Oklahoma State pushes six to Big 12 finals, leading second place Northern Iowa by 28.5 points
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Photo of Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock, who has reached the Big 12 finals at 133 pounds by Robert Boyles, Sr.
TULSA, Okla. – It was a mixed bag, more good than bad, for fifth-ranked Oklahoma State on the first day of the 2018 Big 12 Championships inside the spacious BOK Center. With six in Sunday’s finals, the Cowboys, in search of a sixth straight conference, are in control of the team race, leading second place Northern Iowa by 28 ½ points (106 ½ to 78).
South Dakota State, at 71 ½, sits in third, with Wyoming (59) and West Virginia (46 ½) rounding out the top five in a Big 12 Conference that has 12 programs for the first time in its history.
“We won some tough matches today,” said Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, who pushed six to the finals. “I don’t know how much of it was us being a bit tentative, winning our last two matches by almost 70-0, a weird schedule … but you have to be ready for tough matches this time of year. I liked that we won some tough matches, the type of matches you have to win this time of year.
“Sunday we have to be ready because these are big matches, matches you could see in the national semifinals, deep in the NCAA Tournament.”
OSU pushed Nick Piccininni (125), Kaid Brock (133), Dean Heil (141), Boo Lewallen (149), Chandler Rogers (165), and Derek White (285) to a final round that will feature plenty of tasty treats.
Heil, a two-time NCAA champ, took a 55-match win streak to Cheyenne, Wyo., during the regular season where Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith (28-1) ended that streak; the Wyoming senior will battle Heil (23-4) for a Big 12 crown and to further mess with those trying to seed the weight class for Cleveland in just over a week. Heil won two matches Saturday by a combined, 7-0. The two met in the 2017 NCAA finals, won by Heil, who will look to win his fourth conference title.
Two seasons ago, Heil beat South Dakota State’s Seth Gross in the 141-pound Big 12 final. Gross, NCAA finalist in 2017, improved to 23-1 – the one loss coming to Meredith in a regular season dual – with a pair of wins Saturday. A year ago Gross, a junior, beat Brock in the Big 12 final, 9-7; Brock (25-2) avenged a regular season loss to Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges with a 6-2 victory in Saturday’s semifinals and will get another shot at Gross, who has three victories over the Cowboy All-American.
Piccininni (20-3) won a pair of matches Saturday and will face former NCAA finalist Zeke Moisey, who looked sharp in dispatching Utah Valley rookie Taylor LaMont. Moisey, West Virginia’s injury-riddled junior is 22-8 this season and has flown under the radar for much of this season.
Lewallen (25-5) won two wild bouts to reach the 149-pound final where he will face Northern Iowa All-American Max Thomsen (25-6). The Panthers, in their first year of Big 12 competition, won two head-to-head semifinal bouts with OSU, getting a 10-7 win by Taylor Lujan (26-5), who bested Jacobe Smith at 174 pounds, and Drew Foster (24-4), who battled back from a 6-1 deficit against Keegan Moore to win 13-8 at 184 pounds. Lujan meets SDSU’s David Kocer (23-5), while Foster will square off with Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel (22-7), a Big 12 finalist last March.
OSU’s Preston Weigel, a two-time league champ, was one of two top seeds to fall on Saturday. Weigel, with just 10 matches under his belt in 2017-18, had beaten West Virginia’s Jake Smith three times after losing the first two in their series – Smith was injured in the 2017 Big 12 finals and had to default. But Saturday night, Smith (13-6), despite getting ridden out in the second period, earned a pair of stalling points and added a third period takedown to win a 4-3 match to move to the final.
The other top seed to fall was Wyoming’s Branson Ashworth, who brought a 32-3 record into the semifinals but fell in sudden victory to North Dakota State’s Andrew Fogarty (29-9).
Joining Gross and Kocer in the finals for Chris Bono’s SDSU squad will be senior Nate Rotert (24-3). The 157-pound final will feature North Dakota State’s Clay Ream (23-3) and Wyoming’s Archie Colgan (31-7)
The Cowboys had a few highlight moments in the quarterfinal round. Jacobe Smith, off the due to injury since Jan. 27, was locked in a 2-2 match with Utah Valley’s Kimball Bastion when Smith sent Bastion flying for a six-point move and 8-2 lead; a quick reversal made it 8-4 heading to the final period where Bastion attempted an inside trip that Smith countered to score a fall at 6:51. One weight class later, at 184, Moore and Wyoming’s Chaz Polson had a wild 11-8 match that saw 12 of the points scored in the opening three minutes.
Weigel trailed Air Force’s Anthony McLaughlin, 3-2, in the third period before securing a takedown and four-point turn late for a 9-3 victory. Despite getting ridden for the duration of the second period, Brock was too slick and powerful on his feet for North Dakota State’s Cam Sykora in a 15-2 major decision. Rogers was locked in a 1-0 match in the final period when Air Force’s Alex Lopouchanski was injured and had to default.
Eleven of the 12 schools had at least one semifinalist with Air Force, who won six first round matches, the only team without a man among the final four. Eight schools, not including longtime conference powers Oklahoma and Iowa State, advanced at least one man to the finals. The Bulldogs, in their first postseason in over a decade, pushed rookie heavyweight AJ Nevills to the finals.
“This conference is getting better,” said OSU’s John Smith. “You have to be ready to do. We weren’t perfect (in the quarterfinals), but we had to find a way to win some tough matches. That’s what it takes this time of year.”
The Cowboys won their fifth consecutive league crown a year ago, amassing 176 ½ points and crowning eight champions. It also marked the program’s 15 Big 12 Conference title since the league was formed in 1997. Overall, dating back to 1917, the program has won 49 conference tournament crowns (six Southwest, four Missouri Valley, and 24 Big Eight).
Wrestling continues at noon (CST) with consolations and medal-round matches. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST). The conference received 45 NCAA allocations. The event is broadcast by FloWrestling
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
Finals pairings
125 - Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
133 - Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)
141 - Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)
149 - Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) vs. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)
157 - Clay Ream (North Dakota State) vs. Archie Colgan (Wyoming)
165 - Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) vs. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State)
174 - Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. David Kocer (South Dakota State)
184 - Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado)
197 - Jake Smith (West Virginia) vs. Nate Rotert (South Dakota State)
285 - Derek White (Oklahoma State) vs. AJ Nevills (Fresno State)
Semifinal results
125
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) MD Christian Moody (Oklahoma), 11-3
Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) DEC Taylor Lamont (Utah Valley), 8-5
133
Seth Gross (South Dakota State) MD Matt Schmitt (West Virginia), 10-2
Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) DEC Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 6-2
141
Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) DEC Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State), 4-0
Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) DEC Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 2-0
149
Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) DEC Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 11-5
Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) DEC Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma), 10-4 SV
157
Clay Ream (North Dakota State) MD Chase Straw (Iowa State), 12-4
Archie Colgan (Wyoming) DEC Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State), 3-1 SV
165
Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-1 SV
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) F Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley), 2:11
174
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 10-7
David Kocer (South Dakota State) DEC Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 10-8
184
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State), 13-8
Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado) DEC Martin Mueller (South Dakota State), 9-2
197
Jake Smith (West Virginia) DEC Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State), 4-3
Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) DEC Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa), 3-1 SV
285
Derek White (Oklahoma State) DEC Dustin Dennison (Utah Valley), 8-1
Aj Nevills (Fresno State) F Marcus Harrington (Iowa State), 7:27
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State 106.5
2 Northern Iowa 78
3 South Dakota State 71.5
4 Wyoming 59
5 North Dakota State 49.5
6 West Virginia 46.5
7 Oklahoma 45.5
8 Utah Valley 35.5
9 Iowa State 34
10 Northern Colorado 27
11 Fresno State 24.5
12 Air Force 20.5
TULSA, Okla. – It was a mixed bag, more good than bad, for fifth-ranked Oklahoma State on the first day of the 2018 Big 12 Championships inside the spacious BOK Center. With six in Sunday’s finals, the Cowboys, in search of a sixth straight conference, are in control of the team race, leading second place Northern Iowa by 28 ½ points (106 ½ to 78).
South Dakota State, at 71 ½, sits in third, with Wyoming (59) and West Virginia (46 ½) rounding out the top five in a Big 12 Conference that has 12 programs for the first time in its history.
“We won some tough matches today,” said Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, who pushed six to the finals. “I don’t know how much of it was us being a bit tentative, winning our last two matches by almost 70-0, a weird schedule … but you have to be ready for tough matches this time of year. I liked that we won some tough matches, the type of matches you have to win this time of year.
“Sunday we have to be ready because these are big matches, matches you could see in the national semifinals, deep in the NCAA Tournament.”
OSU pushed Nick Piccininni (125), Kaid Brock (133), Dean Heil (141), Boo Lewallen (149), Chandler Rogers (165), and Derek White (285) to a final round that will feature plenty of tasty treats.
Heil, a two-time NCAA champ, took a 55-match win streak to Cheyenne, Wyo., during the regular season where Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith (28-1) ended that streak; the Wyoming senior will battle Heil (23-4) for a Big 12 crown and to further mess with those trying to seed the weight class for Cleveland in just over a week. Heil won two matches Saturday by a combined, 7-0. The two met in the 2017 NCAA finals, won by Heil, who will look to win his fourth conference title.
Two seasons ago, Heil beat South Dakota State’s Seth Gross in the 141-pound Big 12 final. Gross, NCAA finalist in 2017, improved to 23-1 – the one loss coming to Meredith in a regular season dual – with a pair of wins Saturday. A year ago Gross, a junior, beat Brock in the Big 12 final, 9-7; Brock (25-2) avenged a regular season loss to Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges with a 6-2 victory in Saturday’s semifinals and will get another shot at Gross, who has three victories over the Cowboy All-American.
Piccininni (20-3) won a pair of matches Saturday and will face former NCAA finalist Zeke Moisey, who looked sharp in dispatching Utah Valley rookie Taylor LaMont. Moisey, West Virginia’s injury-riddled junior is 22-8 this season and has flown under the radar for much of this season.
Lewallen (25-5) won two wild bouts to reach the 149-pound final where he will face Northern Iowa All-American Max Thomsen (25-6). The Panthers, in their first year of Big 12 competition, won two head-to-head semifinal bouts with OSU, getting a 10-7 win by Taylor Lujan (26-5), who bested Jacobe Smith at 174 pounds, and Drew Foster (24-4), who battled back from a 6-1 deficit against Keegan Moore to win 13-8 at 184 pounds. Lujan meets SDSU’s David Kocer (23-5), while Foster will square off with Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel (22-7), a Big 12 finalist last March.
OSU’s Preston Weigel, a two-time league champ, was one of two top seeds to fall on Saturday. Weigel, with just 10 matches under his belt in 2017-18, had beaten West Virginia’s Jake Smith three times after losing the first two in their series – Smith was injured in the 2017 Big 12 finals and had to default. But Saturday night, Smith (13-6), despite getting ridden out in the second period, earned a pair of stalling points and added a third period takedown to win a 4-3 match to move to the final.
The other top seed to fall was Wyoming’s Branson Ashworth, who brought a 32-3 record into the semifinals but fell in sudden victory to North Dakota State’s Andrew Fogarty (29-9).
Joining Gross and Kocer in the finals for Chris Bono’s SDSU squad will be senior Nate Rotert (24-3). The 157-pound final will feature North Dakota State’s Clay Ream (23-3) and Wyoming’s Archie Colgan (31-7)
The Cowboys had a few highlight moments in the quarterfinal round. Jacobe Smith, off the due to injury since Jan. 27, was locked in a 2-2 match with Utah Valley’s Kimball Bastion when Smith sent Bastion flying for a six-point move and 8-2 lead; a quick reversal made it 8-4 heading to the final period where Bastion attempted an inside trip that Smith countered to score a fall at 6:51. One weight class later, at 184, Moore and Wyoming’s Chaz Polson had a wild 11-8 match that saw 12 of the points scored in the opening three minutes.
Weigel trailed Air Force’s Anthony McLaughlin, 3-2, in the third period before securing a takedown and four-point turn late for a 9-3 victory. Despite getting ridden for the duration of the second period, Brock was too slick and powerful on his feet for North Dakota State’s Cam Sykora in a 15-2 major decision. Rogers was locked in a 1-0 match in the final period when Air Force’s Alex Lopouchanski was injured and had to default.
Eleven of the 12 schools had at least one semifinalist with Air Force, who won six first round matches, the only team without a man among the final four. Eight schools, not including longtime conference powers Oklahoma and Iowa State, advanced at least one man to the finals. The Bulldogs, in their first postseason in over a decade, pushed rookie heavyweight AJ Nevills to the finals.
“This conference is getting better,” said OSU’s John Smith. “You have to be ready to do. We weren’t perfect (in the quarterfinals), but we had to find a way to win some tough matches. That’s what it takes this time of year.”
The Cowboys won their fifth consecutive league crown a year ago, amassing 176 ½ points and crowning eight champions. It also marked the program’s 15 Big 12 Conference title since the league was formed in 1997. Overall, dating back to 1917, the program has won 49 conference tournament crowns (six Southwest, four Missouri Valley, and 24 Big Eight).
Wrestling continues at noon (CST) with consolations and medal-round matches. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST). The conference received 45 NCAA allocations. The event is broadcast by FloWrestling
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
Finals pairings
125 - Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
133 - Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)
141 - Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State)
149 - Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) vs. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)
157 - Clay Ream (North Dakota State) vs. Archie Colgan (Wyoming)
165 - Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) vs. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State)
174 - Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. David Kocer (South Dakota State)
184 - Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado)
197 - Jake Smith (West Virginia) vs. Nate Rotert (South Dakota State)
285 - Derek White (Oklahoma State) vs. AJ Nevills (Fresno State)
Semifinal results
125
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) MD Christian Moody (Oklahoma), 11-3
Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) DEC Taylor Lamont (Utah Valley), 8-5
133
Seth Gross (South Dakota State) MD Matt Schmitt (West Virginia), 10-2
Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) DEC Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 6-2
141
Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) DEC Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State), 4-0
Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) DEC Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 2-0
149
Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) DEC Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 11-5
Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) DEC Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma), 10-4 SV
157
Clay Ream (North Dakota State) MD Chase Straw (Iowa State), 12-4
Archie Colgan (Wyoming) DEC Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State), 3-1 SV
165
Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-1 SV
Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) F Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley), 2:11
174
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 10-7
David Kocer (South Dakota State) DEC Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 10-8
184
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State), 13-8
Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado) DEC Martin Mueller (South Dakota State), 9-2
197
Jake Smith (West Virginia) DEC Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State), 4-3
Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) DEC Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa), 3-1 SV
285
Derek White (Oklahoma State) DEC Dustin Dennison (Utah Valley), 8-1
Aj Nevills (Fresno State) F Marcus Harrington (Iowa State), 7:27
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State 106.5
2 Northern Iowa 78
3 South Dakota State 71.5
4 Wyoming 59
5 North Dakota State 49.5
6 West Virginia 46.5
7 Oklahoma 45.5
8 Utah Valley 35.5
9 Iowa State 34
10 Northern Colorado 27
11 Fresno State 24.5
12 Air Force 20.5
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