Oklahoma State wrestling: Cowboys to visit Iowa State, Northern Iowa in 2020-21 season

The Oklahoma State wrestling team will return to the state of Iowa during the 2020-21 season to face rival Iowa State, Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser announced Tuesday on Twitter. The time and date of the dual will be announced at a later date.

The Cowboys defeated the Cyclones 23-9 this past January at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. With the dual victory, OSU extended its winning streak to 13 duals against ISU. The day before the Cowboys were upset 19-15 at Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

OSU hosted ISU two straight seasons before visiting Ames this past season so it’s a natural move to have the dual return to Ames next season. The dual in Ames and the fact OSU’s dual series against Iowa shifts to Stillwater next season means the Cowboys will visit UNI during the 2020-21 campaign. In March, the Big 12 announced new travel partners for nine of the league’s 12 schools through the 2023-24 season to help minimize multiple trips to the same region. Due to location, Fresno State, Utah Valley and West Virginia will be single trips.

OSU and OU are paired together and could be in Iowa the same weekend next season. The Sooners lost to ISU (22-14) and Northern Iowa (25-13) this past season in Norman.

The new scheduling should also correct conference dual series moving forward to have them alternate each year between which school hosts them. OSU is required to have a dual against the three other Big 12 legacy members — ISU, OU and WVU — at least once per season. Each Big 12 affiliate must also host one legacy member. Utah Valley is the lone affiliate the Cowboys have not visited since the Big 12 expansion in 2017.

2020-24 Big 12 Wrestling Travel Partners
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
Iowa State and Northern Iowa
Air Force, Northern Colorado, and Wyoming
North Dakota State and South Dakota State

The Cowboys have competed in non-conference duals against Lehigh (EIWA), Minnesota (Big 10), Missouri (MAC) and Pittsburgh (ACC) and Princeton (EIWA) the past two seasons. It’s unknown whether those agreements are still in place for the 2020-21 season, but if they are OSU would host Lehigh and Pittsburgh and travel to Minnesota, Missouri and Princeton. A dual at Princeton could see another New Jersey team in Rutgers (Big 10) return to the Cowboys’ schedule.

OSU also usually wrestles Jan. 1 and 2 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

OSU’s 2020-21 schedule so far

Iowa (Stillwater)

*Oklahoma (Stillwater)

*at Oklahoma (Norman)

*at Iowa State (Ames)

*at Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls)

*West Virginia (location unknown)