OKLAHOMA CITY – A casual fan might scroll through the Oklahoma City University men's wrestling impressive roster and miss something – the team's complete lack of contentment.
 
It's a roster with an All-American, national tournament experience and Division I transfers, none of whom are satisfied with being just a good team.
 
Not winning the Sooner Athletic Conference title last season left a bitter taste in the program's mouth and they're ready to replace that this season.
 
To be sure, the Stars have a lot of firepower and they aren't building from scratch.
 
"There is a lot we can build on," said OCH Head Coach Justin Ensign. "Most of our postseason starting lineup is back. We had five individual conference champions and six National Tournament qualifiers, which is the most we've had since I took over in 2021-22. Also, a fourth-straight top-20 finish and two All-Americans. One All-American and three other wrestlers with national tournament experience are returning."
 
Returners
 
Key returners include Omari Smith, Jordan Lomeli, Hayden Brown, Bryce Milster and Jake Moon.
 
"Omari Smith (197) will compete second semester, but he is our top returner after earning All-American status at NAIA Nationals," said Ensign. "Jordan Lomeli (165), Hayden Brown (165) and Bryce Milster (184) all have national tournament experience. Jordan has been to three NAIA National Tournaments and Hayden has qualified twice and hopefully they can punch through as seniors. Bryce has shown great potential and needs to be more consistent. He had a huge upset of the eighth-seeded wrestler at the national tournament and was the conference champ at 184 pounds. Jake Moon (157) is another key returner after being named 2025 Sooner Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year and finishing third at the conference meet."
 
Newcomers
 
OCU didn't rest on those laurels in the off-season, putting together an enviable recruiting class.
 
"We may have one or the best non-Division I recruiting classes in college wrestling," Ensign said. "We added a lot of established transfers and a tough freshman group: siix NCAA Division I wrestlers, five Wrestlers from Oklahoma University (Tate Picklo (174), John Wiley (157), Cash Donnell (125), Kaden Fetterolf (149), Vincent Citrano (133)), and one from Bucknell University (Kolby Depron (149)).
 
"Tate Picklo was a three-year starter at OU, a 2023 NCAA National Championship qualifier, and a former No. 1 recruit. John Wiley is a former starter at OU, an Under-23 World Team member for USA, and an Under-23 Pan American champion in 2025. Citrano, a tough wrestler out of Pennsylvnia, has beaten some good NAIA competition in the past. Fetterolf has shown out in limited time at OU and should compete very well at this level. Cash Donnell is a two-time State champ and for-time finalist from Piedmont and we expect him to lock down 125 pounds for us. Kolby Depron brings a wealth of experience from his four years competing at Bucknell. I expect a lot from him. Dylan Milster was a starter with some quality wins for Texas Wesleyan last year but will have to sit this season due to the inter-conference transfer rule in the SAC."
 
The incoming freshmen may not have as much experience at the college level but have the skillset to make a quick impact.
 
"Our new frosh are almost as credentialed," said Ensign. "Kaden Wallace (141) is a multiple-time state tournament placer from Lawton and won a state title last year. Wes Madden (165), Hayden Wright (125), Jace Province (141), and Cole Olguin (184) were all 6A Oklahoma state medalists last season. I expect all of these freshmen to compete for starting spots on our team this year and provide us with a bright future. All of the newcomers have been working very hard and have given us the biggest reason to be excited."
 
The newcomers and returning Stars have blended well and seem prepared to bring the energy to OCU on meet day.
 
"There is a lot of excitement around this team," Ensign said. "We have an amazing team culture and we should, hopefully, be very competitive nationally. This can be a very fun team to watch."

The Mission
 
The team, though, recognizes some unfinished business that has to be addressed. The Sooner Athletic Conference has a few teams hoping to stand in the way of OCU hoisting the team trophy this season.
 
"After winning three team SAC titles in a row, it hurt having Wayland Baptist take it from us in our own gym last season," Ensign said. "They return most of their starters and have recruited well. They should be a good opponent. Texas Wesleyan has a new coach and some tough wrestlers; they have a lot of positive excitement going for them. I want to take the Sooner Athletic Conference title back first, but we have much bigger team goals. I want to be competing for championships at the end of the year. Our program's best finish is fifth place. We want to try and beat that."
 
To get there, the Stars have been working hard in training and will square off against top competition to hone their skills.
 
"Our schedule is very balanced, but we should see most of the top teams throughout the year," Ensign said. "The Friends tournament first weekend should have a lot of tough competition. Our trip to Southeastern in Florida should be a challenge. Southeastern has been a top-five team every year since I've moved here. The NWCA national duals will be a great chance for our team to wrestle the best, as well as the Missouri Valley Invite. Our home schedule should be fun and we bring some tough non-NAIA competition to help us prepare for the top NAIA teams."
 
Fans can get a sneak peek at the team at 7 p.m. on Saturday when OCU hits the mats for an intrasquad tune-up. The regular season launches at the Falcon Invite on Nov. 1.