The list of Senior Nationals entries with Oklahoma State ties is a fairly short one, but there’s still certainly some intrigue for Cowboy fans. Let’s dive into the three wrestlers currently registered for Cowboy fans to keep an eye on.

Dean Heil

I wrote a bit of a more in-depth preview specific to Heil a few days ago. 65kg could be the most competitive weight in this tournament, and even though Heil comes in as the six seed he has the ability to win this. In fact, he has multiple wins over the #1 seed Joey McKenna. 

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Based on how the seeds are set up, he should match up with Evan Henderson in the quarterfinals and if he is able to pull the upset there, he should end up taking on Jaydin Eierman, who I personally believe to be his toughest stylistic matchup he could see in the tournament. If he is somehow able to get by Eierman, it would likely set up the rematch with McKenna. Even though McKenna is the top seed and beat Heil their last time out, Heil has beaten him before.

Derek White

White comes in at the #9 seed at 125kg. His bracket is an interesting one for him. White really proved he belonged with the big boys his senior year and second season at heavyweight after bulking from his 197-pound frame. 

In that run to an NCAA runner-up finish his senior year, he only lost two matches and beat a number of the wrestlers who are seeded ahead of him here. White has notched folkstyle wins over Tate Orndorff, Youssif Hemida, and Jordan Wood, all of whom are seeded ahead of him here, and some of them have beat White in freestyle matches since they locked up in college. 

Has White made the adjustments to his game to compete with guys in freestyle the same way he did in folkstyle? If so, he may be able to make a run and end up with a top-three finish. If not, he may end up somewhere closer to his #9 seed.

Shawn Streck

Some may be seeing this name and wondering why it’s on here? Streck has never competed for OSU and is not currently on the roster. Here’s the story with all the details I have available: Streck started out his career at Purdue, had a lot of success, then later got in some trouble and was dismissed from the team. The trouble he was in was resolved to the fullest extent possible, even to the extent that the individuals and family members involved have gone to bat for him with OSU. Contacting administrators, coaches, etc. . . . and recommending they take him on and give him a second chance. They’ve even taken other steps in getting everything cleared up and wishing him well as he has moved on in life.

He’s been doing some training with the RTC at OSU and living in Stillwater. He most recently attended NOC in Stillwater and the most current thing I’ve been told is he just needs to clear up a few things on the academic side to get enrolled at OSU and then he will be a Cowboy. 

Will that happen tomorrow, next week, or ever? I really have no idea. But with wrestling as a whole in its current state with the coronavirus slowing everything down, it’s possible he could be on the roster and competing next semester.

Streck is registered here at 125kg. It’s a big bracket that should give him quite a few matches, so depending on how things shake out with his eligibility and enrollment, this may be Oklahoma State fans’ opportunity to watch their future heavyweight.

Seth Duckworth is a Stillwater-based writer who covers Oklahoma State University wrestling for Pistols Firing Blog, the best OSU news and community site on the internet. Follow Seth on Twitter.