Oklahoma State at 133: Forrest, Hughes and Ramirez Chase One Spot
Three ranked wrestlers, one varsity spot, and a reigning NCAA champion standing in the doorway for Oklahoma State at 133.
Oklahoma State has three ranked wrestlers at 133 and room for exactly one of them at the NCAA tournament. That is a great problem for a team we project at No. 2. It is a rough one for two guys who would crack plenty of other lineups.
- Jax Forrest, Oklahoma State #1 at 133
- Cael Hughes, Oklahoma State #8 at 133
- Ronnie Ramirez, Oklahoma State #14 at 133
The Champion in the Room
Jax Forrest Oklahoma State #1 at 133
Jax Forrest went 19-0 last season and finished as NCAA champion. Now a sophomore, he opens the year No. 1 in our preseason rankings. He beat Ben Davino 5-2 and ran past Aaron Seidel in a 14-3 major decision.
The Case for Cael Hughes
Hughes is a junior ranked No. 8, and he went 8-1 last season. He pinned Kai Orine in 5:20 and majored Sean Spidle 11-2.
The lone loss stings. Julian Farber beat him 13-4, a major decision that hangs over an otherwise sharp year.
The Freshman Who Won't Go Away
Ronnie Ramirez Oklahoma State #14 at 133
Ronnie Ramirez sits at No. 14 after a 7-3 freshman season. His best night came against that same Julian Farber, a 5-1 win in the first tiebreaker. He also handled Kael Lauridsen 9-3.
None of his losses were blowouts. Gunner Andrick edged him 4-2, Jacob Van Dee won 4-1, and Drake Ayala needed sudden victory to take a 7-4 decision.
Our call to start is Forrest, and it is not close. An unbeaten national champion does not hand his spot to a teammate.
The bigger question is where the depth goes. Does one of the backups slide to a neighboring weight to get on the mat when it counts, or does this room just keep sharpening its champion?
Farber majored Hughes and lost to Ramirez. The rankings still favor Hughes. Argue away.