Oklahoma
Oklahoma State wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson talks what Trump's appearance at NCAA championships means for sport
Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson dished on what it meant for his sport that President Donald Trump was in attendance for the national championship over the weekend.
Hendrickson pulled off an historic upset in the 285-pound division over Minnesota’s Gable Steveson. He did it in front of the president and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk. He appeared on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and said there was no added pressure for him and the president being in attendance was a testament to how popular wrestling has become.
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President Donald Trump greets Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson reacts after he defeated Minnesota’s Gable Steveson during a 285-pound match in the finals of the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“I think I’ve got enough grasp on the sport that I’m able to kind of take myself out of the situation and wrestle for myself, my family, and my team,” he said. “If you asked me that five years ago, I would have been out there freaking out like ‘Oh my gosh, my boss is watching me’ but I was just really blessed to go out there and wrestle freely so it was a pretty exciting moment when after that match I walked over there and showed him my respect because that’s my boss, man.
“The Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, just the fact that he was there supporting the great sport of wrestling is just an attribute to how awesome a sport this is and it’s growing and I think a lot of people that originally wouldn’t have watched the sport are now maybe looking into it like ‘Oh, what’s going on here.’”
OKLAHOMA STATE’S WYATT HENDRICKSON SALUTES TRUMP AFTER SHOCKING NCAA WIN, OPENS UP ABOUT AIR FORCE CAREER
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson celebrates after defeating Minnesota’s Gable Steveson during a 285-pound match in the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Hendrickson added that he didn’t realize Musk was also going to be in Philadelphia to watch the matches with Trump until he went over to pay his respects to the president.
“One thing I didn’t know, I didn’t know that Elon Musk was there. So that was a surprise, as soon as I went back I was shaking his hand I was like, ‘Oh, what’s up Elon? Good to see you here, too’ so that kind of caught me off guard. That’s pretty cool.”
Hendrickson is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
He had elaborated on his pursuit of a military career earlier in the week on “America’s Newsroom.”
“When I was looking at wrestling in college, I wanted to look at more than just that, what my career is going to look like,” he said. “And I kind of realized I’ve always been super-patriotic, and I have a heart to serve. And so, you know, the Air Force Academy was a pretty easy pick for me. And it’s because of the Air Force, I’m able to be at grad school wrestling at Oklahoma State University.”
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson reacts after defeating Minnesota’s Gable Steveson during a 285-pound match in the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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“So, I mean, the opportunities in the Air Force are just limitless. And so this is just part of the steppingstone. I’ll be able to wrestle for a couple of years. I’ll now be able to transition into my job and, you know, be able to serve this great country to the best of my ability.”
Fox News’ Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.
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Oklahoma
Iowa State wrestling adds Brayden Thompson from transfer portal
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s Jahsiear Rogers ‘Knew It Was Time to Showcase’ His Talents In Spring Game
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
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With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma knocks off Missouri in series opener
The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
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