How Wyatt Hendrickson's NCAA Upset Created Momentum for New National Duals Invitational
Matt Surber was headed to the family’s farm south of Tuttle a week or so ago when he made a quick stop at a hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop gas station.
His Oklahoma State wrestling shirt caught the clerk’s attention.
“Oklahoma State wrestling,” the cashier said. “Man, that heavyweight, that’s crazy, right?”
The clerk was referring to Wyatt Hendrickson, the Cowboy wrestler who knocked off Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson in the finals at the NCAA Championships.
The upset sent shockwaves not only around wrestling but also beyond.
And no one is happier about that than Surber.
The former Tuttle High School wrestling coach turned school principal is also the tournament director for the National Duals Invitational, the new college wrestling tournament set to debut later this year at the BOK Center in Tulsa. It’s the brainchild of Chad Richison, the Paycom founder, and the tournament's $1 million purse has turned heads.
Even though Surber had high hopes for the event from the start, he believes the surge in wrestling interest since Hendrickson’s monumental win could make the tournament even bigger.
“I know it’s sheer circumstance,” Surber said, “but it’s going to benefit us in pushing this because there are a lot of eyes on wrestling.”
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