21 Jack Thomsen (UNI), 10-2

174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) MD No. 16 Jared Simma (UNI), 16-4

184: No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) MD No. 3 Dustin Plott (OSU), 15-4

197: No. 7 Luke Surber (OSU) dec. No. 14 Wyatt Voelker (UNI), 4-3

HWT: No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) TF No. 15 Lance Runyon (UNI), 19-4, 4:53