Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy RTC Trio Aims for Team USA
June 13, 2025 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Cowboy RTC members Wyatt Hendrickson, Zahid Valencia and Joey McKenna aim to cement their status on Team USA at Final X on June 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The trio will each compete in a best-of-three series against their respective opponents, with the winner moving on to represent the USA at the World Championships in September. Hendrickson, Valencia and McKenna all earned spots in this weekend's competition by winning the U.S. Open in April.
Fresh off four double-digit point victories at the U.S. Open and a gold medal at the Pan-American Championships, former OSU wrestler and NCAA champion Hendrickson (125kg) has his sights set on the first World team of his career. The closest the Hodge Trophy Winner has been to earning World team status was in 2023, when he placed fourth. Hendrickson faces a familiar foe in Trent Hillger. The two last met at the U.S. Open in April, when Hendrickson bested Hillger, 10-4.
Valencia (86kg) takes the mat at Final X in what is widely considered the main event as the U.S. Open champion faces a decorated opponent in Kyle Dake. The two have wrestled three times before and Dake leads the series 2-1, but Valencia has the most recent victory at the U.S. Open. In two of the three meetings, Valencia has jumped out to an early lead and taken it into the second period.
McKenna (65kg) enters the weekend as one of the most decorated athletes in the field with 12 medals in international tournaments to go with a pair of U.S. Open titles. McKenna faces Senior World Team Trials champion Real Woods for his chance at competing at the World Championships. In his last appearance at Final X, McKenna came up short of qualifying for Team USA, falling to Logan Stieber.
Fans can follow along with streaming options on FloWrestling.org, results on usabracketing.com and live updates from @CowboyWrestling on the X app.
Final X Matchups
65kg – Joey McKenna vs. Real Woods
86kg – Zahid Valencia vs. Kyle Dake
125kg – Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Trent Hillger
Saturday, June 14 (All times CT)
11:30 a.m. - True 3rd Place Matches
1 p.m. - Round 1 of Best-of-3 Series
4 p.m. - Round 2 of Best-of-3 Series (Round 3 if necessary)
The trio will each compete in a best-of-three series against their respective opponents, with the winner moving on to represent the USA at the World Championships in September. Hendrickson, Valencia and McKenna all earned spots in this weekend's competition by winning the U.S. Open in April.
Fresh off four double-digit point victories at the U.S. Open and a gold medal at the Pan-American Championships, former OSU wrestler and NCAA champion Hendrickson (125kg) has his sights set on the first World team of his career. The closest the Hodge Trophy Winner has been to earning World team status was in 2023, when he placed fourth. Hendrickson faces a familiar foe in Trent Hillger. The two last met at the U.S. Open in April, when Hendrickson bested Hillger, 10-4.
Valencia (86kg) takes the mat at Final X in what is widely considered the main event as the U.S. Open champion faces a decorated opponent in Kyle Dake. The two have wrestled three times before and Dake leads the series 2-1, but Valencia has the most recent victory at the U.S. Open. In two of the three meetings, Valencia has jumped out to an early lead and taken it into the second period.
McKenna (65kg) enters the weekend as one of the most decorated athletes in the field with 12 medals in international tournaments to go with a pair of U.S. Open titles. McKenna faces Senior World Team Trials champion Real Woods for his chance at competing at the World Championships. In his last appearance at Final X, McKenna came up short of qualifying for Team USA, falling to Logan Stieber.
Fans can follow along with streaming options on FloWrestling.org, results on usabracketing.com and live updates from @CowboyWrestling on the X app.
Final X Matchups
65kg – Joey McKenna vs. Real Woods
86kg – Zahid Valencia vs. Kyle Dake
125kg – Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Trent Hillger
Saturday, June 14 (All times CT)
11:30 a.m. - True 3rd Place Matches
1 p.m. - Round 1 of Best-of-3 Series
4 p.m. - Round 2 of Best-of-3 Series (Round 3 if necessary)
Players Mentioned
/ Cowboy Wrestling
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