Remember when David Taylor stunned the wrestling world with his sudden retirement news? Many were worried that the Olympian would turn his back on the sport. However, in a surprising turn of events, the 34-year-old found his way to the mat by taking on the head coach role at Oklahoma State. Without taking any breaks, the wrestler-turned-coach focused on training his mentees on the team for what was to come next. 

In fact, during his first stint, the Olympian proved that he hadn’t lost his magic touch just yet. At the 2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Cowboys reigned over the mat with an iron fist. How come? They racked up a whopping 192 team points, making this the second-best result in the contest’s history. But if you thought this was the starter’s fortune, you would be mistaken. The former Nittany Lion and his team delivered yet another stunning performance recently, and one particular star stood out. What really went down?

David Taylor opens up about new 157-Point starter

OSU was riding high from a much-deserved win last week. But it was time to put their headgear on again for Bedlam week. On December 13, the Oklahoma Cowboys faced the in-state rival Oklahoma Sooners. Bear in mind, this was David Taylor’s first Bedlam duel as a coach. However, the Orange brigade emerged victorious again with 35-3 at the end of the night. But the first-year head coach was mighty impressed by none other than Caleb Fish. 

In the 157-pound category, OSU’s new starter, Caleb Fish, locked horns with Carter Schubert. After securing a riding time point, the wrestler wanted to preserve a 1-0 lead in the closing seconds of his match. Instead, he emerged victorious with a 6-0 win. “You want to finish that way, so it was really good for him. And we take some pride in committing the top position. Getting a rideout and then a turn at the end, that’s good,” the Olympian admitted. 

The former Michigan State wrestler signed with the Cowboys earlier this year and had been set to redshirt until his debut last week. He started with an early short, but the first three minutes in the first period ended scoreless. Fish scored his first point in the second period, entering the third period with a 1-0 against Schubert. He then pushed riding time up over a minute in the third period. However, with five seconds to go, he turns his opponent for four back points, bringing the tally up to 6-0.

What did David Taylor think of his performance? “We just like to see guys scoring at the end of periods. We like to see guys finishing periods on top, finishing matches on top. Those are good things,” he opined. Despite this being the first-year head coach’s maiden Bedlam duel, the outcome exceeded all expectations. Nine out of ten OSU wrestlers pinned down the rivals at the McCasland Field House. The only defeat came in the tiebreaker decision for Carter Young in the 141-weight category. 

However, the rest of their stint went by smoothly. Wyatt Hendrickson and Dean Hamiti Jr. overpowered their opponents with ease. Yet, it was Reece Witcraft who stunned the crowds with his victory over better-ranked Cleveland Belton in the 133-weight category. The day belonged to the Oklahoma Cowboys in the arena. On the other hand, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise for the Orange brigade. Why’s that, you ask? 

OSU turns heads in Las Vegas

On December 7, the Cowboys made their way to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and swept the mat clean with a dominant performance. The wrestler-turned-coach had high hopes for his squad since he’s tirelessly worked towards building his dream team. And it worked! OSU triumphantly won the 2024 CKLV with 192 team points, outscoring second-place Nebraska by 77 points. 

They won the invitational with a combined 48-10 record. But that’s not all. All 10 Cowboys placed either fifth or above, making them the first squad to do s0 since 1999. So, did David Taylor have anything to say about the Cowboys? “I think stuff that we’re working on in practice, they’re willing to do it, and I think it’s just continue to believe in each other and process that we, you know, we’re kind of working on.” 

In Las Vegas, the Cowboys bagged two individual titles from 174-pounder Dean Hamiti Jr. and heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson. Overall, they beat about 31 ranked wrestlers and 18 conference opponents. The dominant win happened to be the Olympian’s first career win as head coach, and he already clinched another this week.

Was David Taylor happy with the squad’s performance in Las Vegas? “Yeah, I mean, I think we’re just trying to get better,” the head coach stated. Even though this was his first major meet as the OSU coach, the 34-year-old reiterated that the CKLV helped assess their progress and showcased that they can wrestle against good competition. While the former Nittany Lion was satisfied, he looked forward to more consistency in the future. What did you think of the Cowboys’ Bedlam performance?