Cowboy Wrestling Set for Lindenwood Open

Saturday, November 18

Saint Charles, Mo.

All Day

Oklahoma State University

Lindenwood Open

Photo by: OSU Athletics

November 16, 2023 | Cowboy Wrestling

Tournament Notes

The Basics
The Oklahoma State wrestling team (1-0 overall) travels to Saint Charles, Mo., to compete at the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18. The Cowboys are sending nearly their full lineup and a total of 32 wrestlers to compete at the one-day tournament.

How to Follow
Live stats from the Lindenwood Open will be accessible on trackwrestling.com, while updates will be provided as they become available by @CowboyWrestling on X and @cowboywrestling on Instagram.

The Lindenwood Open
The 2023 rendition of the Lindenwood Open features wrestlers from 11 Division I programs, including three teams included in Intermat's most recent team tournament rankings in No. 5 Missouri, No. 7 Iowa and No. 24 Illinois. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. CT at Robert F. Hyland Arena, with competition spanning all day until the completion of every bracket, which is likely to be around 5-6 p.m. The tournament features two divisions for each weight class, a freshman/sophomore division and open division. Oklahoma State will be entering 11 wrestlers in the freshman/sophomore brackets, while the rest of the squad will compete in the open division.

Cowboys at Lindenwood
The Cowboys have sent wrestlers to the Lindenwood Open every season since 2017 (except 2020 when the tournament was not held due to COVID-19), but Saturday marks its first time entering multiple starters. In 2022, six Cowboys competed at the tournament as Zach Blankenship, Reece Witcraft and Teague Travis all brought home first-place at their respective weight classes. Jalin Harper (3rd), Jordan Williams (6th) and Kyle Haas (6th) also wrestled in the tournament last season. In 2021, seven Cowboys earned first-place finishes, highlighted by wins from Trevor Dopps, Kyle Haas, Reece Witcraft and current starter Konner Doucet. Oklahoma State has posted 15 first-place finishers at the Lindenwood Open since 2017.

About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11 in the NWCA Coaches Poll after dominating Bucknell, 38-6, in its season opener at Gallagher-Iba Arena last Friday. A pair of returning All-Americans lead the Cowboy lineup as OSU added two more former All-Americans through the transfer portal prior to the season. Daton Fix is a four-time All-American, while Dustin Plott has earned the honor in back-to-back seasons. Northern Illinois transfer Izzak Olejnik finished eighth at NCAAs just last season at 165 pounds and Sammy Alvarez was named a NWCA Second Team All-American in 2020 following the cancellation of the NCAA Championships. Alvarez will not be eligible to compete until the spring semester, however, due to his transfer in January. The OSU lineup has seen some movement from a season ago with weight changes from past starters, opening opportunities for a number of newcomers and unproven talent. Minnesota transfers Troy Spratley and Tagen Jamison look to provide support around Fix in the lower weights early in the season. Spratley moved up to No. 20 at 125 pounds in Intermat's most recent poll following his 22-3 tech fall over Bucknell's Owen Bell, while Tagen Jamison appeared at No. 22 in the ranking.
Jordan Williams looks to secure the 149-pound starting role after compiling an 8-7 record while redshirting a season ago. He entered the season at No. 26 in Intermat's preseason polls, but Teague Travis earned the start in the Cowboys' season opener against Bucknell, defeating Aiden Davis, 6-1. Veterans Jalin Harper and Daniel Manibog battle for the spot at 157 pounds after the departure of Kaden Gfeller. Harper moved to No. 27 in Intermat's polls thanks to his 5-4 decision over Nick Delp last Friday. Dustin Plott's weight change allows room for standout freshman Brayden Thompson to step into the 174-pound role. Thompson was the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler in last year's class and has extensive experience in high-level freestyle competitions. Luke Surber and Konner Doucet round out the Cowboy lineup for the second year in a row and look to improve upon their NCAA qualifying campaigns in 2023.

Cowboys in the Polls
Despite the new look lineup, Oklahoma State's roster still features ranked wrestlers at every weight class early in the season, while a dozen Cowboys have been ranked throughout the preseason. Four Cowboys hold spots inside the top-10, including Daton Fix, who recently rose the No. 1 spot at 133 pounds in the Intermat rankings. Dustin Plott is ranked 4th at 184 pounds across the board, as is 165-pounder Izzak Olejnik at the No. 6 spot. Luke Surber moved to No. 9 in Intermat'spoll, while heavyweight is OSU's next-highest ranked wrestler at No. 16. Troy Spratley is included in multiple polls and is WIN Magazine's 18th-ranked 125-pounder. At 141 pounds, Tagen Jamison is No. 22 in the Intermat rankings, picking up his first career win in the dual with Bucknell. Jordan Williams and Jalin Harper are both included in the most recentIntermat rankings at No. 26 and No. 27, respectively.