Oklahoma State Wrestling Makes a Statement at US Open

One of the top wrestlers in the 2026 class was the star of the US Open. High school juniorJax Forrest may not be old enough to vote, but he proved this weekend that he could roll with the heavy-hitting senior wrestlers in the open.

Forrest beat 2018 national champion Seth Gross in the 61 kg finals via a 19-8 technical fall. The win secures Forrest a spot in Final X against Vito Arujau for a spot on the senior national team. Gross was the only wrestler the entire weekend who managed to score points on Forrest.

Wyatt Hendrickson was fresh off a 2025 National Championship and quickly went back to work on the mat. Hendrickson beat Demetrius Thomas 14-3 in the finals to secure his spot in Final X. He outscored his four opponents this weekend a combined 35-7.

It was also a big weekend for the Cowboy RTC. Along with getting Forrest and Hendrickson to Final X, Zahid Valencia and Joey McKenna won the 86 kg and 65 kg brackets, respectively.

Zahid Valencia may be the new face of 86 kg. Valencia won probably the most hyped bout of the weekend, beating four-time national champ and four-time world champ Kyle Dake 8-4 in the finals. Dake has been one of the most dominant US wrestlers until his recent run-in with Valencia.

Dean Hamiti Jr. also made the finals after winning a national title in the college season. He dropped his finals match to Evan Wick 9-1.

The Cowboys also added a bit more hardware I the form of 2025 commit Ladarion Lockett. Lockett brought home the U20 US Open Championship in the 74 kg division.

Here is the Cowboy RTC’s full list of placers:

Jax Forrest (61 kg) — 1st
Joey McKenna (65 kg) — 1st
Carter Young (65 kg) — 6th
Dean Hamiti Jr. (79 kg) — 2nd
Brayden Thompson (86 kg) — 8th
Zahid Valencia (86 kg) — 1st
Dustin Plott (92 kg) — 5th
Wyatt Hendrickson (125 kg) — 1st