James Hackney
#12 Oklahoma State (8-1) vs #3 Iowa State (10-2)
All Time Record vs: 62-14
The OK State – Iowa State dual series goes back decades, and is second only to the Bedlam rivalry in number of times wrestled. OSU holds the advantage, but ISU won in Stillwater last year. Neither team had the NCAA finish they were looking for, but this is a top fifteen matchup that presents a big chance for the Cowboys to jump into the top ten.
Last year Iowa State won 20-12 and had some big upsets and bonus points to take the dual. They went undefeated in conference duals in 2022. This year the team is again undefeated in conference, and are coming off a 25-12 win over OU. They’ve had some injuries that could affect the lineup, but have a highly ranked young team.
OSU is expected to be missing Trevor Mastrogiovanni again in what could be a highly pivotal match at 125. OU didn’t win the dual but got big upsets against ISU freshmen at 141 and 149. If the Cowboys can do the same they’d get a nice rankings bump as well. While OSU isn’t having their typical dominance this year, they match up well against the highly ranked Cyclones.
125lbs: Zach Blankenship (8-3) vs Conor Knopick (7-3)/Ethan Perryman (9-2)
I thought Blankenship only had one start while keeping his redshirt left, but the Reno TOC technically was after the first semester. That being the case, if he wrestles at both UNI and ISU as expected that would be his last start. Mastrogiovanni is expected back at some point this season, but OK State is going to need someone like Reece Witcraft or Cooper Birdwell to start getting matches.
