OSU Wrestling: Fish Beats Downey, Cowboys Battle Past Northern Iowa

Four matches into the Cowboys’ Friday night dual in Cedar Falls felt like the first time this season OSU’s undefeated streak was in jeopardy, but then Caleb Fish flipped things back into the Pokes’ favor.

Oklahoma State beat Northern Iowa 22-14, continuing the No. 3 Cowboys’ unbeaten start while handing the No. 5 Panthers their first loss of the season. Northern Iowa led 10-3 through the 149-pounders.

Fish, ranked 11th coming into the night at 157 pounds, went up against No. 4 Ryder Downey, the reigning Big 12 champion at the weight. Fish took a 3-0 lead into the third period before Downey escaped and scored on a takedown of his own. Fish had a late escape to force sudden victory. There, Fish got in on a double leg and finished, ending the match with a takedown.

Needed it, the Big Fish got it.#GoPokes l @CalebFish_1 pic.twitter.com/KN1hKlUq3H

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) January 25, 2025

A transfer from Michigan State, Fish was initially set to redshirt this season before an injury to Teague Travis opened up a spot at 157. Fish was a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Spartans but did so at 165 pounds. That win makes him 15-4 this season. He’s on a four-match winning streak.

Fish turned the tides of the dual going intermission, cutting UNI’s lead down to 10-6, and Cameron Amine kept the momentum going for the Cowboys. Amine faced Jack Thomsen. Amine and Thomsen wrestled in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December. Amine won that match, but it went to sudden victory. This one wasn’t as close, as Amine won with a 10-2 major decision to tie the dual up at 10.

All in all, OSU would win five of the final six matches to earn the dual victory. The only bout the Cowboys lost in that stretch was the NCAA finals rematch at 184 pounds. Parker Keckeisen beat Dustin Plott via a 15-4 major decision. Across the past two seasons, Plott is 43-6. Five of those losses have been to Keckeisen.

Dean Hamiti and Wyatt Hendrickson joined Amine in scoring bonus points, with No. 3 Hamiti beating No. 16 Jared Simma via a 16-4 major decision. No. 3 Hendrickson closed the dual out by beating No. 15 Lance Runyon with a 19-4 tech fall. Before that, Luke Surber battled to a tough win against Wyatt Voelker, with Surber winning 4-3.

This was the closest dual of OSU’s season by far, but the Panthers have proven to be a tough team. They were 9-0 coming into the night with four ranked wins. One of those came against then-No. 4 Nebraska.

OSU is now 10-0 on the season and will head a little west, as the Cowboys will wrestle No. 3 Iowa State at 4 p.m. Sunday in Ames. That dual will be on ESPN.

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