Five Oklahoma State wrestlers enter tonight’s semifinals with championship hopes as they try to catch Penn State for the NCAA team title.
CLEVELAND, OH — The 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena in Cleveland have been favorably kind to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who enter Friday night’s semifinals with a bit of momentum building on a solid opening day.
For the first time since 1968, Oklahoma State advanced all 10 of its wrestlers through the first round unbeaten on Thursday, going a perfect 10-0 and keeping every Cowboy alive in the championship bracket heading into the second day.
This feat set the stage for a strong Day 1 overall. The Cowboys advanced seven wrestlers to the quarterfinals while sitting in fourth place in the team standings with 25 points after Thursday’s sessions.
Penn State led the way with 40.5 points, followed by Nebraska (27) and Iowa (25.5). Oklahoma State’s wins across all 10 weight classes, something only a handful of programs achieved, showed some intent to contend for both individual titles and a team trophy.
Friday’s quarterfinal session saw more wins for the Cowboys.
Troy Spratley (125 pounds, No. 5 seed) punched his ticket to the semifinals with an 8-2 decision over No. 4 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh.
At 133 pounds, top seeded freshman Jax Forrest continued his great run, cruising to a technical fall (18-3 in 2:38) over No. 8 Markel Baker of Northern Illinois.
Sergio Vega (141 pounds, No. 2 seed) grinded out a 4-1 decision over No. 7 Nasir Bailey of Iowa.
Landon Robideau (157 pounds, No. 5 seed) avenged a Big 12 final loss with a crazy sudden victory 9-6 win over No. 4 Kaleb Larkin of Arizona State.
Casey Swiderski (149 pounds) unfortunately fell in sudden victory to Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness, but the other four secured All-American status and spots in the evening semifinals.
As of mid afternoon Friday after the quarterfinals, the team standings showed Penn State with a big lead at 103.5 points.
Nebraska sat second at 64.5, with Oklahoma State close behind in third at 64.0. Iowa rounded out the top four at 48.0.
Penn State’s sizable lead, roughly 39-40 points ahead of the Cowboys, shows just how good the Nittany Lions are across the board, though Oklahoma State remains firmly in the hunt for a podium finish.
Tonight’s semifinals will feature five Oklahoma State wrestlers, each with legitimate shots at advancing to Saturday’s national finals:
125 pounds: Troy Spratley vs. No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)
133 pounds: No. 1 Jax Forrest vs. No. 4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech)
141 pounds: No. 2 Sergio Vega vs. No. 3 Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
157 pounds: No. 5 Landon Robideau vs. No. 1 PJ Duke (Penn State)
197 pounds: No. 7 Cody Merrill vs. No. 3 Stephen Little (Little Rock)
Among these, Jax Forrest stands out as the strongest favorite to claim an individual national championship. The undefeated freshman has looked unstoppable, racking up bonus point victories and living up to his No. 1 seed hype.
Troy Spratley, a 2025 NCAA finalist, could join him on the podium with an upset over Lilledahl.
Sergio Vega and Landon Robideau are also dangerous contenders capable of making runs to the title bout if they wrestle to their potential.
On the team front, Oklahoma State’s national championship hopes remain alive but face an obvious challenge.
Penn State, the defending champions with multiple top seeds and eight quarterfinalists advancing deep into the bracket, has built quite the lead.
To overtake the Nittany Lions, the Cowboys will need maximum points from their semifinalists, ideally with bonus point wins, plus big performances in the consolation bracket from wrestlers like Casey Swiderski and others still battling for All-American honors.
Oklahoma State’s strength and the fact that they have kept all 10 wrestlers scoring points early give them a somewhat realistic shot at second place or better, but closing a 39 plus point gap in one night and a finals session would require some cinderella magic, I’m afraid.
Oklahoma State entered the tournament ranked No. 3 nationally and has lived up to that billing for the most part.
Whether Forrest hoists the individual trophy or the Cowboys climb the team podium, this week in Cleveland has already been a great step for David Taylor and crew.
With semifinals set for Friday night and finals on Saturday, the Cowboys are ready for more dubs as they chase a bit of hardware.
Tonight’s matches will go a long way toward determining where Oklahoma State can and will finish the year.