Oklahoma State Wins Cliff Keen Tournament in Las Vegas And Has Two Individual Champs

LAS VEGAS - The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team won the Cliff Keen Invitational Saturday evening, claiming two individual titles from heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson and 174-pounder Dean Hamiti. The Cowboys routed the field, earning 192 team points and coming up just short of  the record 198.25 points set by Oklahoma State in 1983. The Pokes claimed an impressive 25 bonus point victories this year throughout the two days in Vegas.

The Cowboys outscored second-place Nebraska by 77 points and won 50 total matches with 31 of them against ranked opponents and 18 coming against Big 12 opponents. The Pokes placed all 10 wrestlers and had no wrestler finish lower than fifth place. OSU had only placed all 10 at this event three prior times in 1983, 1988 and 1999. No other collegiate wrestling program has accomplished that feat.

Wyatt Hendrickson, the newcomer from Air Force, continued his stellar start to his Cowboy career by claiming the heavyweight title. No. 3 Hendrickson had the top seed at his class and used that to rattle off five straight victories, three coming against ranked wrestlers. His efforts earned the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler award. 

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Hendrickson with the win over Feldman.

Hendrickson started off the day with a default win over the eighth-ranked heavyweight from Ohio State Nick Feldman to put him in the championship bout. In the title match, Hendrickson, in Vegas fashion, put on a show by defeating No. 6 Isaac Trumble with a pin in just 2:35. Over his five matches, he had three pins and none of his five bouts went the distance.

Dean Hamiti had a similar weekend in Vegas. Starting in the semifinals, Hamiti cruised past No. 13 Simon Ruiz, 14-1. It set up a championship bout between the 5th-ranked Cowboy and Stanford’s Lorenzo Norman, ranked No. 8 in the country. Tied 3-3 heading into the third period, Hamiti chose the top position and stayed there for the final two minutes to earn himself the riding time point that clinched him the championship.

The 174-pounder continues his perfect season with a 9-0 record, while eight of those wins have come in bonus point fashion.

OSU’s Tagen Jamison placed second at 141 pounds but earned the highest ranked win of his career en route to his runner up finish. In the semifinals, Jamison defeated No. 4 Brock Hardy with a7-4 decision. Jamison’s only other victory against an opponent ranked that high came last year, also against Hardy at the 2023 CKLV Invitational.

Dustin Plott continued his strong start to the season, claiming runner-up in the 184-pound bracket. No. 3 Plott started his day strong with a stout semifinal victory over Rider’s Isaac Dean, 2-0. He then matched up with UNI’s second-ranked Parker Keckeisen, who took first place against Plott. 

The final Cowboy to earn a runner-up was No. 9 Cameron Amine. He won the semifinal bout with a 4-1 victory over Nebraska’s Bubba Wilson and was then matched up against the No. 3-ranked 165-pounder out of West Virginia, Peyton Hall. Amine was in the bout the whole way through, but Hall earned the championship with a takedown in sudden victory.

Caleb Fish had a breakout weekend in Vegas at 157 pounds. Fish took on two top-12 ranked wins over the two days, including a major decision over 10th-ranked Paniro Johnson to mark the highest ranked win during his time as a Cowboy. Fish earned a third-place finish at the CKLV Invitational.

At 125,  OSU’s Troy Spratley closed out his weekend in rollercoaster fashion. He started the day with a stumble against No. 3 Matt Ramos, but quickly bounced back with a major decision over No. 24 Maximo Renteria. Keeping the momentum, Spratley took home his highest ranked victory of his career, defeating Nebraska’s second-ranked Caleb Smith, 2-0, to take home a third-place finish.

Cowboy veteran Luke Surber earned four-straight consolation victories to fight all the way back to a third-place finish, capped by an 8-2 victory over Wyoming’s Joey Novak who he beat two weekends ago at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Reece Witcraft closed out his tournament with two straight top 30 victories, but slipped in the third-place bout in a highly contested match with No. 15 Nic Bouzakis. The two went the distance, but Witcraft got taken down in sudden victory to give third place to Bouzakis.

No. 20 Carter Young placed fifth at the 149-pound mark and was able to notch two ranked wins on his belt. The first was a bonus-point victory over fellow Big 12 opponent, No 17 Colin Realbuto, while the second came over a former Cowboy in No. 22 Sammy Alavarez.

The Cowboys return to action Friday night as they take on Oklahoma in Norman at McCasland Field House.

For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State wrestling, visit okstate.com or @Cowboywrestling on social media.

Final Team Standings

1. Oklahoma State – 192 Points

2. Nebraska – 115 Points

3. Ohio State – 110.5 Points

4. Virginia Tech – 90 Points

5. Iowa State – 89.5 Points

6. Northern Iowa – 85.5 Points

7. Michigan – 75 Points

8. Stanford – 72.5 Points

9. South Dakota State – 62 Points

10. Purdue – 53.5 Points

No. 4 Troy Spratley, 125 Pounds, Third Place

Semifinals: No. 3 Matt Ramos (PUR) dec. No. 4 Troy Spratley, 5-2

Consolation Semifinals: No. 4 Troy Spratley MD No. 24 Maximo Renteria (ORST), 12-3

Third-Place Match: No. 4 Troy Spratley dec. No. 2 Caleb Smith (NEB), 2-0

Reece Witcraft, 133 Pounds, Fourth Place

Consolation Quarterfinals: Reece Witcraft dec. No. 28 Derrick Cardinal (SDSU), 10-3

Consolation Semifinals: Reece Witcraft dec. No. 22 Jacob Van Dee (NEB), 8-1

Third-Place Match: No. 15 Nic Bouzakis (OHST) dec. Reece Witcraft, SV-1 13-10

No. 10 Tagen Jamison, 141 Pounds, Second Place

Semifinals: No. 10 Tagen Jamison dec. No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB), 7-4

Finals: No. 2 Jesse Mendez (OHST) dec. No. 10 Tagen Jamison, 5-2

No. 20 Carter Young, 149 Pounds, Fifth Place

Consolation Quarterfinals: No. 20 Carter Young MD No. 17 Colin Realbuto (UNI), 14-4

Consolation Semifinals: No. 7 Anthony Echemendia (ISU) dec. No. 20 Carter Young, 4-2

Fifth-Place Match: No. 20 Carter Young dec. No. 22 Sammy Alvarez (RIDR), 4-1

Caleb Fish, 157 Pounds, Third Place

Consolation Quarterfinals: Caleb Fish MD No. 10 Paniro Johnson (ISU), 11-0

Consolation Semifinals: Caleb Fish med. forfeit No. 15 Joey Blaze (PUR)

Third-Place Match: Caleb Fish med. forfeit No. 9 Paddy Gallagher (OHST)

No. 9 Cameron Amine, 165 Pounds, Second Place

Semifinals: No. 9 Cameron Amine dec. No. 20 Bubba Wilson (NEB), 4-1

Finals: No. 3 Peyton Hall (WVU) dec. No. 9 Cameron Amine, SV-1 4-1

No. 5 Dean Hamiti, 174 Pounds, First Place

Semifinals: No. 5 Dean Hamiti MD No. 13 Simon Ruiz (CORN), 14-1

Finals: No. 5 Dean Hamiti dec. No. 8 Lorenzo Norman (STAN), 4-3

No. 3 Dustin Plott, 184 Pounds, Second Place

Semifinals: No. 3 Dustin Plott dec. No. 31 Isaac Dean (RIDR), 2-0

Finals: No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. No. 3 Dustin Plott, 8-3

No. 12 Luke Surber, 197 Pounds, Third Place

Consolation Quarterfinals: No. 12 Luke Surber dec. No. 20 Christian Carroll (ISU), 2-0

Consolation Semifinals: No. 12 Luke Surber med. forfeit No. 9 Trey Munoz (ORST)

Third-Place Match: No. 12 Luke Surber DEF No. 17 Joey Novak (WYO), 8-2 3:21

No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson, Heavyweight, First Place

Semifinals: No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson DEF No. 8 Nick Feldman (Oh. St.), 6-0 1:11

Finals: No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson fall No. 6 Isaac Trumble (NCST), 2:35