Second Chances for Three Cowboys at Senior World Team Trials This Weekend

STILLWATER – The late spring and early summer of amateur wrestling continues. Several wrestlers with Oklahoma State connections, or who wrestle for the Cowboy RTC, have already clinched their places for Final X on June 14. 

That is where Oklahoma State 2026 commitment and 61 kg competitor Jax Forrest, 65 kg and CRTC team member Joey McKenna, 86 kg and CRTC competitor Zahid Valencia, along with NCAA Heavyweight Champion, World Class Athlete Program and CRTC wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson will wrestle for the place on the USA World Team. 

All four of those wrestlers clinched their place at Final X by winning their weight division at the Sr. U.S. Open Wrestling event in Las Vegas on April 23-27. 

Now, there are several others that would like to get a place at Final X, and this is the last chance. Three Oklahoma State connected wrestlers will be in Louisville, Ky. this weekend (May 16-17) for the World Team Trials.  

Sam Janicki/USA Wrestling

Hendrickson at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

By the way, Hendrickson (125 kg), Forrest and Valencia won gold medals this past weekend in Monterrey, Mexico at the Pan-American Wrestling Championships. 

This weekend in Louisville, current Cowboys wrestler Carter Young will compete at 65 kg. Young, a Stillwater native wrestles for Cowboy RTC and if he can win in Louisville would see fellow CRTC wrestler Joey McKenna. McKenna was also at the Pan-American wrestling and lost in the finals to take the silver medal. Young will see former Penn State wrestler and now assistant coach Nick Lee and Iowa’s one-time NCAA runner-up in his bracket. 

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Dean Hamiti Jr. at the NCAA Championships.

This year’s 165-pound NCAA Champion Dean Hamiti Jr. will wrestle at 79 kg. Hamiti Jr. wrestled at the U.S. Open and lost in the finals. He is a very good bet to make it in Louisville. His top competition will be Penn State wrestler Levi Haines and Cornell wrestler Simon Ruiz. 

Then at 92 kg former Cowboys wrestler and CRTC team member Dustin Plott will wrestle. Plott also wrestled at the U.S. Open and failed to win. In his division he will see Penn State wrestler Joey Barr and this year’s Big Ten Champion who defeated Barr in the finals Jacob Cardenas will be there. Cardenas transferred to Michigan from Cornell and is a three-time All American.