Oklahoma State takes lead over Iowa State after semifinals in competitive Big 12 Championships
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Graphic courtesy of @CowboyWrestling Twitter
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State won the 2019 Big 12 Conference title by 43 ½ points. It marked a seventh consecutive trophy and the 17th since the first Big 12 meet in 1997. Iowa State last won a conference crown in wrestling in 2008 under then-head coach Cael Sanderson – the Cyclones tied with Nebraska for top honors in 2009.
The old Big Eight rivals might have an interesting Sunday in store for Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Both pushed four into Sunday’s finals with two – 125 and 157 – providing head-to-head battles. At 157 pounds, ISU rookie David Carr (17-1) won a pair of close decisions and will meet rising Wyatt Sheets (20-6) in a rematch that saw Carr win by major decision in January; OSU senior Nick Piccininni (25-2) will go for his fourth Big 12 title when he meets Alex Mackall (19-6) in the 125-pound championship match.
“Same feeling, just another match and trying to improve every time,” Piccininni said. “I felt really good today, probably the best I’ve felt all year. I’m excited for (Sunday).
“It’s going to be exciting because we are both chasing the same thing, that team trophy and that individual title.”
For wrestling historians, Carr-Sheets just sounds fun.
“Sounds like a 1980s throwback doesn’t it?” said ISU boss Kevin Dresser. “(Sunday) is going to be fun. We had a good round this morning and a so-so round tonight. I told the guys that we have to go out and take it because Oklahoma State is not going to give it to us. They had a strong round tonight. The Degen-Lewallen match was a big match, a great match and the fans got their money’s worth. The 174-pound (semifinal) … we would have liked to have won that one.”
The 149-pound semifinal between Boo Lewallen and Jarrett Degen was certainly fan friendly as Lewallen, a 2018 Big 12 champ, appeared in control until he was reversed to his back for four in the second period. Trailing 8-7, Lewallen returned the favor in the third, reversing Degen to his back for a pin at 6:18. The extra points proved big for both teams. Lewallen squares off with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer (21-4) on Sunday. The Jackrabbit senior took out UNI’s Max Thomsen in the semifinals.
“You have to keep wrestling,” said Lewallen, who missed last season due to injury. “(Degen) is a tough opponent; we’ve wrestled a few times. He’s the type of guy I can’t ride, so I have to get takedowns. I think I wrestled well, just need to be a little cleaner.”
“(Boo) did a nice job of recovering from a tough situation,” said OSU boss John Smith. “That can take a lot out of you emotionally. I was pleased to see him come back, get that reversal to a pin. You look like you are winning comfortably and all-of-a-sudden it’s tied or your behind … what are you going to do?
“We responded in the (second session). If you are going to win tournaments you have to win tough matches. I thought we did a pretty good job with several wins. They all make a difference in the team score.”
Ian Parker (20-3) and Gannon Gremmel (23-7) joined Mackall and Carr in the finals for ISU, while OSU rookie Travis Wittlake (27-2) cruised into the 165-pound final to join his three teammates.
By the time Saturday’s second session was done the Cowboys had totaled 111 ½ points, 19 ½ more than ISU. Northern Iowa (90), South Dakota State (83 ½) and North Dakota State (74 ½) rounded out the top five in the 12-team field. Nine teams pushed at least one man to the finals.
North Dakota State’s 1-2 veteran punch of Cam Sykora (16-4) and Andrew Fogarty (21-3) each won a pair of matches to move into the finals. Fogarty squares off with Wittlake, while Sykora meets Northern Colorado rookie Mosha Schwartz (22-9), who beat Utah Valley’s Taylor LaMont, then OU’s Anthony Madrigal in the semifinals. Sykora beat Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges, 7-6, in the semifinals.
UNI responded Saturday night after an ugly start to the weekend. Senior Taylor Lujan (25-2), the top seed at 184 pounds, used a riding time point to escape Jacob Thompson, 11-10, in his opener, then beat ISU’s Marcus Coleman in the semifinals. Fellow senior Bryce Steiert (25-3) beat OSU’s Joe Smith by major decision in the dual meet in January; on Saturday night the Panther needed a late takedown to break a 1-1 tie.
Oklahoma sophomore Dom Demas (26-3) had an early scare and used a last-second takedown to beat OSU’s Dusty Hone to advance to his second Big 12 final. Head coach Lou Rosselli also saw Anthony Mantanona move into the 174-pound final after a narrow win over ISU’s Samuel Colbray.
SDSU’s Zach Carlson and Tanner Sloan join Pohlmeyer in the final, with West Virginia’s Noah Adams (31-0) and Wyoming’s Brian Andrews, a 27-match winner this season, facing Gremmel in Sunday night’s finale.
The tournament started off with a few head-scratchers when UNI’s Jacob Schwarm lost to Air Force’s Cody Phippen at 125, and OSU rookie Reece Witcraft and ISU’s Todd Small each tasted defeat at 133 pounds in the first round. Phippen, a native of Missouri, entered the weekend at 0-0.
The Cowboys also suffered tough losses at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, when Anthony Montalvo could not finish a late takedown against Wyoming’s Tate Samuelson – a video review did not change what was a tough call on the edge of the mat in the final 12 seconds – and another Cowboy, Stephen Buchanan, scored a big third period takedown to beat OSU’s Dakota Geer for the second time in a month. OSU coaches argued a little too much with officials following the Montalvo match and were docked a team point.
ISU pushed eight into the semifinals, including Degen’s down-to-the-wire win over Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez in a 149-pound quarterfinal. The Cyclones held a four-point lead (64-60) over the reigning holders of the Big 12 trophy after the first session. South Dakota State was a distant third at 42, a point better than Oklahoma, who won five quarterfinal bouts. Northern Iowa did not have a good opening session, scoring just 38 points and advancing only four into the final four.
“It’s a little bit different tournament than in the past,” said John Smith after the first session. “We knew we might be in this position, having to fight for everything.”
Oklahoma State has won 17 Big 12 titles since the first meet in 1997. Iowa State and Nebraska tied for top honors in 2009; the Cyclones, under then-coach Cael Sanderson, won in 2007 and 2008. Oklahoma was champion in 1999 and 2002 with Missouri, in its last year in the league, winning in 2012.
Wrestling begins at 11 a.m. (CST) with the finals set for 6 p.m.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
Finals pairings
125 - No. 1 Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Alex Mackall (Iowa State)
133 - No. 3 Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) vs. No. 8 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado)
141 - No. 1 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 2 Ian Parker (Iowa State)
149 - No. 1 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State)
157 - No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State)
165 - No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State)
184 - No. 1 Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) vs. No. 3 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State)
197 - No. 1 Noah Adams (West Virginia) vs. No. 2 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
285 - No. 2 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) vs. No. 5 Brian Andrews (Wyoming)
Semifinal results
125 pounds
No. 1 Nicholas Piccininni (Ok State) maj. dec. No. 4 McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State), 12-1
No. 3 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) dec. unseeded Cody Phippen (Air Force), 7-3
133 pounds
No. 8 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 4 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma), 3-2
No. 3 Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) dec. No. 2 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 7-6
141 pounds
No. 1 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) dec. No. 4 Dusty Hone (Okla. State), 3-1
No. 2 Ian Parker (Iowa State) dec. No. 3 Michael Blockhus (N. Iowa), 4-0
149 pounds
No. 1 Boo Lewallen (Ok State) pin No. 4 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 6:18
No. 2 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) dec. No. 3 Max Thomsen (N. Iowa), 1-0
157 pounds
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma), 4-1
No. 3 Wyatt Sheets (Ok State) maj. dec. No. 2 Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 14-5
165 pounds
No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Ok State) dec. No. 4 Tanner Cook (South Dakota State), 10-3
No. 2 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 6 Chase Straw (Iowa State), 15-2
174 pounds
No. 1 Bryce Steiert (N. Iowa) dec. No. 5 Joseph Smith (Ok State), 4-1
No. 2 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) dec. No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State), 6-5
184
No. 1 Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) dec. No. 5 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 4-0
No. 3 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) dec. No. 7 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 3-2
197
No. 1 Noah Adams (West Virginia) dec. No. 4 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming), 7-4
No. 2 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 3 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 8-0
285
No. 5 Brian Andrews (Wyoming) dec. No. 1 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 7-3, TB-2
No. 2 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) dec. No. 6 Dalton Robertson (N. Colorado), 10-3
Standings after day one
1 Oklahoma State, 111.5
2 Iowa State, 92.0
3 Northern Iowa, 90.5
4 South Dakota State, 83.5
5 North Dakota State, 74.5
6 Oklahoma, 65.5
7 Wyoming, 65.0
8 Northern Colorado, 60.0
9 Fresno State, 47.5
10 West Virginia, 35.0
11 Utah Valley, 29.0
12 Air Force, 21.5
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State won the 2019 Big 12 Conference title by 43 ½ points. It marked a seventh consecutive trophy and the 17th since the first Big 12 meet in 1997. Iowa State last won a conference crown in wrestling in 2008 under then-head coach Cael Sanderson – the Cyclones tied with Nebraska for top honors in 2009.
The old Big Eight rivals might have an interesting Sunday in store for Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Both pushed four into Sunday’s finals with two – 125 and 157 – providing head-to-head battles. At 157 pounds, ISU rookie David Carr (17-1) won a pair of close decisions and will meet rising Wyatt Sheets (20-6) in a rematch that saw Carr win by major decision in January; OSU senior Nick Piccininni (25-2) will go for his fourth Big 12 title when he meets Alex Mackall (19-6) in the 125-pound championship match.
“Same feeling, just another match and trying to improve every time,” Piccininni said. “I felt really good today, probably the best I’ve felt all year. I’m excited for (Sunday).
“It’s going to be exciting because we are both chasing the same thing, that team trophy and that individual title.”
For wrestling historians, Carr-Sheets just sounds fun.
“Sounds like a 1980s throwback doesn’t it?” said ISU boss Kevin Dresser. “(Sunday) is going to be fun. We had a good round this morning and a so-so round tonight. I told the guys that we have to go out and take it because Oklahoma State is not going to give it to us. They had a strong round tonight. The Degen-Lewallen match was a big match, a great match and the fans got their money’s worth. The 174-pound (semifinal) … we would have liked to have won that one.”
The 149-pound semifinal between Boo Lewallen and Jarrett Degen was certainly fan friendly as Lewallen, a 2018 Big 12 champ, appeared in control until he was reversed to his back for four in the second period. Trailing 8-7, Lewallen returned the favor in the third, reversing Degen to his back for a pin at 6:18. The extra points proved big for both teams. Lewallen squares off with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer (21-4) on Sunday. The Jackrabbit senior took out UNI’s Max Thomsen in the semifinals.
“You have to keep wrestling,” said Lewallen, who missed last season due to injury. “(Degen) is a tough opponent; we’ve wrestled a few times. He’s the type of guy I can’t ride, so I have to get takedowns. I think I wrestled well, just need to be a little cleaner.”
“(Boo) did a nice job of recovering from a tough situation,” said OSU boss John Smith. “That can take a lot out of you emotionally. I was pleased to see him come back, get that reversal to a pin. You look like you are winning comfortably and all-of-a-sudden it’s tied or your behind … what are you going to do?
“We responded in the (second session). If you are going to win tournaments you have to win tough matches. I thought we did a pretty good job with several wins. They all make a difference in the team score.”
Ian Parker (20-3) and Gannon Gremmel (23-7) joined Mackall and Carr in the finals for ISU, while OSU rookie Travis Wittlake (27-2) cruised into the 165-pound final to join his three teammates.
By the time Saturday’s second session was done the Cowboys had totaled 111 ½ points, 19 ½ more than ISU. Northern Iowa (90), South Dakota State (83 ½) and North Dakota State (74 ½) rounded out the top five in the 12-team field. Nine teams pushed at least one man to the finals.
North Dakota State’s 1-2 veteran punch of Cam Sykora (16-4) and Andrew Fogarty (21-3) each won a pair of matches to move into the finals. Fogarty squares off with Wittlake, while Sykora meets Northern Colorado rookie Mosha Schwartz (22-9), who beat Utah Valley’s Taylor LaMont, then OU’s Anthony Madrigal in the semifinals. Sykora beat Wyoming’s Montorie Bridges, 7-6, in the semifinals.
UNI responded Saturday night after an ugly start to the weekend. Senior Taylor Lujan (25-2), the top seed at 184 pounds, used a riding time point to escape Jacob Thompson, 11-10, in his opener, then beat ISU’s Marcus Coleman in the semifinals. Fellow senior Bryce Steiert (25-3) beat OSU’s Joe Smith by major decision in the dual meet in January; on Saturday night the Panther needed a late takedown to break a 1-1 tie.
Oklahoma sophomore Dom Demas (26-3) had an early scare and used a last-second takedown to beat OSU’s Dusty Hone to advance to his second Big 12 final. Head coach Lou Rosselli also saw Anthony Mantanona move into the 174-pound final after a narrow win over ISU’s Samuel Colbray.
SDSU’s Zach Carlson and Tanner Sloan join Pohlmeyer in the final, with West Virginia’s Noah Adams (31-0) and Wyoming’s Brian Andrews, a 27-match winner this season, facing Gremmel in Sunday night’s finale.
The tournament started off with a few head-scratchers when UNI’s Jacob Schwarm lost to Air Force’s Cody Phippen at 125, and OSU rookie Reece Witcraft and ISU’s Todd Small each tasted defeat at 133 pounds in the first round. Phippen, a native of Missouri, entered the weekend at 0-0.
The Cowboys also suffered tough losses at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, when Anthony Montalvo could not finish a late takedown against Wyoming’s Tate Samuelson – a video review did not change what was a tough call on the edge of the mat in the final 12 seconds – and another Cowboy, Stephen Buchanan, scored a big third period takedown to beat OSU’s Dakota Geer for the second time in a month. OSU coaches argued a little too much with officials following the Montalvo match and were docked a team point.
ISU pushed eight into the semifinals, including Degen’s down-to-the-wire win over Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez in a 149-pound quarterfinal. The Cyclones held a four-point lead (64-60) over the reigning holders of the Big 12 trophy after the first session. South Dakota State was a distant third at 42, a point better than Oklahoma, who won five quarterfinal bouts. Northern Iowa did not have a good opening session, scoring just 38 points and advancing only four into the final four.
“It’s a little bit different tournament than in the past,” said John Smith after the first session. “We knew we might be in this position, having to fight for everything.”
Oklahoma State has won 17 Big 12 titles since the first meet in 1997. Iowa State and Nebraska tied for top honors in 2009; the Cyclones, under then-coach Cael Sanderson, won in 2007 and 2008. Oklahoma was champion in 1999 and 2002 with Missouri, in its last year in the league, winning in 2012.
Wrestling begins at 11 a.m. (CST) with the finals set for 6 p.m.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
Finals pairings
125 - No. 1 Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Alex Mackall (Iowa State)
133 - No. 3 Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) vs. No. 8 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado)
141 - No. 1 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 2 Ian Parker (Iowa State)
149 - No. 1 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State)
157 - No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State)
165 - No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State)
184 - No. 1 Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) vs. No. 3 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State)
197 - No. 1 Noah Adams (West Virginia) vs. No. 2 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
285 - No. 2 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) vs. No. 5 Brian Andrews (Wyoming)
Semifinal results
125 pounds
No. 1 Nicholas Piccininni (Ok State) maj. dec. No. 4 McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State), 12-1
No. 3 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) dec. unseeded Cody Phippen (Air Force), 7-3
133 pounds
No. 8 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 4 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma), 3-2
No. 3 Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) dec. No. 2 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 7-6
141 pounds
No. 1 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) dec. No. 4 Dusty Hone (Okla. State), 3-1
No. 2 Ian Parker (Iowa State) dec. No. 3 Michael Blockhus (N. Iowa), 4-0
149 pounds
No. 1 Boo Lewallen (Ok State) pin No. 4 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 6:18
No. 2 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) dec. No. 3 Max Thomsen (N. Iowa), 1-0
157 pounds
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma), 4-1
No. 3 Wyatt Sheets (Ok State) maj. dec. No. 2 Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 14-5
165 pounds
No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Ok State) dec. No. 4 Tanner Cook (South Dakota State), 10-3
No. 2 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 6 Chase Straw (Iowa State), 15-2
174 pounds
No. 1 Bryce Steiert (N. Iowa) dec. No. 5 Joseph Smith (Ok State), 4-1
No. 2 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) dec. No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State), 6-5
184
No. 1 Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) dec. No. 5 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 4-0
No. 3 Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) dec. No. 7 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 3-2
197
No. 1 Noah Adams (West Virginia) dec. No. 4 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming), 7-4
No. 2 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 3 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 8-0
285
No. 5 Brian Andrews (Wyoming) dec. No. 1 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 7-3, TB-2
No. 2 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) dec. No. 6 Dalton Robertson (N. Colorado), 10-3
Standings after day one
1 Oklahoma State, 111.5
2 Iowa State, 92.0
3 Northern Iowa, 90.5
4 South Dakota State, 83.5
5 North Dakota State, 74.5
6 Oklahoma, 65.5
7 Wyoming, 65.0
8 Northern Colorado, 60.0
9 Fresno State, 47.5
10 West Virginia, 35.0
11 Utah Valley, 29.0
12 Air Force, 21.5
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