Dual of the Week: #3 Nebraska at #2 Oklahoma State
For the second straight Friday night, we have a massive dual on tap! This time it’s #3 Nebraska heading to Stillwater to take on #2 Oklahoma State.
Sometimes, matchups between highly ranked teams don’t end up being as good as they look on paper because each team's stars don’t hit. That won’t be the case with Friday’s dual as we have the potential to see two NCAA finals rematches and, perhaps, six bouts that feature returning All-American tangling.
The hosts are led by David Taylor, who is in the midst of his third season leading the Cowboys. His team has finished second and third at the last two NCAA Tournaments and they have his alma mater, Penn State, in their sights. Taylor’s team features three wrestlers who captured NCAA titles in 2026 as true freshman, plus they inked the top recruiting class in the country, so there’s plenty of young talent and options in the Cowboy wrestling room.
Oklahoma State comes in with a 1-0 record after a 45-0 win over Drexel on Sunday.
Nebraska finished a spot behind Oklahoma State at the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but one ahead of them in 2025, taking third and second in each of the last two seasons. Nebraska returns a talented core, but also got the services of three multi-time All-Americans from the transfer portal in the offseason. While some are focused on Penn State/Oklahoma State, Nebraska is ready to remind fans that they shouldn’t be overlooked and are a dangerous team.
Nebraska started its season with a 28-9 win over #23 Wyoming.
These two teams met twice in the 2025-26 season, with Oklahoma State taking both matches. They dominated to the tune of 33-6 at the National Duals Invitational, but it was much more competitive a month later in Lincoln (22-12).
Here’s a match-by-match look at the dual and the probable starters.
125 lbs - #4 Vince Robinson (Nebraska) vs. #7 Troy Spratley/Rocklin Zinkin (Oklahoma State)
Right off the bat, we could have a 2025 NCAA finals rematch and another chapter in the rivalry between Vince Robinson and Troy Spratley. Robinson took the NCAA championship via a match in tiebreakers. He won the first three matches in the series between the two. Spratley got on the board with a win in the 2026 NCAA Round of 16; however, Robinson returned the favor in the consolations. He would finish fourth and Spratley was fifth.
Last week, Robinson made his Nebraska debut with an 8-2 decision over Wyoming’s Isaiah Harrison. Spratley has yet to compete through the first two weeks of the season. That means that the Oklahoma State staff might turn to true freshman Rocklin Zinkin. Zinkin bonused his way through the Cowboy Invitational in week one and got the call against Drexel and majored #33 Oumar Tounkara. Spratley and Robinson are extremely familiar with each other so giving the freshman a shot might produce a different outcome and give the Cowboys an early spark.
133 lbs - #8 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) vs. #1 Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State)
Since Jax Forrest made his collegiate debut in early January, he missed this dual last season and didn’t face Jacob Van Dee at all, even though both made the NCAA podium. For Forrest, he finished on top of the star-studded podium, despite starting the year competing in high school. Van Dee took seventh place for a second consecutive season.
Forrest started the 2026-27 campaign on fire with a title at the Cowboy Invitational and a tech fall over a top ten opponent in TK Davis (Gardner-Webb). None of his four matches thus far have ventured into the third period.
Van Dee suffered an upset loss to Wyoming’s Luke Willochell in his season debut. Oddly enough, Van Dee also started the 2025-26 campaign with a loss via upset, so he’s no stranger to dusting himself off and getting back on the right track; though that’s easier said than done against Forrest.
141 lbs - Lincoln Sledzianowski (Nebraska) vs. #15 Jayden Raney (Oklahoma State)
It looks like we’ll have a battle of true freshmen at 141 lbs with Lincoln Sledzianowski taking on Jayden Raney. Sledzianowski was victorious in his Nebraska debut, majoring Wyoming’s Derek Barrows, 11-2. He was a late riser on MatScout’s Class of 2026, but finished his senior year at #22 overall.
Jayden Raney comes in with a perfect record after competing at the Cowboy Invitational and the Drexel dual. His most impressive win during the first two weeks came over teammate Tagen Jamison, 6-5. While matches between teammates can be difficult to interpret, it does indicate that Raney should be able to win at a high level in year one. Raney has plenty of big match experience, as he won a U20 world championship in Greco in 2024 and has already made a Senior world team.
149 lbs - #5 Anthony Echemendia (Nebraska) vs. #2 Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State)
This is one of the marquee matchups of the dual. Both Sergio Vega and Anthony Echemendia came up from 141 lbs, a year ago. Vega famously won a national title as a true freshman with surrendering a single takedown. Echemendia finished sixth to earn All-American honors for a second time in his career. Echemendia had two losses to Vega last season, but by a very thin margin. 4-2 in their dual meeting and 2-1 in tiebreakers, during their Big 12 finals bout. Basically, Echemendia was about as close as anyone has come to taking out Vega in college.
Echemendia’s first bout in a Nebraska singlet saw him major Wyoming’s Austin Collins, 17-4. Vega rolled through the Cowboy Invitational and posted a 6-1 victory over #23 Anthony Santaniello in the Drexel dual.
Any path to victory for the Cornhuskers probably features a win by Echemendia here.
157 lbs - #3 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. #1 Landon Robideau (Oklahoma State)
It’s an NCAA final rematch in week three and, perhaps, the second of this dual and a clash between a pair of NCAA champions. Landon Robideau and Antrell Taylor met twice during the 2025-26 season and split matches. Taylor was responsible for Robideau’s first collegiate loss, one that came via tiebreakers during their December dual. It was one of only two losses on the year for the young Cowboy. Robideau obviously got revenge with a 4-2 victory in the national finals.
Robideau has started the 2026-27 campaign on fire with three techs and a fall. Taylor put up 17 points during a major decision in his opening bout of the season. Despite the offensive output from both wrestlers thus far, I’d expect a low-scoring tactical bout from the pair. This match is even more of a toss-up than 149 lbs and is essential in a Nebraska win.
165 lbs - Meyer Shapiro (Nebraska) vs. #3 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State)
When Meyer Shapiro transferred from Cornell, the plan was that he would sit out for 2026-27 and wait for Taylor to finish up his eligibility, while getting healthy himself. The plans have appeared to change after an injury to returning 165 lb starter LJ Araujo. Shapiro lit up the scoreboard in his first bout with Nebraska and teched Wyoming’s Manny Rojas, 19-3. That match was a reminder that, if healthy, the three-time All-American Shapiro could factor into the title hunt at 165 lbs.
Now, Shapiro will have to face another Michigan native and Rojas’ former Iowa State teammate, Casey Swiderski. The two-time All-American, Swiderski, has jumped up two weights in the offseason and three from his early days at ISU. In week one, Swiderski posted two impressive wins, both in extra time, over talented teammates Kody Routledge and Ladarion Lockett. It appears as if he’s got the early lead in the race for the starting role for the Cowboys at this weight.
174 lbs - #2 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) vs. #12 Alex Facundo (Oklahoma State)
This is another competitive weight for the Cowboys, as NCAA qualifier Lorenzo Norman transferred in during the offseason. Many predicted that he would take over the starting spot at 174 lbs. Incumbent Alex Facundo put a stop to that with his head-to-head win over Norman at the Cowboy Invitational. Against Drexel, Facundo notched a 7-2 victory over Jasiah Queen, one of the Dragons best wrestlers.
There’s no doubt surrounding who gets the nod at 174 lbs for the Huskers. Two-time All-American and returning national finalist Christopher Minto is “the guy.” Minto had an offseason that included a handful of RAF matches against extremely high-level competition. In his first bout this year, Minto posted a solid 10-4 win over Wyoming national qualifier Riley Davis.
These two met twice during the 2025-26 season. Facundo shocked Minto at the National Duals Invitational and got the 2-1 upset. Minto returned the favor a month later with a 4-1 dual victory. Minto’s loss to Facundo was one of only six during the season, and three against opponents not named Levi Haines. If this dual is heavily tilted towards the Cowboys, perhaps the momentum could carry Facundo to another win.
184 lbs - #18 Lucas Cochran/Ethan DeLeon (Nebraska) vs. #11 Michael White (Oklahoma State)
Nebraska has Lucas Cochran and Ethan DeLeon both listed as potential starters at this weight. Cochran transferred in from Penn State, but has only competed at 197 or heavyweight in previous seasons. That being said, he’s amassed some impressive wins up at the larger weights. Cochran was recovering from an offseason injury and didn’t compete against Wyoming, but did win four matches at the Dakota Wesleyan Open last week.
We’ll see if the Nebraska staff is ready to unleash Cochran or turn to DeLeon again. Facing Wyoming, DeLeon fell to returning All-American Eddie Neitenbach, 13-8. Last year, DeLeon went 6-7 overall and picked up two wins versus DI competition.
The likely opponent for the Nebraska duo is freshman Michael White. While other teammates got the pre-collegiate hype, it has been White who has impressed early in the 2026-27 campaign. At the Cowboy Invitational, White took out teammate and former All-American Bennett Berge. Against Drexel, White handed Ethan Wilson his first loss of the year, by way of a tech fall.
197 lbs - #5 Camden McDanel (Nebraska) vs. #2 Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State)
It will be round three in a struggle between the two All-Americans, Camden McDanel and Cody Merrill. Last year, Merrill took both bouts against McDanel by identical 2-1 scores, though one was decided in tiebreakers. McDanel ended up in fifth place in Cleveland, while Merrill made the national finals.
Both wrestlers already have a loss on their resume for the 2026-27 season. McDanel had a one-takedown loss to Wyoming All-American Joey Novak. Merrill injury defaulted out of a match in tiebreakers against Little Rock’s Stephen Little.
Based on last year's results and the style of both wrestlers, you’d have to assume that round three will be extremely low-scoring. Getting one takedown might be the equivalent of three or four in most other matches.
285 lbs - #14 Cade Ziola (Nebraska) vs. #1 Konnor Doucet/Dreshaun Ross (Oklahoma State)
We will most likely see a matchup between future (or current) heavyweight stars with Cade Ziola and Dreshaun Ross. Ziola redshirted last season and put together a sparkling 16-3 record. He got the call in last year’s dual against the Cowboys and suffered a 2-1 loss to Konner Doucet. Ziola started his 2026-27 season with a tech fall over Wyoming’s Winston McBride.
Through two weeks of action, Taylor has turned to true freshman Dreshaun Ross at this weight. Ross responded with a 14-4 major decision victory over #20 Nate Schon in the dual against Drexel. It was his second ranked win of the young season.
Oklahoma State also has returning All-American Konner Doucet available. We’ll have to monitor how this battle for the starting spot develops in the weeks to come. However, another start and another win by Ross might be an indicator of where the Cowboy staff might turn.
