Tuttle alums Plott & Surber close out first OSU wrestling season

Tuttlle alumnus Dustin Plott was a two-time state wrestling champion for the Tigers.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys welcomed Plott, and fellow Tiger Luke Surber, to the team after the two graduated in 2020.

Surber won three state championships for Tuttle, his freshman, junior, and senior seasons.

“It’s awesome to be part of the same team with Luke,” Plott said Friday. “It has been both of our life goals to wrestle for Oklahoma State, and we are both really enjoying all the University has to offer.”

Plott said he misses some things about high school, but he appreciates wrestling for OSU Head Wrestling Coach John Smith.

“I miss playing games as a warmup at Tuttle, but really miss old teammates that I haven’t seen in a while,” Plott said. “Coach Smith is the best coach in the country, he teaches a lot of great technique, in-match strategies, and is great at instilling toughness within his athletes.”

The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is the most successful NCAA Division I program of all time in any sport.

Oklahoma State Wrestling has won 34 team national championships.

This year, the Cowboys were edged out by champion Iowa and runner-up Penn State, but finished ahead of the rest of the nation.

Back in January, the Cowboys competed against each other in OSU’s Black and Orange Ranking Matches, to give everybody on the roster a fighting chance for a starting spot.

A true freshman, Plott pinned his opponent in the second period, and took the starting spot at 174 pounds.

At 197 pounds, Surber was defeated 6-2 by fellow freshman AJ Ferrari.

Ferrari went on to finish the season as only the third true freshman in NCAA Wrestling history to win a national championship. The only other times that happened were 1990 and 1947.

Following the Black and Golds, Coach Smith spoke specifically about the Surber-Ferrari matchup being a highlight of the day.

“I got two good guys there,” Smith said. “That’s fun to have. They are young and there is some inexperience there, but I got two guys that love wrestling and love to compete. We’re going to prepare both of those guys.”

Ranked No. 18 in his weight class heading into the NCAA Championships, Plott finished his season in the second round of consolations to the No. 16 guy out of North Carolina on a 6-2 decision.

Dustin finished his first NCAA season 15-6.

Plott spoke Friday about the matches that stood out to him.

“The wins that stand out include a Bedlam match,” Plott said, “because it was a moment I’ve dreamed about wrestling in since I was a kid. The other was a come-from-behind victory against Air Force, because of overcoming adversity, because of injury.”

Plott’s major is in Ag Business with a focus on crop and soil science.

“My favorite class thus far has been Ag Econ,” Plott said. “I’ve enjoyed learning about the business aspects associated within the agricultural sector, and the class has helped make sense of business calculus as well.”

College life took some getting used to for Plott, especially with all that’s gone on in the last year.

“The college environment did take a little to get adjusted to,” Plott said. “I really enjoy my in-person classes, so this year being mostly online has been a bit of a bummer. The work load with school, as well as with wrestling, really made me become disciplined with my time. I’ve enjoyed college much more than high school, in that while there is more work, there’s a lot more flexibility in being able to get work done.”

Expect Plott and Surber to get a lot of work done in the offseason, both on and off the mat.