Oklahoma State, with seven in the finals, leads Big 12 Championships, with Iowa State in second
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Daton Fix standings graphic courtesy of @CowboyWrestling Twitter.
TULSA, Okla. – Second-ranked Oklahoma State took control of the 2019 Big 12 Conference Championships inside Tulsa’s BOK Center on Saturday, pushing seven into Sunday’s finals. The Cowboys, winners of six-straight conference crowns, led second place Iowa State, 129 ½ to 92 ½, with Northern Iowa (62 ½), Oklahoma (56 ½), and Wyoming (50) rounding out the top five.
OSU won the 2018 Big 12 title by 40 ½ points. They take a 37-point lead into Day 2 in 2019.
“I liked the way it finished,” said O-State head coach John Smith. “Putting seven in the finals; several guys showed some real excitement. Those last two wins were big, keeping those guys alive, a good way to finish the day. Good hustle, a lot of effort today.
“I think what we saw today was the Big 12 really starting to mature as a wrestling conference. It is getting better and better.”
The Cowboys went 26-3 over the first two sessions. Smith’s finalists include: two-time Big 12 champ Nick Piccininni (29-0), who had two easy wins at 125; rookie Daton Fix (29-1) at 133; Kaid Brock (19-6) at 141; freshman Kaden Gfeller (25-5) at 149; Jacobe Smith (25-3) at 184; senior Preston Weigel (10-0) at 197; and heavyweight Derek White (27-1), who dominated three opponents on the first day.
Fix was challenged by Fresno State’s Gary Joint in the quarters, then got by West Virginia’s Matt Schmitt in the semifinals. He gets Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges (30-7), an Oklahoma native who was an All-American in 2018, in Sunday’s finals.
“I’m grateful the Big 12 tournament is in Tulsa so I can wrestle in front of my hometown,” said Fix, a native of Sand Springs, a suburb of Tulsa. “I’m actually living a dream wrestling at Oklahoma State. I love my coaches, I love my teammates, I love Stillwater.”
Bridges, from Altus, improved to 30-7 with a solid win over Iowa State’s Austin Gomez in the semifinals. He, too, gets to wrestle in front of his native Oklahomans.
“It shows I can wrestle with these guys. I’ve known that from the get-go,” Bridges said. “The coaches have been preaching these last few weeks to believe in your training and that’s what I’ve been doing.
“I had 30 family members and 20 friends (at the OSU match in Stillwater in late November) and I wasn’t wrestling well at the time. The way I competed (against Fix) kind of got things turned around for me. I’ve been wrestling a lot better since.”
Fix beat Bridges, 3-0, in the dual meet before Christmas.
Gfeller won a wild 9-8 match in the quarters over North Dakota State’s Jaden Van Maanen, then got by FSU’s Khristian Olivas, 7-2, a round later. Gfeller gets Iowa State’s Jarred Degen in the 149-pound final. Weigel, off the mat for most of the season, looked strong, hammering Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley Saturday night to move into his third Big 12 final.
“I have to be ready for a big match (Sunday),” Weigel said. “Just be ready to go.”
Two No. 1 seeds fell on Day 1 – Northern Iowa’s Josh Alber (141) and Wyoming’s Branson Ashworth (165). Alber entered the weekend with a salty 27-4 record, but lost an overtime bout to Northern Colorado’s Chris Sandoval, a freshman who won just five of 13 matches during the regular season. Sandoval then dropped his semifinal match to OSU’s Brock, but will finish among the top six in a weight with six qualifiers.
Ashworth, a senior, entered his final Big 12s with a 31-3 mark, but could not find a third period turn to beat North Dakota State’s Andrew Fogarty. Fogarty, the fifth seed, meets Utah Valley’s Demetrius Romero in the 165-pound final. Romero (24-3) scored nine third period points – including a four-point turn late to beat OSU’s Joe Smith, 12-8, in the quarterfinals. It was Smith’s second match of the season at 165 after earning the spot with wins over teammate Chandler Rogers in a best-of-three wrestle-off last Monday.
Smith, the seventh seed, bounced back to win two matches Friday night and squares off with Ashworth in a consolation semifinal. The winner earns an automatic spot. The loser must win the fifth-place bout to avoid going into the at-large pool where Ashworth is safe – Smith is not.
Wyoming had a strong regular season, but will have Bridges as its only finalist.
Iowa State proved a good regular season was not a fluke, pushing Degen, Chase Straw (157), Sam Colbray (184), and Willie Micklus (197) into the finals. The Cyclone 197-pounder, who saw the passing of his father last week, avenged a loss to Fresno State’s Josh Hokit in the semifinals. The former Missouri Tiger (22-2) squares off with Weigel, while Straw (19-10), part of a weight class with just one allocation, meets Oklahoma’s Justin Thomas (20-8) in the final. Colbray (25-5), the top seed at 184, meets UNI’s Drew Foster (22-5) in the final.
ISU had tough losses at 133 and 141 where Austin Gomez and Ian Parker each dropped semifinal bouts, Gomez losing to Bridges and Parker getting edged 3-2 by OU’s Dom Demas. The Sooner freshman faces Bedlam rival Brock in the finals, looking for his second win of the season over the Cowboy junior.
NDSU’s Brent Fleetwood (24-3) went to overtime to beat OU’s Christian Moody in the semifinals. The former Chippewa gets a shot at the unbeaten Piccininni Sunday night.
UNI lost a number of close bouts on the first day. Joining Alber on the short end was Max Thomsen, who lost a video-review-filled quarterfinal bout with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer at 149, and 165-pounder Bryce Steiert, who fell to Romero in the 165-pound semifinals.
Alber and Wyoming’s Sam Turner, the sixth seed, battled in a Friday night consolation bout with Alber staying alive with a 3-2 win. Thomsen was not so fortunate, dropping a 15-5 match to OU’s Davion Jeffries, wrestling in front of many Broken Arrow natives who made the short drive into downtown Tulsa.
OSU and Iowa State are the only two with all 10 wrestlers weighing in Sunday morning. Northern Iowa and Wyoming each have seven remaining with Fresno State, in its second year in the Big 12, at six. The Bulldogs totaled 48 points on Day 1 and are tied with North Dakota State in sixth.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
At Tulsa, Okla.
Note: The Big 12 has 53 NCAA automatic qualifiers
Finals pairings
125 - Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)
141 - Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. Dominick Demas (Oklahoma)
149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) vs. Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
157 - Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) vs. Chase Straw (Iowa State)
165 - Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) vs. Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley)
174 - Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)
184 - Sam Colbray (Iowa State) vs. Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
197 - Willie Miklus (Iowa State) vs. Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)
285 - AJ Nevills (Fresno State) vs. Derek White (Oklahoma State)
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State 129.5
2 Iowa State 92.5
3 Northern Iowa 62.5
4 Oklahoma 56.5
5 Wyoming 50
6 Fresno State 48
6 North Dakota State 48
8 Utah Valley 43.5
9 West Virginia 35.5
10 Northern Colorado 15
11 South Dakota State 14.5
12 Air Force 11.5
Semifinal results
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) MD Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado), 15-2
Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) DEC Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa), 8-2
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) DEC Matt Schmitt (West Virginia), 6-1
Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) DEC Austin Gomez (Iowa State), 6-3
141 pounds
Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) DEC Chris Sandoval (Northern Colorado), 8-3
Dominick Demas (Oklahoma) DEC Ian Parker (Iowa State), 8-4
149 pounds
Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) DEC Khristian Olivas (Fresno State), 7-2
Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) DEC Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State), 8-2
157 pounds
Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) DEC Luke Weber (North Dakota State), 13-8
Chase Straw (Iowa State) DEC Jacob Wright (Fresno State), 4-0
165 pounds
Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-2
Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley) DEC Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-2
174 pounds
Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) MD Hayden Hastings (Wyoming), 18-5
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley), 3-1
184 pounds
Sam Colbray (Iowa State) DEC Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 5-2
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State), 6-3
197 pounds
Willie Miklus (Iowa State) DEC Josh Hokit (Fresno State), 6-0
Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) MD Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 13-0
285 pounds
AJ Nevills (Fresno State) DEC Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 3-2
Derek White (Oklahoma State) MD Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 10-1
TULSA, Okla. – Second-ranked Oklahoma State took control of the 2019 Big 12 Conference Championships inside Tulsa’s BOK Center on Saturday, pushing seven into Sunday’s finals. The Cowboys, winners of six-straight conference crowns, led second place Iowa State, 129 ½ to 92 ½, with Northern Iowa (62 ½), Oklahoma (56 ½), and Wyoming (50) rounding out the top five.
OSU won the 2018 Big 12 title by 40 ½ points. They take a 37-point lead into Day 2 in 2019.
“I liked the way it finished,” said O-State head coach John Smith. “Putting seven in the finals; several guys showed some real excitement. Those last two wins were big, keeping those guys alive, a good way to finish the day. Good hustle, a lot of effort today.
“I think what we saw today was the Big 12 really starting to mature as a wrestling conference. It is getting better and better.”
The Cowboys went 26-3 over the first two sessions. Smith’s finalists include: two-time Big 12 champ Nick Piccininni (29-0), who had two easy wins at 125; rookie Daton Fix (29-1) at 133; Kaid Brock (19-6) at 141; freshman Kaden Gfeller (25-5) at 149; Jacobe Smith (25-3) at 184; senior Preston Weigel (10-0) at 197; and heavyweight Derek White (27-1), who dominated three opponents on the first day.
Fix was challenged by Fresno State’s Gary Joint in the quarters, then got by West Virginia’s Matt Schmitt in the semifinals. He gets Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges (30-7), an Oklahoma native who was an All-American in 2018, in Sunday’s finals.
“I’m grateful the Big 12 tournament is in Tulsa so I can wrestle in front of my hometown,” said Fix, a native of Sand Springs, a suburb of Tulsa. “I’m actually living a dream wrestling at Oklahoma State. I love my coaches, I love my teammates, I love Stillwater.”
Bridges, from Altus, improved to 30-7 with a solid win over Iowa State’s Austin Gomez in the semifinals. He, too, gets to wrestle in front of his native Oklahomans.
“It shows I can wrestle with these guys. I’ve known that from the get-go,” Bridges said. “The coaches have been preaching these last few weeks to believe in your training and that’s what I’ve been doing.
“I had 30 family members and 20 friends (at the OSU match in Stillwater in late November) and I wasn’t wrestling well at the time. The way I competed (against Fix) kind of got things turned around for me. I’ve been wrestling a lot better since.”
Fix beat Bridges, 3-0, in the dual meet before Christmas.
Gfeller won a wild 9-8 match in the quarters over North Dakota State’s Jaden Van Maanen, then got by FSU’s Khristian Olivas, 7-2, a round later. Gfeller gets Iowa State’s Jarred Degen in the 149-pound final. Weigel, off the mat for most of the season, looked strong, hammering Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley Saturday night to move into his third Big 12 final.
“I have to be ready for a big match (Sunday),” Weigel said. “Just be ready to go.”
Two No. 1 seeds fell on Day 1 – Northern Iowa’s Josh Alber (141) and Wyoming’s Branson Ashworth (165). Alber entered the weekend with a salty 27-4 record, but lost an overtime bout to Northern Colorado’s Chris Sandoval, a freshman who won just five of 13 matches during the regular season. Sandoval then dropped his semifinal match to OSU’s Brock, but will finish among the top six in a weight with six qualifiers.
Ashworth, a senior, entered his final Big 12s with a 31-3 mark, but could not find a third period turn to beat North Dakota State’s Andrew Fogarty. Fogarty, the fifth seed, meets Utah Valley’s Demetrius Romero in the 165-pound final. Romero (24-3) scored nine third period points – including a four-point turn late to beat OSU’s Joe Smith, 12-8, in the quarterfinals. It was Smith’s second match of the season at 165 after earning the spot with wins over teammate Chandler Rogers in a best-of-three wrestle-off last Monday.
Smith, the seventh seed, bounced back to win two matches Friday night and squares off with Ashworth in a consolation semifinal. The winner earns an automatic spot. The loser must win the fifth-place bout to avoid going into the at-large pool where Ashworth is safe – Smith is not.
Wyoming had a strong regular season, but will have Bridges as its only finalist.
Iowa State proved a good regular season was not a fluke, pushing Degen, Chase Straw (157), Sam Colbray (184), and Willie Micklus (197) into the finals. The Cyclone 197-pounder, who saw the passing of his father last week, avenged a loss to Fresno State’s Josh Hokit in the semifinals. The former Missouri Tiger (22-2) squares off with Weigel, while Straw (19-10), part of a weight class with just one allocation, meets Oklahoma’s Justin Thomas (20-8) in the final. Colbray (25-5), the top seed at 184, meets UNI’s Drew Foster (22-5) in the final.
ISU had tough losses at 133 and 141 where Austin Gomez and Ian Parker each dropped semifinal bouts, Gomez losing to Bridges and Parker getting edged 3-2 by OU’s Dom Demas. The Sooner freshman faces Bedlam rival Brock in the finals, looking for his second win of the season over the Cowboy junior.
NDSU’s Brent Fleetwood (24-3) went to overtime to beat OU’s Christian Moody in the semifinals. The former Chippewa gets a shot at the unbeaten Piccininni Sunday night.
UNI lost a number of close bouts on the first day. Joining Alber on the short end was Max Thomsen, who lost a video-review-filled quarterfinal bout with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer at 149, and 165-pounder Bryce Steiert, who fell to Romero in the 165-pound semifinals.
Alber and Wyoming’s Sam Turner, the sixth seed, battled in a Friday night consolation bout with Alber staying alive with a 3-2 win. Thomsen was not so fortunate, dropping a 15-5 match to OU’s Davion Jeffries, wrestling in front of many Broken Arrow natives who made the short drive into downtown Tulsa.
OSU and Iowa State are the only two with all 10 wrestlers weighing in Sunday morning. Northern Iowa and Wyoming each have seven remaining with Fresno State, in its second year in the Big 12, at six. The Bulldogs totaled 48 points on Day 1 and are tied with North Dakota State in sixth.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
At Tulsa, Okla.
Note: The Big 12 has 53 NCAA automatic qualifiers
Finals pairings
125 - Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
133 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)
141 - Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. Dominick Demas (Oklahoma)
149 - Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) vs. Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
157 - Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) vs. Chase Straw (Iowa State)
165 - Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) vs. Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley)
174 - Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)
184 - Sam Colbray (Iowa State) vs. Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
197 - Willie Miklus (Iowa State) vs. Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)
285 - AJ Nevills (Fresno State) vs. Derek White (Oklahoma State)
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State 129.5
2 Iowa State 92.5
3 Northern Iowa 62.5
4 Oklahoma 56.5
5 Wyoming 50
6 Fresno State 48
6 North Dakota State 48
8 Utah Valley 43.5
9 West Virginia 35.5
10 Northern Colorado 15
11 South Dakota State 14.5
12 Air Force 11.5
Semifinal results
125 pounds
Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) MD Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado), 15-2
Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) DEC Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa), 8-2
133 pounds
Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) DEC Matt Schmitt (West Virginia), 6-1
Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) DEC Austin Gomez (Iowa State), 6-3
141 pounds
Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) DEC Chris Sandoval (Northern Colorado), 8-3
Dominick Demas (Oklahoma) DEC Ian Parker (Iowa State), 8-4
149 pounds
Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) DEC Khristian Olivas (Fresno State), 7-2
Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) DEC Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State), 8-2
157 pounds
Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) DEC Luke Weber (North Dakota State), 13-8
Chase Straw (Iowa State) DEC Jacob Wright (Fresno State), 4-0
165 pounds
Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-2
Demetrirus Romero (Utah Valley) DEC Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-2
174 pounds
Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) MD Hayden Hastings (Wyoming), 18-5
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley), 3-1
184 pounds
Sam Colbray (Iowa State) DEC Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 5-2
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State), 6-3
197 pounds
Willie Miklus (Iowa State) DEC Josh Hokit (Fresno State), 6-0
Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) MD Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 13-0
285 pounds
AJ Nevills (Fresno State) DEC Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 3-2
Derek White (Oklahoma State) MD Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 10-1
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