No. 3 Cyclones grab lead at Big 12s with 7 in finals; No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Missouri send 5 each to the finals
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by Craig Sesker
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Iowa State Cyclones did about what they were expected to do in the first session of the Big 12 Championships.
Third-ranked Iowa State placed seven wrestlers in the finals as the event kicked off on Saturday at the University of Nebraska Coliseum.
ISU earned a key win to end the session when All-American and top-ranked heavyweight David Zabriskie survived a huge scare in pulling out a 4-2 double-overtime win over Nebraska freshman Tucker Lane.
Fourth-ranked Nebraska had a strong first session as it sent five wrestlers to the finals. Fifth-ranked Missouri also put five wrestlers in the finals.
ISU leads the team race with 56 points. Nebraska is second with 43 points and Missouri third with 40. No. 13 Oklahoma is fourth with 20 points and two finalists. ISU is seeking its third straight league title.
No. 12 Oklahoma State, the winningest program in college history, placed just one wrestler in the finals. The Cowboys finished Session No. 1 with just eight points.
Oklahoma State is in danger of not crowning a conference champion for only the second year since it started competing in league events in 1917. The only time OSU didn't have a conference champion was in 1993 when it wasn't allowed to compete in the Big Eight meet because of NCAA sanctions.
The finals are set for 7 p.m. in Lincoln.
The Big 12 has secured 37 automatic spots in the NCAA Championships, set for March 19-21 in St. Louis. The league can gain additional qualifiers when the NCAA adds an additional 52 at-large bids nationwide on March 11.
Iowa State picked up a big win to start the semifinals when No. 3 seed Tyler Clark downed No. 2 seed and past All-American Obe Blanc of Oklahoma State 4-3 at 125 pounds.
Nebraska pulled off a huge semifinal win at 165 when Stephen Dwyer outlasted Jon Reader 7-3 in overtime in a battle of All-Americans at 165. The match went to the two 30-second tiebreaker periods and Dwyer scored a takedown in the both periods as the pro-Nebraska crowd roared its approval.
NU's Craig Brester piled up over four minutes of riding time in earning a convincing 15-4 major decision over two-time Big 12 champion and All-American Max Askren of Missouri.
Askren beat Brester in the finals of this event the past two seasons at 197.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINALS MATCHUPS
125 POUNDS
Joey Fio (Oklahoma) vs. Tyler Clark (Iowa State)
133 POUNDS
Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State) vs. Chris Notte (Oklahoma State)
141 POUNDS
Marcus Hoehn (Missouri) vs. Nick Gallick (Iowa State)
149 POUNDS
Kyle Terry (Oklahoma) vs. Mitch Mueller (Iowa State)
157 POUNDS
Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. Michael Chandler (Missouri)
165 POUNDS
Nick Marable (Missouri) vs. Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)
174 POUNDS
Raymond Jordan (Missouri) vs. Brandon Browne (Nebraska)
184 POUNDS
Vince Jones (Nebraska) vs. Jerome Ward (Iowa State)
197 POUNDS
Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. Craig Brester (Nebraska)
285 POUNDS
David Zabriskie (Iowa State) vs. Mark Ellis (Missouri)
Third-ranked Iowa State placed seven wrestlers in the finals as the event kicked off on Saturday at the University of Nebraska Coliseum.
ISU earned a key win to end the session when All-American and top-ranked heavyweight David Zabriskie survived a huge scare in pulling out a 4-2 double-overtime win over Nebraska freshman Tucker Lane.
Fourth-ranked Nebraska had a strong first session as it sent five wrestlers to the finals. Fifth-ranked Missouri also put five wrestlers in the finals.
ISU leads the team race with 56 points. Nebraska is second with 43 points and Missouri third with 40. No. 13 Oklahoma is fourth with 20 points and two finalists. ISU is seeking its third straight league title.
No. 12 Oklahoma State, the winningest program in college history, placed just one wrestler in the finals. The Cowboys finished Session No. 1 with just eight points.
Oklahoma State is in danger of not crowning a conference champion for only the second year since it started competing in league events in 1917. The only time OSU didn't have a conference champion was in 1993 when it wasn't allowed to compete in the Big Eight meet because of NCAA sanctions.
The finals are set for 7 p.m. in Lincoln.
The Big 12 has secured 37 automatic spots in the NCAA Championships, set for March 19-21 in St. Louis. The league can gain additional qualifiers when the NCAA adds an additional 52 at-large bids nationwide on March 11.
Iowa State picked up a big win to start the semifinals when No. 3 seed Tyler Clark downed No. 2 seed and past All-American Obe Blanc of Oklahoma State 4-3 at 125 pounds.
Nebraska pulled off a huge semifinal win at 165 when Stephen Dwyer outlasted Jon Reader 7-3 in overtime in a battle of All-Americans at 165. The match went to the two 30-second tiebreaker periods and Dwyer scored a takedown in the both periods as the pro-Nebraska crowd roared its approval.
NU's Craig Brester piled up over four minutes of riding time in earning a convincing 15-4 major decision over two-time Big 12 champion and All-American Max Askren of Missouri.
Askren beat Brester in the finals of this event the past two seasons at 197.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINALS MATCHUPS
125 POUNDS
Joey Fio (Oklahoma) vs. Tyler Clark (Iowa State)
133 POUNDS
Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State) vs. Chris Notte (Oklahoma State)
141 POUNDS
Marcus Hoehn (Missouri) vs. Nick Gallick (Iowa State)
149 POUNDS
Kyle Terry (Oklahoma) vs. Mitch Mueller (Iowa State)
157 POUNDS
Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. Michael Chandler (Missouri)
165 POUNDS
Nick Marable (Missouri) vs. Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)
174 POUNDS
Raymond Jordan (Missouri) vs. Brandon Browne (Nebraska)
184 POUNDS
Vince Jones (Nebraska) vs. Jerome Ward (Iowa State)
197 POUNDS
Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. Craig Brester (Nebraska)
285 POUNDS
David Zabriskie (Iowa State) vs. Mark Ellis (Missouri)
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