STILLWATER — Oklahoma State has been selected to host the 2022 NCAA men’s and women’s cross country championships, the 2023 NCAA wrestling championships, the 2024 NCAA men’s and women’s \tennis championships and the 2025 NCAA men’s golf regionals.
In February of this year, schools across the country submitted bids to host NCAA championships spanning from the 2022-23 academic year through the 2025-26 academic year. The Men’s Final Four and championships for baseball and softball were excluded from this bid process.
“What a great opportunity for all of us here at Oklahoma State to host these events,” Athletic Director Mike Holder said. “Our facilities are some of the best around and I know that our people will make these events truly special for all involved.”
OSU will partner with the Tulsa Sports Commission to host the 2023 NCAA championships. While this is the first time the BOK Center has hosted the NCAA wrestling championships, it marks the ninth time Oklahoma State has either hosted or co-hosted the event, most recently in 2006. With 34 NCAA team titles to its credit, Cowboy wrestling is the most decorated program in all of college sports.
OSU was slated to host the 2020 NCAA tennis championships in Stillwater but lost the chance when the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For director of tennis Chris Young, getting the 2024 bid is validation of Oklahoma State’s place in college tennis and the capacity of Stillwater and OSU to host a first-class championship event.
“We were very confident in our preparation for 2020 because we were going to add some unique things that would have enhanced the championship experience for players and fans alike,” Young said. “The committee saw the work we had put in and we’re thankful they thought enough of those efforts to give us another opportunity. I’m looking forward to putting on an event student-athletes will remember for the rest of their lives.”
It was a similar story for the cross country program, which was scheduled to host the 2020 NCAA championships this November on its completely renovated, best-in-class cross country course before the season was altered by the pandemic.
“We’ve built the best cross country course in America here at Oklahoma State and it’s exciting for us to have the top runners in the nation come to Stillwater for the chance to compete on this stage,” Smith said.
Postseason golf returns to Karsten Creek in 2025. One of the most memorable moments for Oklahoma State fans in recent years came when a Cowboy team headlined by current PGA standouts Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland won the 2018 NCAA team title with OSU hosting in front over overflow crowds at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater.
“Often times, we talk about creating championship opportunities for our student-athletes and that was a great example of what it looks like,” Holder said. “We’re so thankful to have great support from the Stillwater community and look forward to creating similar memories in this next cycle.”