Cowboys head to first national tournament under David Taylor
Cowboy wrestling is no stranger to the NCAA Championships, but this year’s tournament – held Thursday to Saturday in Philadelphia – is different for two big reasons.
First and foremost, the team’s heart is with the Stillwater community a week after the wildfire. The tragedy has directly impacted team members, too.
“Dr. Cook, he’s our academic adviser. He lost his house … and Troy Spratley was out in his dozer pushing dirt to try to divert fire away from his house. It’s crazy,” coach David Taylor said. “It’s a reality check to things, being grateful every single day. I know they’re struggling right now. Obviously we’re there to support them.”
And the second reason is the coach himself, in his first year leading the most successful program in college athletics history. OSU is in its longest national championship drought (19 years) and hasn’t had an individual champion since 2021.
Taylor reflected on the past 11 months since he was hired – a move that shook up the college wrestling landscape.
“It’s been crazy. In some ways it feels like you’ve been there for 10 years. Some days it feels like we just got there yesterday. I just think every day we go to work and we’re just trying to help our guys get better at wrestling and help our guys live a better lifestyle. Help them to lead them to a championship mentality,” Taylor said. “I think that’s why I desired to take this job. felt like it was a way I could impact lives at the highest level. It’s just been very fulfilling.”
OSU is projected to finish third in the team standings and only a couple of points behind Iowa, which would be a huge positive step after finishing 10th in 2024.
Dean Hamiti (174 pounds) has the best chance of any Cowboy to win a title, while Wyatt Hendrickson (285 pounds) and Dustin Plott (184 pounds) have a chance to make a decent run in their brackets. Troy Spratley (125 pounds), Tagen Jamison (141 pounds) and Luke Surber (197 pounds) are expected to finish on the podium, and Caleb Fish could make some noise at 157 pounds and end his career as an All-American.
Former Cowboy
the favorite at 197
AJ Ferrari was the last OSU champion, when he won the 197-pound bracket as a true freshman in 2021. He was involved in a single-season car accident in 2022 and never wrestled for the Pokes again following a sexual battery investigation.
Ferrari will be making his first national tournament appearance in four years as a redshirt sophomore for Cal State Bakersfield. He is the 3-seed behind Big 10 champion Jacob Cardenas and runner-up Stephen Buchanan, but Ferrari is undefeated in his career against them and undefeated on the season.
He was asked if he got a” new lease on life” in Bakersfield.
“Same old, same old. Business is business,” Ferrari said. “Here to perform, show out. Here for me to have fun, embrace the spotlight. I love performing, wrestling at the highest level. Show them the best. Win the national title at 197 and win two, three more. I want to cement my legacy, have fun, give God all the glory.”
Carter Starocci chasing immortality
Former Cowboy Pat Smith became the first wrestler to win four national championships – a feat he accomplished in 1994. It took a global pandemic and 31 years for anyone to have the chance to top Smith.
Penn State’s Carter Starocci has the chance to win his fifth and final national championship this year at 184 pounds. There will probably never be an opportunity like it again, but Starocci said what happens this week won’t define his career.
“For me it’s not necessarily about these next three days. I feel like your career isn’t just based on a three-day span,” Starocci said. “It’s one thing to be the best whether it’s one year, two years, but it’s another thing to be the best for half a decade, not only yourself and it’s your team.”
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