Never Too Early Lineup Look: Oregon State

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. 

This feature kicks off by looking at Oregon State University. The Beavers will enter their fifth season under the direction of Chris Pendleton. Under Pendleton, the Beavers have gone 27-20 in dual competition and had wrestlers earn All-American honors on six occasions. 

In Pac-12 competition, Oregon State has finished second in the conference tournament on two occasions and took the title in 2023. In 2024, Little Rock slipped ahead of Oregon State by 4.5 points to claim second place. 

With conference realignment rearing its head again, the Pac-12 has seen almost all of its members flee to other conferences (for all sports). That leaves us wondering how it will impact wrestling and Oregon State? InterMat has been told that the Pac-12 has been giving a waiver to drop below six teams and will generally hold their conference tournament, as usual - minus Arizona State and Stanford. 

Circling back to Oregon State, the Beavers will return a team that features only three wrestlers with past NCAA experience - including one All-American; however, there are some promising new faces and returning starters that have shown flashes of brilliance. 

125 - Maximo Renteria

Oregon State will look at a new face in the lineup at 125 lbs for the first time in a long time after five-year starter and 2022 All-American Brandon Kaylor has exhausted his eligibility. Hoping to stake his claim to the starting role for multiple years is Maximo Renteria who transferred from Illinois prior to the 2023-24 season. Renteria was the #29 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 after winning three state titles for Buchanan High School. In his only season as the full-time starter for Illinois, Renteria went 4-14 and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. 

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