OREM, Utah – The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team cruised to a 38-6 victory over Utah Valley in the first dual of David Taylor 's head coaching career Fri...
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OREM, Utah – The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team cruised to a 38-6 victory over Utah Valley in the first dual of
David Taylor's head coaching career Friday night at the UCCU Center.
The Cowboys won eight of 10 matches while earning bonus points six times, including four straight to open the dual and build a substantial 21-0 advantage. The performance also gave Oklahoma State its ninth consecutive win in season openers and highest point total in a road dual since December 17, 2021, when it beat Air Force by a score of 45-0.
"Tonight was a lot of fun," Taylor said of his first win. "Utah Valley provided a really good wrestling environment, and our guys got challenged in some unique ways. It's good to get challenged early so we can figure out how to make some adjustments. I was really happy with the way the guys wrestled."
With the dual starting at 174 pounds,
Dean Hamiti Jr. had a dominant Cowboy debut against Mark Takara, picking up a 20-5 technical fall in 5:30. Hamiti's first takedown came less than 20 seconds into the match as he scored four first-period takedowns wn route to the victory.
Dustin Plott followed suit at 184 pounds, ending his match against Caleb Uhlenhopp in 6:43 by technical fall, 20-4. Now back-to-back in the lineup, Hamiti and Plott combined for a 73% bonus rate last season.
Luke Surber and
Wyatt Hendrickson kept the momentum going at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, as Surber pinned Kael Bennie midway through the third period and Hendrickson exploded for a 24-7 technical fall behind five takedowns. Oklahoma State did not secure bonus points in four straight matches in any dual last season.
At 125 pounds,
Troy Spratley scored five third-period points to grit out a 5-3 win over Bridger Ricks and extend OSU's lead to 24 heading into intermission. Coming out of the break, 133-pounder
Reece Witcraft then recorded his second career pin in dual competition as he put Kase Mauger on his back late in the second period and mathematically clinched the dual for the Cowboys.
In his first official action since the 2023 NCAA Championships,
Carter Young methodically strung together eight takedowns for a 25-9 technical fall against Q'Veli Quintanilla. He entered the night having just one technical fall for his career, which came at the Southern Scuffle two seasons ago.
Teague Travis gave OSU its final win of the night at 157 pounds, securing an escape, takedown and riding time in the third period to beat Ryker Fullmer, 5-1.
True freshman
Kolter Burton cracked the lineup at 141 pounds for his first career dual start, while Michigan transfer
Cameron Amine also made his Cowboy debut in a tight overtime loss to sixth-ranked Terrell Barraclough.
The Cowboys continue west for their dual at No. 24 Oregon State on Sunday, which is set for 4 p.m. CT and can be streamed on FloWrestling.org.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 38, Utah Valley 6
Nov. 15, 2024 | UCCU Center | Orem, Utah
Attendance: 5,053
174: No. 5
Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) TF Mark Takara (UVU), 20-5, 5:30
184: No. 3
Dustin Plott (OSU) TF Caleb Uhlenhopp (UVU), 20-4, 6:43
197: No. 19
Luke Surber (OSU) fall Kael Bennie (UVU), 5:50
HWT: No. 2
Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) TF Jack Forbes (UVU), 24-7, 5:24
125: No. 6
Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. Bridger Ricks (UVU), 5-3
133:
Reece Witcraft (OSU) fall Kase Mauger (UVU), 4:56
141: No. 26 Haiden Drury (UVU) dec.
Kolter Burton (OSU), 5-0
149: No. 18
Carter Young (OSU) TF Q'Veli Quintanilla (UVU), 25-9, 6:14
157: No. 8
Teague Travis (OSU) dec. Ryker Fullmer (UVU), 5-1
165: No. 6 Terrell Barraclough (UVU) dec. No. 5
Cameron Amine (OSU), TB-1 5-4
