Oklahoma State wrestling dominates inaugural Cowboy Invitational. What we learned
· Yahoo Sports
Oklahoma State wrestling opened the 2026-27 season by hosting the inaugural Cowboy Invitational at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday.
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
The No. 2 Cowboys brought 27 wrestlers to compete against No. 19 Little Rock, Gardner-Webb and SIU Edwardsville, claiming nine of the 10 titles.
OSU finished atop the team leaderboard with 435.5 points, well ahead of second-place Little Rock’s 188. SIUE took third with 113.5 points, followed by Gardner-Webb in fourth with 72.5 points.
The day featured big-time matchups and freshman debuts in an exciting start to the season.
“I think it was a pretty unique experience,” OSU associate head coach Jimmy Kennedy said. “I think wrestle-offs are always difficult. They just are. They’re just usually tight and stuffy, and this was not that. ... So it was definitely awesome to see the way our guys competed today. Just a lot of enthusiasm out there, and just getting our positions, and just good wrestling.”
Some new hardware for the boys.#GoPokespic.twitter.com/vQYjt2dlFY
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) November 2, 2026
The rest of OSU’s home schedule will feature duals, which allow the Cowboys to use only 10 wrestlers in each event. The Cowboy Invitational gave the rest of the roster a chance to compete in front of fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“A lot of guys may not get the chance to wrestle in Gallagher Arena this season,” Kennedy said. “So this allows them to do that in front of the best fans in the country. The goals weren’t just for the wrestle-offs; it was other things. It was more of a realistic experience with fans and motion. So, we tried to think about how we could do that in a fun way.”
Several freshmen got their college careers off to a strong start.
Dreshaun Ross won the heavyweight title with three technical falls, including a 21-6 victory over No. 31 Bryson Buhk (SIUE) in 2:37. Ross recorded seven takedowns in the championship match.
Rocklin Zinkin won the 125-pound title after four matches, scoring at least 19 points in each. He totaled six takedowns in a 21-7 major decision against SIUE's Drew Davis in the championship.
Jayden Raney joined the group of freshman champions with a 6-5 win over former NCAA qualifier and teammate Tagen Jamison in the 141-pound final. Riding time proved to be the difference.
For the freshmen, competing at Gallagher-Iba Arena was a different experience from wrestling in high school.
“I’d definitely say there were more nerves,” Ross said. “I mean, just knowing it’s your first college match out there, there’s a lot of people, and it’s definitely a little different than it was at other places. But it was a good difference.”
Last year’s freshman class helped set an example for the newcomers, giving them confidence in what they can accomplish.
“Definitely exciting,” Zinkin said. “Watching what they did last year ... it makes us realize we could do this right now. I mean, what they did last year was incredible. So it definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
The three returning national champions picked up where they left off.
Jax Forrest earned two falls before winning the 133-pound final by first-period technical fall against No. 9 T.K. Davis of Gardner-Webb. Sergio Vega improved to 27-0 with a 16-4 major decision over freshman teammate Jordyn Raney in the 149-pound final. Landon Robideau won all three of his matches in the 157-pound bracket, including the final against teammate Kolter Burton.
Six all-OSU finals demonstrated the competition within the roster. Freshman Michael White defeated No. 10 Bennett Berge, a South Dakota State transfer, at 184 pounds on a 10-4 decision. Alex Facundo also beat teammate and Stanford transfer Lorenzo Norman at 174 with a late takedown in a 7-5 decision.
The 165-pound final between No. 5 LaDarion Lockett and Casey Swiderski, teammates who both qualified for the NCAA Championships last season, provided the day’s most dramatic matchup.
The match was tied 1-1 through regulation and went to tiebreakers. Lockett rode on top of Swiderski before an injury stoppage sent the match into rideouts. After both wrestlers traded shots, Swiderski went for Lockett’s ankles and secured the takedown for a 4-3 decision.
“That match, the crowd was getting into it, and they’re calling for wrestling the whole time, and thinking, ‘Just wait, it’s going to happen,’” Kennedy said. “It was like watching water start to boil, and you just see under the surface these things that are happening, and then obviously it goes into double overtime. … That’s just a hard match, and that’s what college wrestling is like in March and February, but we got to experience it in November.”
An NCAA semifinal rematch between No. 2 Cody Merrill and No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock closed the tournament at 197 pounds. The match was tied 2-2 in tiebreakers before Merrill was injured during a head collision. He did not return, and Little earned the victory by injury default.
OSU will open its dual schedule next week when the Cowboys host Drexel at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Cowboy Invitational final results
125: Rocklin Zinkin (OSU) MD Drew Davis (SIUE), 21-7
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) TF No. 9 T.K. Davis (GW), 20-4, 2:56
141: Jayden Raney (OSU) dec. Tagen Jamison (OSU), 6-5
149: No. 2 Sergio Vega (OSU) MD Jordyn Raney (OSU), 16-4
157: No. 1 Landon Robideau (OSU) TF Kolter Burton (OSU), 22-6, 6:19
165: Casey Swiderski (OSU) dec. No. 5 Dee Lockett (OSU), TB-2, 4-3
174: Alex Facundo (OSU) dec. No. 14 Lorenzo Norman (OSU), 7-5
184: Michael White (OSU) dec. No. 10 Bennett Berge (OSU), 10-4
197: No. 3 Stephen Little (LR) M For. No. 2 Cody Merrill (OSU), SV-2, 9:43
HWT: Dreshaun Ross (OSU) TF No. 31 Bryson Buhk (SIUE), 21-6, 2:37
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestling dominates inaugural Cowboy Invitational. What we learned