No. 3 Oklahoma State outscores No. 7 Iowa wrestling 32-11

THIRD PERIOD: Marty chooses down to start the second period. Takedown Doucet. He leads 14-2 and is looking for back points. Doucet finishes out this dual with a fall! 

HWT | AND THE FALL IN HIS FINAL RIDE IN GIA

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Doucet chooses down to start the second period. He escapes and picks up another takedown. Marty is warned for stalling. Marty goes in for a shot, but Doucet slides away. The Cowboy remains in complete control of this match. Takedown Doucet at the whistle. 

FIRST PERIOD: With the dual out of reach for the Hawkeyes, head coach Tom Brands elects to send out Gage Marty in place of All-American Ben Kueter. This will be an uphill battle for the Hawkeye. Takedown Doucet. He's got Marty on his back, but the Hawkeye rolls out of it. He's looking for back points but runs out of time. He'll carry his 3-0 lead into the second period. 

SECOND PERIOD: Merrill chooses down to start the second period and escapes quickly. Takedown Merrill. Escape Sampson. Takedown Merrill. He has Sampson on his back, and that's a fall! Oklahoma State picks up its second pin of the night and secures the team W with one weight to go. 

You know his name...

📺:

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)

FIRST PERIOD: Cody Merrill is feeling the Oklahoma State momentum and picks up a quick takedown over Brody Sampson of Iowa. Escape Sampson. Takedown Merrill. The Cowboys have taken over. Merrill leads 6-2 heading into the second period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Kennedy chooses down to start the third period. Facundo cuts him right away to give him as much time as possible to secure the match-winning takedown. Ninety seconds to go. Kennedy hasn't slowed down. There's no fear in his eyes, just patience. Shot from Facundo. Facundo has a leg. Kennedy wins the scramble and picks up a huge insurance takedown. That's pure grit. Ten seconds. Facundo escapes, but it's not enough. Kennedy gives Iowa a much-needed win, 8-3. 

Kennedy ‼️

174 – #3 Patrick Kennedy (I) dec. #7 Alex Facundo (O), 8-3

#3 Oklahoma State 17, #7 Iowa 11

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Oklahoma State's Alex Facundo chooses down to start the second period. The Cowboy escapes and is on the board first. Takedown Kennedy. He came here to score. Escape Facundo. Shot from Facundo. Kennedy will be content to wait out the period in a sprawl. He leads 3-2 heading into the third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: In classic Patrick Kennedy style, the Hawkeye starts the match with a hard hand fight. He's hard-nosed, so much so that he draws blood time. The first period ends scoreless. 

THIRD PERIOD: Lockett chooses down to start the third period. Lockett escapes. It's a one-takedown match. One minute to go. Shot from Lockett. Caliendo warned for stalling. Ten seconds. Shot from Lockett, but Caliendo holds on.  

Caliendo → W.

165 – #4 Michael Caliendo (I) dec. #2 Dee Lockett (O), 4-2

#3 Oklahoma State 17, #7 Iowa 8

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Caliendo chooses down to start the second period and escapes quickly. He leads 4-1. Shot from Lockett, and he was in a great position, but Cailendo works out of it. The Hawkeye looks like he's on the rebound after his loss last weekend to NCAA finalist Joey Blaze in Iowa's win over the Boilermakers. Ten seconds in the period. Caliendo's first period takedown remains the only offensive points of the match. 

FIRST PERIOD: This match is full speed ahead from the opening second. Caliendo goes for a shot and pushes Lockett out of the circle on the attack to generate the first stall warning on Lockett of the match. Shot from Lockett, and he nearly plows through Caliendo. Another shot from Caliendo. He drags Lockett back into the circle, and that's three. Lockett escapes. He trails Caliendo, the 2025 NCAA finalist, 3-1 with 45 seconds to go in the first period. Caliendo takes the 3-1 lead into the second period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Bolton goes neutral to start third period. Block leads 16-4 with two minutes to go. Takedown Block. That's a tech fall for the Hawkeye. 

Got it done!

149 – #18 Ryder Block (I) tech.fall Kolter Burton (O), 19-4

#3 Oklahoma State 14, #7 Iowa 5

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Block starts the second period down and escapes quickly. Takedown Block. He leads 13-2, four points away from a tech fall. Takedown Block with 30 seconds to go in the second period. Block ends the second period on top as well. 

FIRST PERIOD: Iowa's Ryder Block is the Hawkeyes' next hope for team points. He comes out firing and picks up an early takedown. Escape from Kolter Burton. Takedown Block. This is the pace Iowa wants to see from Block as he looks to run up the scoreboard. Block opts for an optional start after the second takedown to cut Burton and go for another shot. Takedown Block. He'll carry a 9-2 lead into the second period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Vega chooses down to start the third period. He escapes quickly to take the first lead of the match. Shot from Peterson. Vega has Peterson in trouble. Peterson is doing everything he can to avoid the fall, but Vega is too strong. He picks up the pin over the Hawkeye before the end of the third period. 

THIS PLACE IS ELECTRIC

📺:

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Peterson chooses neutral to start the second period. Shot from Peterson. He's fighting for the takedown. Stalemate. Vega has found his way out of all of those shots and scrambles, but he'll need to initiate to get himself on the board. 

FIRST PERIOD: All of the momentum is in the hands of the Cowboys heading into this lopsided (on paper) contest at 141 pounds. Shot from Iowa's Kale Peterson. Quick scramble. Stalemate. Good aggression from Peterson. He knows Iowa needs his best. He can't give up bonus points here after the Hawks lost the first two bouts and trail 8-0. Shot from Peterson. No points as the whistle blows, but a strong effort from both athletes in the opening three minutes. 

THIRD PERIOD: Peterson, who is sporting pink hair tonight to end the regular season, chooses down to start the third period. He escapes. Peterson trails 4-2, but Spratley also has riding time locked up. Peterson needs a takedown to tie it. Thirty seconds to go. Ten seconds. Peterson runs out of time, and Spratley kicks off the dual with a win for the Cowboys. 

125 | SPARKY GETS HIS GET BACK ⚡️

No. 7 Spratley dec. No. 6 Peterson, 5-2

IOWA - 0
OSU - 3

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)

 

SECOND PERIOD: Spratley chooses down to start the second period. Escape Spratley. Shot from Peterson. We're scrambling! Stalemate. Good effort from the Hawkeye. Spratley continues to push Peterson around the mat. He'll carry his 4-1 lead into the third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: Troy "Sparkplug" Spratley isn't wasting any time! The Cowboy comes off the whistle and goes in for a shot, securing a takedown within the opening minute. Spratley isn't giving up any easy escape points either. He pushes riding time up over a minute. Iowa's Dean Peterson scrambles out with 58 seconds in the first period — he now trails 3-1. Spratley pushes Peterson outside the circle, and the Hawkeye is warned for stalling. Shot from Spratley. The Cowboy has been driving the offense so far in this match. 

Tune in to ESPN at 6pm ET to follow all of the action. You can also keep up with live results on vipkrikya888.com.

The Greatest Rivalry in College Sports.

Cowboys-Hawkeyes | ESPN

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling)

 

The 2025-2026 college wrestling dual season will close out with a bang with the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Stillwater to face the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys, a team with all of the momentum right now but a squad that also dropped its first meeting against the Hawkeyes earlier this year 18-16.

This is a matchup between two traditional powerhouses both led by Olympic champions with unique styles and personalities. It's a match made for television, and it all starts at 6pm ET on ESPN. Here's what you need to know about the probable starters for each program: 

125 pounds: No. 6 Dean Peterson vs. No. 7 Troy Spratley 

If the dual starts off at 125 pounds — and don't assume it will because in a dual with this much intensity, there could value creating storylines and drama with a more unique starting weight — fans will be treated to a battle between veterans. Iowa's No. 6 Dean Peterson comes in with the higher ranking, and the Hawkeyes will need him to wrestle at his best to keep them in this dual, but Spratley's a winner, and he's shown he can win these kinds of close matches on the biggest stages. These two met earlier this year with Peterson earning the 5-4 win, and, with nearly identical 10-3 and 11-3 records, fans should be expect a similarly tight contest between these two.

DEAN! 💪

125 – #10 Dean Peterson (I) dec. #2 Troy Spratley (O), 5-4

Iowa 3, Oklahoma State 0

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

This will be Peterson's last dual before heading into his final postseason as a college wrestler, and he's chasing his first podium finish while Sprately is aiming to build momentum for another run to the national finals. This is a coin-flip match, but it's a coin-flip match that Iowa needs more than Oklahoma State heading into the rest of the lineup. 

133 pounds: No. 9 Drake Ayala  vs. No. 6 Jax Forrest OR Ronnie Ramirez

While 125 pounds features two top-ten athletes who will be pushing hard to create sparks for their team, the match everyone in the wrestling community wants to see in this dual is Iowa's Drake Ayala vs. Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest. The story of the second semester so far has been the emergence of Forrest, a 2025 senior world team member who graduated high school from Bishop McCort early to join the Cowboys and is now undefeated on the year with nine wins. He's quickly become the face of the program and is wrestling with the kind of pace and energy that fans love to see. Forrest's best win on the year came last weekend against Virginia Tech's freshman No. 7 Aaron Seidel in a barnburner, but now he could face two-time NCAA finalist Drake Ayala in his last homestead before the Big 12 tournament. Ayala also wrestles a fast style headline by his slide-by and while he might have been the favorite heading into the year, the Hawkeye senior has now taken six losses and comes in, rankings-wise, as the underdog. Forrest will likely come out firing, and if "No Brake Drake" can match his pace for seven minutes, this could be a wild one. 

Oklahoma State also has freshman Ronnie Ramirez listed as an alternate at this weight, and Ayala would likely be favored against Ramirez. Whoever Oklahoma State elects to wrestle in this dual will be the starter for the team, as both Ramirez and Forrest have used their "five free dates" as freshman without burning their redshirt. This match would immediately pull either of them out of redshirt and solidify this year as a year of eligibility. 

141 pounds: Kale Petersen vs. No. 2 Sergio Vega 

Oklahoma State has a lot of opportunities to make statements in this dual, but 141-pounds might be the biggest opening for the Cowboys. True freshman Sergio Vega comes into this dual with an undefeated record and wins over All-Americans Anthony Echemendia, Brock Hardy, Nasir Bailey and Ryan Jack. He's been perfect. 

COWBOY LEGENDS: The complete history of the Oklahoma State wrestling program 

Iowa's Kale Peterson is a solid opponent with a very respectable 10-3 record, but he'll have an uphill battle against the Cowboys. The last time Iowa wrestled Oklahoma State, head coach Tom Brands fielded Bailey and took the 3-0 loss in sudden victory. Peterson's job will be to fight they way Bailey did and not give up bonus points. 

149 pounds: No. 18 Ryder Block vs. No. 9 Casey Swiderski OR Kolter Burton OR Beau Hickman 

Oklahoma State has options at 149 pounds, listing No. 9 Casey Swiderski, Kolter Burton and Beau Hickman as probables for the dual, but wrestling fans want to see Swiderski take the mat against Iowa's Ryder Block. In their last meeting, Block earned the biggest win over his career over Swiderski 5-3, a win that set him up for a super solid regular season where he also beat Big 12 champion Paniro Johnson and No. 19 Chance Lamer. Block's now on a quest to qualify for his first NCAA tournament as a redshirt sophomore and make a run for the podium, and one more test against Swiderski would be a perfect measuring stick to see what needs tweaking ahead of Big Tens. 

Swiderski has been wrestling well lately too, picking up wins over All-American No. 10 Jacob Frost, No. 31 Caleb Rathjen, Seth Mendoza, Hunter Hollinsworth and Lamer in his last five matches. The best version of Swiderski can compete for a title, but first he'll have to take on one of the five athletes who has a win over him this year in Block. 

157 pounds: No. 14 Jordan Williams OR Victor Voinovich II vs. No. 5 Landon Robideau

There are a number of 'anybody can win' kind of matches in this dual, but 157 pounds, on paper, is not one of them. Oklahoma State freshman Landon Robideau comes into this match with a 13-1 record and his lone loss coming against NCAA champion Antrell Taylor while Iowa junior Jordan Williams is 7-6 on the year and Iowa senior Victor Voinovich III is 8-4. Robideau majored Voinovich 16-5 in their last meeting and will look for bonus points against regardless of who the Hawkeyes field in this one. Voinovich is coming off a three-match win streak against Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State, but Oklahoma State's Robideau in Gallagher-Iba is a different kind of challenge.

165 pounds: No. 4 Mikey Caliendo vs. No. 2 Ladarion Lockett 

The theme of this entire dual is represented in this one matchup: Iowa can win, but history and records favor the Cowboys. Oklahoma State's Ladarion Lockett has been exceptional this year and is part of a team of Oklahoma State freshman who have skyrocketed in the rankings and made noise for their style and their success. With an undefeated 13-0 record, Lockett has been nearly impossible to score on, and he's passed every test that's been put in front of him. He has wins over three-time All-American Mikey Caliendo, All-American Matt Bianchi and All-American Hunter Garvin, and he's poised to head into the postseason unblemished. 

Caliendo, though, has the chance to play hero for the Hawkeyes though if he wrestles his match. With a career record of 92-19, Caliendo has shown that he's on an elite level. His only losses since coming to Iowa have come against Lockett, NCAA champion Mitchell Mesenbrink, NCAA champion David Carr, NCAA champion Dean Hamiti, NCAA champion Keegan O'Toole and NCAA finalist Joey Blaze. He wrestles a fast, aggressive style, and if he stays on the gas and pushes the pace, he can keep this one close enough to go in for the win. This is another weight that Iowa will need, and their senior is the person the team will count on to make that happen. 

174 pounds: No. 3 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 7 Alex Facundo 

While this match between All-American Patrick Kennedy and NCAA qualifier and Penn State transfer Alex Facundo may not bring the fireworks of 165 pounds, this is one of those sneaky, hard-nosed matches that could end up deciding the dual. Kennedy comes into the dual after a 1-1 weekend last week where he took a loss to Michigan's Beau Mantanona and then earned an injury default win against Purdue, while Facundo is fresh off a win over Virginia Tech's No. 31 Sergio Desiante 4-1. All four of Facundo's losses have come against All-Americans, and his 14-4 record does also include victories against All-Americans Chris Minto and Cam Steed. Kennedy, meanwhile, is 14-2 with wins over Minto and Steed as well. 

Iowa will need its senior leader Kennedy to dig deep and top Facundo, even if it takes tie-breakers or sudden victory, as it has in their last two meetings. The Cowboys, meanwhile, need aggression and force from Facundo. These three middleweights — 165, 174 and 184 pounds — are coin-flip matches, and Facundo has the opportunity to help Oklahoma State pull away if he can withstand the handfighting and brute force of Kennedy. 

184 pounds: Gabe Arnold vs. No. 9 Zack Ryder 

One of the biggest storylines related to the Iowa wrestling program this year has been 184 pounds. The Hawks rolled out redshirt freshman Angelo Ferrari to start the year, and Ferrari quickly claimed the top spot in the country with his win over Missouri's Aeoden Sinclair at the National Dual Invitational. Ferrari also beat Oklahoma State's Zack Ryder 4-2 at that same event. If Ferrari was going, he'd be the favorite. But since his TB-1 loss to Ohio State's Rocco Welsh in mid-January though, Ferrari has been out with an injury, prompting Iowa to Mr. Team Player Gabe Arnold at the weight. Arnold will once again be the probable starter for the Hawks, and while he comes in without a ranking as a technical backup to Ferrari, he's absolutely a contender in this match. 

Arnold qualified for the national tournament at 184 pounds last year, but tried to earn the starting spot down at 174 pounds this year against teammate Patrick Kennedy. With Kennedy holding down that weight, he's filled in at 184 pounds when needed and also wrestled as heavy as 197 pounds to fill in after Mo Endene transferred earlier this fall. Teammate Drake Ayala praised Arnold's "unselfishness" and willingness to do what the team needs. He'll have another chance to be that ultimate Hawkeye this weekend. Arnold comes into this match against Ryder with a 14-4 record and a win over All-American Silas Allred, while Ryder is 9-6 with a sudden victory loss to Allred. Oklahoma State could also send out Trevor Dopps, but regardless of who the Cowboys field, Iowa will be in this match and could need the bout win to compete for the team victory. 

197 pounds: Brody Sampson vs. No. 7 Cody Merrill 

The 197-pound match is Oklahoma State's chance to lock up the dual. Back in November, Iowa sealed the win against the Cowboys at this weight when then-Hawkeye transfer Mo Endene beat Oklahoma State's Cody Merrill 4-3 in his first top-ten DI win of his career. Endene has since left the program, opening up the starting spot for Brody Sampson, a redshirt freshman who is 2-5 on the year. Iowa has also wrestled true freshman Harvey Ludington at this weight this year along with redshirt sophomore Gabe Arnold, but Arnold is slated to compete down at 184 pounds in place of injured No. 2 Angelo Ferrari, and Hudington is out of free dates to preserve his redshirt. 

Sampson's opponent, redshirt freshman Merrill, has only improved since his last meeting with the Hawks. He's 12-3 on the year with win a win over All-American Camden McDanel; he also took four-time All-American Rocky Elam to tie-breakers. His three losses have come against Endene, Elam and Virginia Tech's Sonny Sasso last weekend, so while he comes into this dual off a loss, he'll be a heavy favorite against Sampson because of his size, strength and poise. 

Merrill can be a finalist contender this year if he catches fire at the national tournament. On Sunday though, his focus will be on beating Iowa by bonus, if possible, and locking up the win for the Cowboys. 

285 pounds: No. 9 Ben Kueter vs. No. 8 Konner Doucet 

The last time these two teams met, Iowa's anchor Ben Kueter was out with injury, forcing the Hawks to give up six points in a forfeit. Now Kueter is back, but he's still an underdog against Oklahoma State's Konner Doucet who is quietly having the best season of his career. With a 13-2 record, Doucet's only losses have come against NCAA champion AJ Ferrari and NCAA All-American Yonger Bastida by decision. Much like at 133 pounds, Iowa might have been favored at this weight heading into the year, but Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor has his guys firing on all cylinders right now. 

For Kueter to pull off the win, he'll need to up his offense and start shooting early. The Hawkeye sophomore is 5-5 on the year, but he does have wins over No. 15 Dayton Pitzer, No. 10 Braxton Amos, and No. 11 Koy Hopke. He's still very much an All-American contender, though a match like this could mimic the kind of kind of nail-bitter match that both of these guys could face in the Blood Round at NCAAs. Expect this one to be high-pressure and low scoring, potentially coming down to a single takedown to decide the match and the dual.