OSU wrestler 165-pound champion at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

LAS VEGAS — Oklahoma State wrestler Izzak Olejnik captured the 165-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday, as the Cowboys finished ninth with 78.5 team points.

In his only match of the morning session, Olejnik pulled out a tight 6-4 decision over third-seeded Cameron Amine of Michigan. Trailing late in the third period, Olejnik got the takedown he needed with three seconds remaining to jump out in front and ice the match. Olejnik was clutch late once again against No. 4 Julian Ramirez (Cornell) in the finals, breaking a 1-1 tie in the third period with a takedown, which was ultimately enough to win.

Third-seeded Olejnik went 6-0 on the weekend, two of which were by fall. He is now a perfect 11-0 on the season and owns five victories over ranked opponents.

Oleynik was named the Co-Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday.

Dustin Plott and Tagen Jamison also had impressive showings on the day and joined Olejnik on the podium, placing third and fifth, respectively.

Plott, who entered Las Vegas as the No. 4 seed, earned bonus points in his victories over No. 11 Sam Fisher of Virginia Tech and No. 14 Sam Wolf of Air Force. In the consolation finals, he avenged yesterday’s loss to No. 5 Lenny Pinto of Nebraska by picking up an 11-7 decision to place third at 184 pounds.

Meanwhile, Jamison split his first two matches against No. 6 Vince Cornella (Cornell) and top-seeded Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina, sending him to the fifth-place match. There, Jamison faced second-seeded Brock Hardy of Nebraska, who beat Jamison on Friday and was an NCAA All-American in 2023. Jamison was in control throughout Saturday’s match, however, and claimed fifth with a 13-5 major decision over Hardy.

The Cowboys were slated to return to action Friday against Lehigh at Gallagher-Iba Arena, then they will face Oklahoma for Bedlam at 2p.m. in Norman.