Pictured: Oklahoma State’s AJ Ferrari. Image courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics.
Oklahoma State’s AJ Ferrari, the reigning 2021 NCAA champion at 197 pounds, will have his 2021-22 season cut short. The decision is due to injuries sustained from an auto accident on January 24.
The accident involved Ferrari and fellow Oklahoma State student-athlete, runner Isai Rodriguez.
https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/developing-story-returning-197-pound-ncaa-champ-a-j-ferrari-in-auto-accident-monday-evening/86681
Oklahoma State head coach John Smith announced the news on his weekly radio show on OSU Max.
https://twitter.com/BradenBush21/status/1493375910325669894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493375910325669894%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flowrestling.org%2Farticles%2F7444685-aj-ferrari-out-for-rest-of-2022-season
AJ finishes his sophomore campaign 10-0 with a 70% bonus-point rate. His best wins were against former All-Americans Stephan Buchanan (Wyoming) and Jake Woodley (Oklahoma).
The OSU Cowboy was ranked No. 1 by TOM at 197 pounds for the entire season. Ferrari’s replacement, junior Gavin Sitka, has become the new starter at 197. Sitka is 1-4 in dual meets so far.
Sadly, Ferrari is unlikely to qualify for a medical redshirt. With that, his chances of becoming a five-time NCAA champ are essentially zero.
https://twitter.com/AdamEngel9/status/1493380406900494338
The audio from coach Smith’s full interview on OSU Max will be added to this article when it becomes available.
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