Wrestling Season Preview: Projected Lineup, Top Duals and Top Potential Matches for Oklahoma State’s 2025-26 Season
After a Year 1 that topped already high expectations, Year 2 of the David Taylor Era of Oklahoma State wrestling gets going Friday night.
Oklahoma State wrestles Stanford at 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Coming off a year where OSU finished third as a team at NCAAs and put two Cowboys on the top of the podium, this squad will look quite a bit different than last year’s, but there’s still a ton of talent in Taylor’s wrestling room.
Ahead of the Cowboys’ dual against the Cardinal, here is a look at OSU’s projected lineup, where OSU wrestlers are at in the rankings entering the year, some of the Cowboys’ top duals and some top potential matches to look out for this season.
Projected Lineup
125: Troy Spratley (R-Jr.)
133: Richard Figueroa II (R-Sr.) OR Cael Hughes (R-So.)
141: Carter Young (R-Sr.) OR Sergio Vega (Fr.)
149: Casey Swiderski (R-Jr.)
157: Teague Travis (R-Sr.) OR Landon Robideau (Fr.)
165: LaDarion Lockett (Fr.)
174: Alex Facundo (R-Jr.)
184: Zack Ryder (R-Fr.) OR Brayden Thompson (R-So.)
197: Cody Merrill (R-Fr.) OR Benji Mower (R-So.)
HWT: Konner Doucet (R-Sr.)
Read more on OSU’s lineup here
In the Rankings
Intermat
125: No. 2 Troy Spratley
133: No. 8 Richard Figueroa II
141: No. 18 Cael Hughes
149: No. 2 Casey Swiderski
157: No. 15 Teague Travis
165: N/A
174: No. 17 Alex Facundo
184: No. 4 Zack Ryder
197: No. 10 Cody Merrill
HWT: No. 9 Konner Doucet
Flo Wrestling
125: No. 2 Troy Spratley
133: No. 12 Richard Figueroa II
141: No. 17 Carter Young
149: No. 2 Casey Swiderski
157: No. 15 Teague Travis
165: N/A
174: No. 11 Alex Facundo
184: No. 4 Zack Ryder
197: No. 9 Cody Merrill
HWT: No. 9 Konner Doucet
Top Duals
This list won’t include potential matchups the Cowboys could come across at the National Duals Invitational next weekend because it’s hard to predict how that bracket will shake out this early in the season.
But fear not, there are plenty of good duals on the Cowboys’ regular schedule. Here are four that will be big.
Dec. 21 — at Nebraska: The Cornhuskers finished second at NCAAs last season with a pair of national champs and another finalist. One of those champs is gone, but Nebraska returns reigning 157-pound champ Antrell Taylor and 141-pound runner-up Brock Hardy.
AJ Ferrari joined the Cornhuskers out of the transfer portal this offseason. After finishing third at 197 pounds last season, Ferrari is making the move up to heavyweight.
Nebraska has seven guys ranked in the top eight of their respective weight classes entering the season (rankings via Intermat):
141: No. 2 Brock Hardy
149: No. 8 Chance Lamer
157: No. 1 Antrell Taylor
174: No. 4 Christopher Minto
184: No. 6 Silas Allred
197: No. 6 Camden McDaniel
HWT: No. 2 AJ Ferrari
Jan. 11 — Oklahoma: The Sooners haven’t beaten the Cowboys in a dual since 2013, and while it would be a massive upset if OU beat the Pokes this season, it does look like the Sooners took a step forward from the team that got beat 35-3 in Norman last year thanks in no small part to the transfer portal.
OU added Rafael Hipolito via the portal from Virginia Tech. He enters the year ranked seventh at 157 pounds. He was an ACC champ last season.
Peyton Kellar, a 165-pounder, joined the Sooners from Ohio. He was an All-American in 2024 and is also ranked seventh entering the season.
Jack Gioffre transferred to Norman from Virginia. He enters the year ranked 10th at 149 pounds. OU added Brian Soldano from Rutgers, who is ranked 14th at 184 pounds. OU 197-pounder DJ Parker is ranked eighth at 197.
This will mark the first Bedlam dual held in GIA during the Taylor Era.
Feb. 1 — Iowa State: It looks like the Cyclones will be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of OSU and another Big 12 title.
Top to bottom, the Iowa State lineup is experienced and highly ranked:
125: No. 7 Stevo Poulin (Sr.)
133: No. 5 Evan Frost (Jr.)
141: No. 6 Anthony Echemendia (Sr.)
149: No. 4 Paniro Johnson (Jr.)
157: No. 5 Vinny Zerban (Sr.)
165: No. 15 Aiden Riggins (Jr.)
174: No. 13 MJ Gaitan (Jr.)
184: No. 9 Isaac Dean (Sr.)
197: No. 2 Rocky Elam (Sr.)
HWT: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (Sr.)
Feb. 22 — Iowa: OSU hasn’t beaten the Hawkeyes since that magical Nick Piccininni pin in 2019, but the Cowboys did beat Iowa in the team race at the NCAA Championships.
The Hawkeyes are bringing four Top 3 wrestlers into the season in No. 2 Drake Ayala (133), No. 2 Mikey Caliendo (165), No. 2 Patrick Kennedy (174) and No. 3 Angelo Ferrari (184).
Top Potential Matches
This list could be 25 matches long, and if I included potential National Duals Invitational bouts, it could be 100 matches long.
But, for brevity’s sake, here are eight matches to be thinking about going into the season.
LaDarion Lockett vs. Hunter Garvin (Stanford) on Nov. 7: I’ve included three potential matches for the Cowboys’ Friday dual against Stanford. Not only does it look to be a solid dual, but it also sets the tone for what this season can be for the Cowboys.
Lockett was the No. 3 recruit in the 2025 class, and if he gets the call Friday night, he’ll open his long-awaited OSU career against two-time All-American Hunter Garvin. There’s still a long way to go between now and March, but the Lockett hype won’t slow down with a strong performance Friday night.
Landon Robideau vs. Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) on Nov. 7: Just about all of that also applies to this potential bout. Robideau isn’t as sure a thing in OSU’s starting lineup, as Taylor could end up going with veteran Teague Travis here. But if it is Robideau, he was the No. 5 recruit in last year’s class, while Cardenas was an All-American in 2024. It’d be a measuring-stick match for the freshman Cowboy.
Richard Figueroa II vs. Tyler Knox (Stanford) on Nov. 7: Figueroa might not be a freshman like Lockett and Robideau, but the former 125-pound national champ is at a new place and a new weight. Figueroa transferred to OSU this offseason from Arizona State, where he won a national title in 2024. However, Figueroa didn’t make the podium last season and is looking to recapture that magic at 133 pounds.
Knox was an All-American as a redshirt freshman last season and enters the year ranked fifth by Flo. A strong showing here could mean Figueroa is a real player in the 133-pound division.
Alex Facundo vs. Simon Ruiz (Cornell) on Nov. 15: I think most expect Penn State transfer Alex Facundo to compete for a spot on the podium in his first season in Stillwater, but the world might get a better idea of what’s possible for him when the Cowboys open the National Duals Invitational against Cornell.
Ruiz finished fifth at nationals as a freshman last season, and Intermat tabs Ruiz as the No. 3 wrestler at the weight entering the year.
Troy Spratley vs. Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) on Feb. 15: Spratley got the better of Ventresca twice last season — beating him 10-1 in a Dec. 19 dual before the two went to tiebreakers in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. So, this will be a match with major March implications.
Casey Swiderski vs. Paniro Johnson (Iowa State) on Feb. 1: This matchup will be highly anticipated because it features the preseason No. 2 vs. the preseason No. 4. But then add to the hype that Swiderski transferred to OSU from Iowa State this offseason, and it makes the bout all the more intriguing.
After being an All-American in 2024, Swiderski missed last season with an injury. Johnson is a two-time Big 12 champ but is still seeking his first podium finish.
Zack Ryder vs. Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) on Feb. 22: The 184-pound wight class lost titans Carter Starocci, Parker Keckeisen and Dustin Plott, but it almost instantly reloaded with a ton of exciting, young talent.
Ferrari picked up some big wins while redshirting last season, including beating Plott in Iowa City. A highly touted prospect, Ryder redshirted at Penn State last season and got his OSU career started with a major decision win against All-American Jaxon Smith, propelling Ryder into national title discussions alongside Ferrari, Max McEnelly (Minnesota) and Rocco Welsh (Penn State).
LaDarion Lockett vs. Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) on Feb. 22: The 165-pound weight class is thought to be Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) — gap — Caliendo — gap — field. But if anyone is going to interrupt that standing, it might just be the Cowboy freshman.
Further Reading
Schedule
National Duals Invitational Bracket Set
Blue-Chip Freshmen Help Reload OSU’s Lineup
Swiderski, Ryder Win at NWCA All-Star Classic
Spratley Discusses His Mindset after Runner-Up Finish
Ryder on Reuniting with Taylor in Stillwater
Lockett Finally a Cowboy
On the Cowboys’ Depth
