Zahid Valencia added another gold medal to the list of the Oklahoma State Cowboy RTC 2025 Pan-American champion wrestlers. Valencia dominated the 86-kilogram division, finishing with a gold without losing any points throughout the tournament.
The Oklahoma State wrestler faced Steven Rodriguez of Venezuela in the quarterfinals. Valencia dominated the mat and won 11-0 over. Moving ahead to the semifinals, he cruised past the Canadian wrestler Taran Goring, winning 10-0.
Zahid Valencia's final challenge was the Argentine wrestler Jorge Llano, The American wrestler won 11-0, winning by technical knockout and claiming the 2025 Pan-American gold in the 86 kilograms division.
In an Instagram update, Valencia shared glimpses from the tournament and posted a strong message. Reflecting on his recent triumph and sharing gratitude, the wrestler posted:
"2025 Pan-Ams photo dump! Love the life I live, God is good!"
Roman Bravo-Young, Wyatt Hendrickson and Zahid Valencia, all Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestlers, dominated the Pan-American championship without losing a single point throughout the tournament.
Zahid Valencia, Wyatt Hendrickson, Jax Forrest and more are adding up to the dominant season for David Taylor's Cowboy RTC
David Taylor's Cowboy wrestlers have continued their dominant streak from the beginning of the wrestling season. Wyatt Hendrickson registered one of the biggest upsets when he defeated the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in the NCAA Championship finals.
Continuing his form, Hendrickson opened up the 2025 Claw US Open championship with dominance, winning in the 125 kilograms division.
The Cowboy RTC shared an Instagram post featuring Wyatt Hendrickson, Valencia, Forrest and McKenna of the champion wrestlers after their US Open victory and wrote in the caption on April 27:
"OUR COWBOY RTC U.S. OPEN CHAMPS! 🤠"
Zahid Valencia dominated through the 86-kilogram division, avenging his NCAA title loss from last year. Valencia defeated Mark Hall, the returning champion and clinched the NCAA title. In the 2025 Claw US Open Championship, Valencia registered one of the biggest upsets after winning 8-4 over Kyle Dake.
Jax Forrest added another feather to the Cowboy RTC's cap when the wrestler won the Claw US Open championship and the 2025 Pan-American Championship in the 61-kilogram division.
While Joey McKenna had a smooth run at the 2025 Claw US Open championship, he fell short in the Pan-American championship, losing 5-4 to the Argentine wrestler Agustin Destribats in the 65 kg final. With this much success in recent months, the future certainly looks bright for the program.