​Oklahoma State wrestling opened the 2026-27 season by hosting the inaugural Cowboy Invitational at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday.The No. 2 Cowboys brought 27 wrestlers to compete against No. 19 Little Rock, Gardner-Webb and SIU Edwardsville, claiming nine of the 10 titles.OSU finished atop the team leaderboard with 435.5 points, well ahead of second-place Little Rock’s 188. SIUE took third with 113.5 points, followed by Gardner-Webb in fourth with 72.5 points.The day featured big-time matchups and freshman debuts in an exciting start to the season.“I think it was a pretty unique experience,” OSU associate head coach Jimmy Kennedy said. “I think wrestle-offs are always difficult. They just are. They’re just usually tight and stuffy, and this was not that. … So it was definitely awesome to see the way our guys competed today. Just a lot of enthusiasm out there, and just getting our positions, and just good wrestling.”More: Oklahoma State wrestling invitational won’t be ‘typical just boring tournament’Some new hardware for the boys.#GoPokespic.twitter.com/vQYjt2dlFY— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) November 2, 2026The rest of OSU’s home schedule will feature duals, which allow the Cowboys to use only 10 wrestlers in each event. The Cowboy Invitational gave the rest of the roster a chance to compete in front of fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena.“A lot of guys may not get the chance to wrestle in Gallagher Arena this season,” Kennedy said. “So this allows them to do that in front of the best fans in the country. The goals weren’t just for the wrestle-offs; it was other things. It was more of a realistic experience with fans and motion. So, we tried to think about how we could do that in a fun way.”Several freshmen got their college careers off to a strong start.Dreshaun Ross won the heavyweight title with three technical falls, including a 21-6 victory over No. 31 Bryson Buhk (SIUE) in 2:37. Ross recorded seven takedowns in the championship match.Rocklin Zinkin won the 125-pound title after four matches, scoring at least 19 points in each. He totaled six takedowns in a 21-7 major decision against SIUE’s Drew Davis in the championship.Jayden Raney joined the group of freshman champions with a 6-5 win over former NCAA qualifier and teammate Tagen Jamison in the 141-pound final. Riding time proved to be the difference.For the freshmen, competing at Gallagher-Iba Arena was a different experience from wrestling in high school.“I’d definitely say there were more nerves,” Ross said. “I mean, just knowing it’s your first college match out there, there’s a lot of people, and it’s definitely a little different than it was at other places. But it was a good difference.”Last year’s freshman class helped set an example for the newcomers, giving them confidence in what they can accomplish.“Definitely exciting,” Zinkin said. “Watching what they did last year … it makes us realize we could do this right now. I m