Casey Swiderski has two small words tattooed down his right triceps: Say When. 

The phrase comes from a popular scene in the 1993 blockbuster Western film Tombstone, where Doc Holliday provokes rival gunslinger Johnny Ringo. The phrase implied Holliday’s readiness to fight — and it applies to the wrestling persona of Oklahoma State’s surging 149-pounder. 

“It’s part of me, it’s who I am,” Swiderski said. “If that’s coming out, that means I'm probably doing well. I’m in a good headspace. People say, ‘Oh, he’s gotta get his mind back in that match.’ Nah, my mind is good now. I’m in a really good spot.”

Swiderski became known to college wrestling fans as a fierce competitor during his freshman season at Iowa State. Following an All-American season as a sophomore with the Cyclones and a redshirt year last season, Swiderski carried that reputation with him to Stillwater. 

He kicked off his first year at Oklahoma State with a win over Michigan’s Lachlan McNeil at the NWCA All-Star Classic before dropping his first four official matches of the season. Swiderski said he was starting to have doubts.

“You think at night when you go to bed, and you’re like, ‘What’s going on? Do you still got it?” he said. “That goes on in your mind for sure, but you gotta beat that talk. You just keep showing up, you don’t quit.”

Swiderski forged that mentality growing up in Michigan, where he battled with his older brother, Tyler, now a senior 165-pounder for Central Michigan. 

“Casey’s done a good job of just kind of getting his mind back on track coming off a year where he was injured and getting reps, and just sticking with it,” Oklahoma State coach David Taylor said. “He’s done a good job getting refocused and staying present.”

Swiderski’s not one to hide his emotions on the mat, but he’s been relatively reserved while bouncing back to a 10-5 record and #7 national ranking at 149 pounds. But a dual Sunday against his former team and a battle with ex-training partner Jacob Frost brought those competitive juices to a boil.  

Swiderski let loose after a late takedown and big mat return that keyed a 4-2 victory and sparked an eruption from the packed crowd inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. 

“I couldn’t hold back a little bit at the end,” Swiderski said. “It was a big moment for me, a little bit. I went through a lot, had a lot of people say things about me. It was fun, it was really fun.

“It has nothing to do with Jacob Frost either. I love Jacob, I love the Frost boys. They’re awesome, they've got a great family. I have nothing bad to say about the Frost bros. It’s just how it was that day.”

Swiderski heard the fans talking long before he left Iowa State. His critics had new ammunition after his departure. Swiderski took note of it all — the talk that he wasn’t good enough to crack the Cyclone lineup with All-Americans Anthony Echemendia and Frost and Big 12 champ Paniro Johnson in the 141- and 149-pound neighborhood.  

“I read things on the internet, and I listen,” Swiderski said. “I just listened to people saying I left because I couldn’t start, or these guys were beating me every year, the only reason I did start was because this guy went down… That’s what it was — that people said I couldn’t start, it was a room too crowded. OK, sure. What about now? That’s what I said on the mat that day. Let’s hear about that now.” 

Taylor chalks up Swiderski’s recent resurgence to his resilience. The Oklahoma State coach describes his 149-pounder’s energy as contagious. 

“Casey’s definitely an energy guy,” Taylor said. “He brings it out of our guys. You know, you wrestle Casey in practice, you gotta be ready to go. It’s been great for our young guys, and those guys have been a great challenge for him. What I think has been great is his resilience. I think that’s the story for him this year. You get started, didn’t go so awesome, he could’ve just put his head down. He just kept coming to work and putting his work boots on, that’s what he would say.”