Every NCAA wrestling season, there are a ton of teams to look forward to. However, the current 2024-25 campaign has seen a plethora of dominant performances from OSU, which is now led by head coach David Taylor. The Olympic champion joined the team this year with plenty of aspirations and commitments, which seems to be something that he’s delivering to the Cowboys’ fanbase.

Taylor’s team is also bringing high-quality wrestling matches to the mat, getting all the fans excited out there. Even at their recent appearance at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, the Cowboys came out on top, owing to their dominant college wrestling lineup. While the 34-year-old was fascinated with all of his young guns, he was more keen on the performance that one of his wrestlers was able to put out there.

Acknowledging one of the best among the pack

So who caught David Taylor’s attention? During a post-match interview with FloWrestling on YouTube, the Olympic champion had nothing but appreciative remarks for Wyatt Hendrickson. The Second Lieutenant, who is an Air Force Academy graduate, has been having a time of life under the Cowboys. He’s spending a lot of time wrestling for the team he adored as a child, as his dreams are coming true.

Also, watching Hendrickson compete has been a blast for the 34-year-old too, who revealed his thoughts on him, stating, “From the time he first got here till now, I mean, he’s just receptive. I think it’s just awesome to have these guys later in their careers and to truly know to be want to get better at wrestling.” Surely, Hendrickson had experienced it before arriving on the mat for OSU, but there were still some doubts that lingered. However, with his dedication to the sport and his performances, he kept proving himself to be one of the best out there.

“I mean, that’s the easy thing is just keep doing what you do cuz it’s been really good, you know um but just continue to try and get better, and I think his mat wrestling has improved a lot. He’s always been a pinner; um, he’s found ways to pin guys, but now he’s starting to develop a system, you know he’s having something he can replicate every time he goes out there. You know he had some really good opponents and was able to continue to, you know, assert himself, which was awesome,” said Taylor, giving a full analysis of the performance of the Second Lieutenant. 

With the experience that the Olympic champion has coached a ton of youngsters, Taylor is just impressed by the way Hendrickson has showcased his potential in the recent bouts on the mat. He was glad to see the way the college wrestlers were evolving in the scene from match to match. Admiring his pinning ability, OSU’s head coach was excited to see the various ways that Hendrickson was bringing into his techniques to get the upper hand during his bouts.

So how did the college wrestler perform at the Las Vegas event? In the 285 lbs division, Hendrickson was a beast. He won all of his bouts with a dominant form until the finals, where the results weren’t any different. The Cowboys wrestler was up against NC State’s Issac Trumble and secured his victory easily. For his performances, he also received the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award. The graduate from the Air Force Academy has been on a roll since he joined OSU, and he also gave his thoughts when he arrived for the first time on the mat.

David Taylor’s protégé’s honest admission

“It definitely lived up to the hype with a big screen and all of the fans screaming; it was always my mentality to wrestle in a hostile environment, but most of the time I go out there thinking they are cheering for me,” Wyatt Hendrickson opened up after wrestling at the Gallagher-Iba Arena, home of OSU, donning the Cowboys singlet. It was an incredible experience for him, and the support of such a large fanbase during matches is always beneficial.

Hendrickson always had a fondness for loud crowds, so when he stepped onto the mat and experienced it alone, he was filled with delight. “It is kind of nice they are cheering for you and they are yelling your name. Stillwater is a special place, and a lot of special people are coming here to support what is a wrestling town,” said the college wrestler. The Gallagher-Iba Arena provided him with the required adrenaline to have an upper hand against his opponent, and he delivered the best he could. The OSU wrestler is aware of the potential he has in the sport, and there will be a ton of opportunities for him in the future during this NCAA season, and he will be fired up to take Taylor’s team to the top of the rankings.