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Oklahoma State wrestling champ AJ Ferrari, track star Isai Rodriguez injured in fiery roll-over crash

Jason Owens
·Staff writer
·2-min read
Mar 19, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestler AJ Ferrari celebrates after defeating Michigan State Wolverines wrestler Myles Amine in the 197 weight class during the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State wrestler AJ Ferrari sustained head and leg injuries in a rollover crash on Monday. (Jeff Curry/Reuters) (USA Today Sports / reuters)

Two star Oklahoma State athletes were injured in a roll-over car crash on Monday.

Wrestler AJ Ferrari required helicopter transportation to an Oklahoma City hospital with leg and head injuries, according to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol report obtained by the Associated Press. Distance runner Isai Rodriguez sustained arm, leg and head injuries and was transported to a Stillwater hospital, per the report. None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to Oklahoma State. Both were listed in fair condition after the crash.

The crash happened around 8 p.m. local time as the athletes returned to Stillwater from a nearby appearance at a youth wrestling practice. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Ferrari was driving and attempted to pass three cars in a no-passing zone. His vehicle collided with another and rolled over into a roadside ditch, per the report.

Report: OSU football coordinator Kasey Dunn pulled Ferrari from wreckage

Ferrari's father AJ Ferrari Sr. wrote on Facebook that Oklahoma State football offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn "was instrumental in saving AJ's life." Oklahoma State fan site Pokes Report reports that Dunn was at the scene of the crash "almost immediately" and pulled Ferrari out of the burning vehicle. It's not clear if Dunn's presence on the scene was a coincidence. Rodriguez, meanwhile, crawled through the broken windshield to escape the vehicle, according to Pokes Report.

STILLWATER, OK - MARCH 15: Isai Rodriguez of the Oklahoma State Cowboys finishes in eighth place during the Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships held at the OSU Cross Country Course on March 15, 2021 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Oklahoma State track star Isai Rodriguez sustained multiple injuries in the crash. (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) (Shane Bevel via Getty Images)

Ferrari Sr: A 'miracle' son avoided further injury

Ferrari Sr. wrote that his son was experiencing internal bleeding, low oxygen levels and fluid on his lung as of Monday night, while describing his escape from the crash without further injury as a "miracle."

"It looks like a miracle that he didn’t have anything broken or any long term head issues," Ferrari wrote. "He has fluid in his lungs that is affecting his oxygen levels and some bad bruising with some internal bleeding, so they are keeping him here. If you saw the car and AJ, you would know this was a miracle."

The driver of the other car involved in the collision, 56-year-old Valenda McKee of Ripley, Oklahoma, did not sustain injuries, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Ferrari, 20, is the reigning NCAA wrestling champion at 197 pounds. He won a bronze medal for the United States at the 2018 Cadet Freestyle World Championships and was the U.S. Junior National Champion in his weight class in 2020. He has an NIL deal with WWE.

Rodriguez, 23, earned second-team All-America honors as a long-distance runner in 2021 and is a two-time All-American in NCAA cross-country competition.