What if we told you that Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Wrestling program is not just about crushing opponents but about building a legacy? “We want team championships at Oklahoma State. We want to stay and win Olympic gold medals at Oklahoma State,” said David Taylor, the 34-year-old head coach. Ever since he took over on May 8, 2024, there’s been a clear shift in energy. It’s no longer just a team; it’s a movement. But can one coach turn dreams into reality? With stars like Zahid Valencia, Jax Forrest, and Wyatt Hendrickson, the answer is looking pretty solid. Especially after Zahid Valencia’s world title win, let’s just say, the Cowboys aren’t stopping now. And now, it looks like another Cowboy is ready to take the stage.

Just a few hours ago, the Cowboys’ RTC posted something that got every fan talking, a carousel of photos showing Roman Bravo-Young, aka RBY, in action, pumping up for his repechage match. You know RBY, right? That scrappy, never-back-down kind of wrestler who always fights till the last second. The pictures showed him in full sweat mode, warming up, while Coach David Taylor stood right there in the mix, guiding him. The caption couldn’t have been more clear: “RBY is warmed up and ready to compete for bronze today in repechage.” But how exactly did Bravo-Young get to this critical moment where everything is on the line?

Let’s break it down. Bravo-Young came out strong in the opening round, absolutely dominating Germany’s Niklas Stechele with a 10-0 technical fall. Then, in the next round, he beat Iran’s Ali Hossein Momenijoujadeh by pin in just under five minutes. Things got intense in the quarterfinals against Chongsong Han from North Korea. Han raced to a 4-0 lead, and it looked like the match was slipping away from RBY. But, he fought back, earning a fleeing point and a late takedown to cut the score to 4-3.

Unfortunately, Han managed to hold his ground, even after suffering an injury. Then in repechage, Bravo-Young squared off against Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev, but lost 6-2 by VPO1. Still, this wasn’t the end of the road—it was just the prelude to an even bigger showdown. Now, who exactly is standing between Bravo-Young and a bronze medal?

Now this is where things get seriously exciting. Roman Bravo-Young is about to go head-to-head with Arsen Harutyunyan, the 2019 European Champion, for the bronze medal. And let us tell you, Harutyunyan is no joke, he’s been crushing it on the biggest stages, winning medals at every level, and knows exactly how to handle high-pressure matches. But here’s the thing… the Cowboys might actually have the edge. Why? Because Zahid Valencia just made history by winning his first world title, and that victory gave the David Taylor and a whole team a massive and much needed confidence boost. Want to know how he did?

The day Zahid Valencia turned David Taylor’s dream into gold

Zahid Valencia did exactly what every Oklahoma State Cowboy dreams of on that day. He turned heads and made history at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. In the 86kg freestyle final, he didn’t just win gold for USA, he dominated Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro 12-0.

But the real story goes beyond that final. Across five matches in just two days, Valencia didn’t give up a single point, outscoring his opponents 49-0. Incredible as it sounds, what makes it even more inspiring is the journey that brought him here, full of challenges, bold moves, and relentless determination.

For years, he’s endured a series of near misses. He was defeated by Aaron Brooks at the 2024 Olympic Trials. By his current coach David Taylor at World Team Trials in 2022 and 2024, and by Kyle Dake at the Team Trials in 2018. It was a rough path, full of what ifs. But Valencia knew something had to change. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results,” he said. So in a gutsy move last October, he left Arizona State and joined OSU’s Regional Training Center to train under David Taylor himself. That change turned everything around.

In June, Valencia shocked the wrestling world by sweeping Dake to make the world team, marking the first time Dake had been beaten for an Olympic or world team spot since 2017. Then, riding that wave of confidence, Valencia went into the world championships focused and unstoppable. His style was exactly what he said it would be: “Just wrestling how I’ve been wrestling, I just don’t think anyone can stop me.”

And he wasn’t kidding. Now, with Valencia’s win giving the Cowboys a major confidence, the spotlight shifts to Roman Bravo-Young, who’s about to take on Arsen Harutyunyan for the bronze medal. Harutyunyan is a serious contender, having already knocked out Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee, but with the Cowboys’ momentum building, it’s starting to feel like this next victory could be theirs too