Oklahoma State ties school record with eighth straight Big 12 title, led by three champions
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by Roger Moore, Special to TheMat.com
Big 12 champion Oklahoma State team photo courtesy of @CowboyWrestling Twitter
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestling doesn’t have many firsts. The dominant mat program of the twentieth century made some history Saturday and Sunday inside the BOK Center, however, winning an eighth-straight league crown. As Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, from 1921-28, OAMC also won eight.
“It’s something we haven’t done since 1928,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose club had three champions and outdistanced second place Iowa State, 147 ½ to 116 ½. “Anytime you tie or break a record in Oklahoma State wrestling you are doing something. I’m glad this team got to experience that this year. It’s been a struggle for us, but we wrestled our best (Sunday).”
Indeed, the Cowboys did, winning 12 of 13 matches and wrapping up the team title after the medal rounds. With Iowa State hanging around entering Day 2, OSU put together a big first session and got third place medals from Dusty Hone (141), Joe Smith (174), Anthony Montalvo (184), and Dakota Geer (197), each winning twice.
In the final session OSU won three of four finals bouts, including senior Nick Piccininni’s narrow victory over Iowa State’s Alex Mackall at 125 pounds. Piccininni (27-2) became the ninth four-time Big 12 champion. He was joined by Boo Lewallen (21-2, 149), and rookie Travis Wittlake (28-2, 165) atop the podium with Wyatt Sheets falling to ISU’s David Carr in the 157-pound title tilt.
“It’s kind of a short list, a bunch of big names,” said Piccininni, named Outstanding Wrestler. “It’s pretty cool to be included with that group. I wasn’t my best (in the finals), but it is what it is. I got my hand raised and right now I’m taking it one match at a time.
“I’m really looking forward to another week of training and getting ready to go because it’s go time. I’m really enjoying the moment and this journey. I think the team knew what was on the line, that we could put our names in the record books. There wasn’t much said; the team just went out and really performed (Sunday).”
Lewallen won a physical 8-5 match with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer at 149 pounds; the Yukon, Okla., native has been good in the third period all year long and was again solid over the final two minutes. It was Lewallen’s second league crown.
Wittlake continued his impressive first season with a dominant first 6 ½ minutes in an 8-4 win over North Dakota State veteran Andrew Fogarty, now a three-time Big 12 runner-up.
“Fogarty is a big, mature 65-pounder. I felt it early,” Wittlake said. “I knew I needed to pick it up, work on my feet. I was able to ride him which was a big factor in that match. Taking guys and letting them up in tough matches doesn’t always work; you have to be able to ride always. I’m proud of this, but not satisfied. I’m going (to Minneapolis) to win it. I feel like I can compete with those top guys and I can’t wait for it.
“Coach Smith talks about peaking, that it is a mindset. Every time you step on the mat it should be your best match and the guys on the backside of the bracket really responded (Sunday). It was a big team effort.”
Iowa State crowned a pair of champions, including David Carr (18-1), who won a fantastic match with Sheets, and Ian Parker (22-3), who scored an overtime takedown to beat Oklahoma’s Dom Demas, a Big 12 champion in 2019. Carr majored Sheets in January. Parker was teched by Demas in Vegas.
“I think back to my dad (Nate) winning it and to have the opportunity to win one, it’s a blessing,” Carr said.
The younger Carr pulled out a father-like duck-under with the match in the balance at 3-2 in the final period. The Cyclone rookie, a 2019 Junior World champion in freestyle, held on for a 6-4 win.
“I’ve had that duck since I don’t know when, a move when my back’s against the wall and I need a takedown,” Carr said. “(Sheets) was coming hard and the coaches were really telling me to ice it. That’s a legacy match, it’s cool for both us and I’m looking forward to more matches with him.”
Northern Iowa, in third at 111 ½ points, crowned Bryce Steiert (27-3) at 174 and Taylor Lujan (28-2) at 184 pounds, Steiert pinning Oklahoma’s Anthony Mantanona and Lujan beating South Dakota State’s Zach Carlson.
West Virginia’s Noah Adams (32-0) kept his unbeaten season intact, beating SDSU’s Tanner Sloan for the 197-pound crown, while Wyoming’s Brian Andrews (30-7) beat Iowa State’s Gannon Gremmel in the 285-pound finale.
For North Dakota State’s Cam Sykora (17-4), the 141-pound title has been four years in the making. He beat Northern Colorado rookie Mosha Schwartz Sunday night. Third as a freshman in 2016, Sykora has been a part of tough fields throughout his career.
“It feels good. One piece of the puzzle is done,” said Sykora, a native of Minnesota ready for Minneapolis in two weeks. “I’ve always been right there with everyone. I feel like I’m peaking at the right time, getting over that hump. I feel like I’ve been hovering around the top 15 it seems like forever and I know the work I’m putting in in the room; I believe in myself and the coaches believe in me.”
South Dakota State, North Dakota State, and Oklahoma rounded out the top six in the 12-team conference.
Anatomy of a team title
Quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs get all the accolades on the football field. But it’s the offensive line, the blocking fullback, the nose guard who might be considered the foundation of a winning team. In collegiate wrestling it’s often the finalists who get all the pub. But hidden in those team championships are the wrestlebacks, the consolations, those guys who battle back after losses and finish third or fifth, or even seventh.
Oklahoma State and Iowa State were locked in a battle in Tulsa entering Sunday’s consolation semifinals and medal matches. After 18 wins in 26 matches on Day 1, the Cowboys showed they are still the best of the Big 12, going 9-0 and wrapping up another league crown five hours before the final session.
It started with rookie Reece Witcraft’s technical fall in the seventh place bout at 133 pounds. It finished with Dakota Geer’s technical fall for third place at 197 pounds. In between, Dusty Hone won two matches at 141, Joe Smith won a pair at 174, and Anthony Montalvo claimed two victories at 184 pounds.
“It was a good round. We talked about being a little tougher,” OSU boss John Smith said. “The gut matches you see in consolations in conference and national tournaments; it takes a lot of energy to wrestle them because they are going to be hard. We did a good job of that today.
“We talked about this before the tournament, that we could win this in consolations. You go 9-0 in the first session of Day 2 and you are going to win tournaments. They wrestled for each other, and knowing they were already going to nationals it was about winning another conference trophy.”
Joe Smith entered the weekend at 8-5 and one of those “on-the-bubble” entering the postseason. The two-time All-American won a pair of close bouts Saturday before losing to top-seeded Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa. On Sunday he won twice and qualified for his fourth NCAA Championship.
“Still trying to find himself throughout the tournament and slowly you saw some energy,” John Smith said. “What we did see is that he was the one backing people up, holding the center, doing a good job of applying pressure. He was a bit methodical, but he did a good job considering where he’s been the last few matches. We talked about him just being comfortable out there, not worrying about the outcome.”
For Geer, an All-American at 184 last March, bouncing back after a Saturday loss was not easy.
“Really have to think about the team,” Geer said. “It’s easier to wrestle when you aren’t just wrestling for yourself and you have a team behind you. That’s what we did this morning.
“I felt good, better the second day. I needed to relax, just get to my offense and make these guys wrestle. I felt more like myself on Sunday.
”
Iowa State, with four in wrestlebacks, saw Jarrett Degen take third at 149, but Sam Colbray was injured against Joe Smith in the bronze medal bout and Chase Straw was pinned by South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook going for third at 165. Marcus Coleman went 1-1 and earned fifth.
The Cowboys led by 19 ½ points entering the second day, but had an insurmountable 135 ½ to 108 ½ margin when the third session was complete.
Select company
Piccininni won his fourth league title Sunday night. The senior from East Setauket, N.Y., is the ninth in Big 12 history to do so and the first since fellow Cowboy Anthony Collica won his fourth in 2017. The OSU 125-pounder joins OSU’s Alex Dieringer (2013-16), Chris Perry (2011-14), Jordan Oliver (2010-13), and Johnny Thompson (2001-04). Nebraska’s Brian Snyder, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson, and Oklahoma’s Michael Lightner also accomplished the feat. OSU’s Lee Roy Smith, Pat Smith, and Steve Barrett won four conference crowns in the old days of the Big Eight. Freshman could not compete in the postseason prior to 1972.
You know it’s coming, but …
South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook knows it – and so does his opponents. But somehow, usually, the redshirt-freshman from Ilion, N.Y., finds a way to work a cement-mixer (insert your local vernacular here) in a match. On Sunday he finished his first Big 12 meet by pinning Iowa State’s Chase Straw with, you guessed it, a cement-mixer. It was his second pin of the day and 14th in 25 bouts this season.
“I’m not really strong, but maybe a bit tall for the weight,” said Cook after pinning Straw. “I’m always practicing (the cement mixer), looking for it. I just started hitting it in college. I took a year off from wrestling and came back, starting really working on it. I can put myself in some tough situations with it, but I feel pretty good from a number of positions with it.
“The coaches do make me drill it all the time. Sometimes (the coaches) do get a little upset with me, want me to work on other techniques, but they know it’s always there.”
Showing up in March
Oklahoma senior 125-pounder Christian Moody entered the weekend at just 9-15. He dropped his first match to Air Force’s Cody Phippen, 10-3, to drop into the consolations where he won a pair of decisions, then had back-to-back pins to finish third and qualify for the NCAAs for the fourth time.
The Collinsville, Okla., product – about a half hour from Tulsa – takes a 65-55 career record to Minneapolis.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
125 (4 qualifiers)
1st - Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State) RS Sr. over Alex Mackall (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Dec 3-1)
3rd - Christian Moody (Oklahoma) RS Sr. over Jacob Schwarm (N. Iowa) RS Fr. (Fall 2:35)
5th - Cody Phippen (Air Force) Fr. over McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) RS So. (Dec 2-0)
7th - Daniel Vega (South Dakota State) RS Jr. over Joey Thomas (West Virginia) RS So. (MD 12-4)
133 (8 qualifiers)
1st - Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) RS Sr. over Mosha Schwartz (N. Colorado) Fr. (Dec 5-4)
3rd - Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) RS Jr. over Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) So. (Fall 6:54)
5th - Jack Skudlarczyk (N. Iowa) Jr. over Lawrence Saenz (Fresno State) So. (MD 12-0)
7th - Reece Witcraft (Ok State) Fr. over Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) So. (TF-1.5 7:00 (22-7))
141 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Ian Parker (Iowa State) RS Jr. over Dom Demas (Oklahoma) RS So. (SV-2 4-2)
3rd - Dusty Hone (Ok State) RS Jr. over Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 6-4)
5th - Michael Blockhus (N. Iowa) over Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 6-5)
7th - Caleb Rea (West Virginia) So. over Lenny Petersen (Air Force) Jr. (MD 14-2)
149 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Boo Lewallen (Ok State) RS Sr. over Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 8-5)
3rd - Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) RS Jr. over Andrew Alirez (N. Colorado) Fr. (Dec 5-3)
5th - Greg Gaxiola (Fresno State) Sr. over Max Thomsen (N. Iowa) RS Sr. (M. For.)
7th - Cameron Hunsaker (Utah Valley) Fr. over Jaden VanMaanen (North Dakota State) RS So. (Dec 9-6)
157 (5 qualifiers)
1st - David Carr (Iowa State) RS Fr. over Wyatt Sheets (Ok State) (Dec 6-4)
3rd - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) RS Fr. over Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) RS Jr. (Dec 4-2)
5th - Jacob Wright (Fresno State) RS So. over Paden Moore (N. Iowa) RS Fr. (Dec 7-1)
7th - Dewey Krueger (Wyoming) RS Sr. over Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) So. (Dec 7-5)
165 (4 qualifiers)
1st - Travis Wittlake (Ok State) So. over Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 8-4)
3rd - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) RS Fr. over Chase Straw (Iowa State) RS Sr. (Fall 4:58)
5th - Adam Kemp (Fresno State) So. over Cole Moody (Wyoming) So. (Dec 9-7)
7th - Austin Yant (N. Iowa) Jr. over Jordan Robison (N. Colorado) Jr. (Dec 8-2)
174 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Bryce Steiert (N. Iowa) RS Fr. over Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) RS So. (Fall 5:52)
3rd - Joseph Smith (Ok State) RS Sr. over Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Inj. 1:17)
5th - Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) RS Sr. over Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) Jr. (Dec 5-4)
7th - Cody Surratt (Air Force) Jr. over Luke Weber (North Dakota State) RS Jr. (Fall 6:35)
184 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) Sr. over Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 10-6)
3rd - Anthony Montalvo (Ok State) So. over Alan Clothier (N. Colorado) RS Jr. (Dec 11-7)
5th - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) RS So. over Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) So. (Fall 5:47)
7th - Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) Fr. over Jacob Thompson (Air Force) So. (Dec 5-2)
197 (6 qualifiers)
1st - Noah Adams (West Virginia) RS So. over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 5-1)
3rd - Dakota Geer (Ok State) RS Jr. over Jacob Seely (N. Colorado) RS Fr. (TF-1.5 3:47 (17-0))
5th - Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) RS So. over Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) Fr. (Dec 3-1)
7th - Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) RS Sr. over Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) RS Sr. (Dec 5-2)
285 (7 qualifiers)
1st - Brian Andrews (Wyoming) Jr. over Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Dec 3-2)
3rd - Josh Hokit (Fresno State) Sr. over Carter Isley (N. Iowa) Sr. (Dec 2-0)
5th - Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) RS So. over Dalton Robertson (N. Colorado) Sr. (MD 11-0)
7th - Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) RS So. over Blake Wolters (South Dakota State) RS Jr. (Fall 1:44)
133 9th place match
Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) over Todd Small (Iowa State) (SV-1 5-3)
165 True 4th
Chase Straw (Iowa State) over Adam Kemp (Fresno State) (SV-1 10-8)
197 True 6th
Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) over Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) (Dec 9-5)
133 True 8th
Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) over Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) (TF-1.5 5:00 (17-2))
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State, 147.5
2 Iowa State, 116.5
3 Northern Iowa, 111.5
4 South Dakota State, 94.0
5 North Dakota State, 90.5
6 Oklahoma, 83.0
7 Wyoming, 75.5
8 Northern Colorado, 72.5
9 Fresno State, 57.0
10 West Virginia, 41.0
11 Utah Valley, 33.0
12 Air Force, 25.5
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestling doesn’t have many firsts. The dominant mat program of the twentieth century made some history Saturday and Sunday inside the BOK Center, however, winning an eighth-straight league crown. As Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, from 1921-28, OAMC also won eight.
“It’s something we haven’t done since 1928,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose club had three champions and outdistanced second place Iowa State, 147 ½ to 116 ½. “Anytime you tie or break a record in Oklahoma State wrestling you are doing something. I’m glad this team got to experience that this year. It’s been a struggle for us, but we wrestled our best (Sunday).”
Indeed, the Cowboys did, winning 12 of 13 matches and wrapping up the team title after the medal rounds. With Iowa State hanging around entering Day 2, OSU put together a big first session and got third place medals from Dusty Hone (141), Joe Smith (174), Anthony Montalvo (184), and Dakota Geer (197), each winning twice.
In the final session OSU won three of four finals bouts, including senior Nick Piccininni’s narrow victory over Iowa State’s Alex Mackall at 125 pounds. Piccininni (27-2) became the ninth four-time Big 12 champion. He was joined by Boo Lewallen (21-2, 149), and rookie Travis Wittlake (28-2, 165) atop the podium with Wyatt Sheets falling to ISU’s David Carr in the 157-pound title tilt.
“It’s kind of a short list, a bunch of big names,” said Piccininni, named Outstanding Wrestler. “It’s pretty cool to be included with that group. I wasn’t my best (in the finals), but it is what it is. I got my hand raised and right now I’m taking it one match at a time.
“I’m really looking forward to another week of training and getting ready to go because it’s go time. I’m really enjoying the moment and this journey. I think the team knew what was on the line, that we could put our names in the record books. There wasn’t much said; the team just went out and really performed (Sunday).”
Lewallen won a physical 8-5 match with South Dakota State’s Henry Pohlmeyer at 149 pounds; the Yukon, Okla., native has been good in the third period all year long and was again solid over the final two minutes. It was Lewallen’s second league crown.
Wittlake continued his impressive first season with a dominant first 6 ½ minutes in an 8-4 win over North Dakota State veteran Andrew Fogarty, now a three-time Big 12 runner-up.
“Fogarty is a big, mature 65-pounder. I felt it early,” Wittlake said. “I knew I needed to pick it up, work on my feet. I was able to ride him which was a big factor in that match. Taking guys and letting them up in tough matches doesn’t always work; you have to be able to ride always. I’m proud of this, but not satisfied. I’m going (to Minneapolis) to win it. I feel like I can compete with those top guys and I can’t wait for it.
“Coach Smith talks about peaking, that it is a mindset. Every time you step on the mat it should be your best match and the guys on the backside of the bracket really responded (Sunday). It was a big team effort.”
Iowa State crowned a pair of champions, including David Carr (18-1), who won a fantastic match with Sheets, and Ian Parker (22-3), who scored an overtime takedown to beat Oklahoma’s Dom Demas, a Big 12 champion in 2019. Carr majored Sheets in January. Parker was teched by Demas in Vegas.
“I think back to my dad (Nate) winning it and to have the opportunity to win one, it’s a blessing,” Carr said.
The younger Carr pulled out a father-like duck-under with the match in the balance at 3-2 in the final period. The Cyclone rookie, a 2019 Junior World champion in freestyle, held on for a 6-4 win.
“I’ve had that duck since I don’t know when, a move when my back’s against the wall and I need a takedown,” Carr said. “(Sheets) was coming hard and the coaches were really telling me to ice it. That’s a legacy match, it’s cool for both us and I’m looking forward to more matches with him.”
Northern Iowa, in third at 111 ½ points, crowned Bryce Steiert (27-3) at 174 and Taylor Lujan (28-2) at 184 pounds, Steiert pinning Oklahoma’s Anthony Mantanona and Lujan beating South Dakota State’s Zach Carlson.
West Virginia’s Noah Adams (32-0) kept his unbeaten season intact, beating SDSU’s Tanner Sloan for the 197-pound crown, while Wyoming’s Brian Andrews (30-7) beat Iowa State’s Gannon Gremmel in the 285-pound finale.
For North Dakota State’s Cam Sykora (17-4), the 141-pound title has been four years in the making. He beat Northern Colorado rookie Mosha Schwartz Sunday night. Third as a freshman in 2016, Sykora has been a part of tough fields throughout his career.
“It feels good. One piece of the puzzle is done,” said Sykora, a native of Minnesota ready for Minneapolis in two weeks. “I’ve always been right there with everyone. I feel like I’m peaking at the right time, getting over that hump. I feel like I’ve been hovering around the top 15 it seems like forever and I know the work I’m putting in in the room; I believe in myself and the coaches believe in me.”
South Dakota State, North Dakota State, and Oklahoma rounded out the top six in the 12-team conference.
Anatomy of a team title
Quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs get all the accolades on the football field. But it’s the offensive line, the blocking fullback, the nose guard who might be considered the foundation of a winning team. In collegiate wrestling it’s often the finalists who get all the pub. But hidden in those team championships are the wrestlebacks, the consolations, those guys who battle back after losses and finish third or fifth, or even seventh.
Oklahoma State and Iowa State were locked in a battle in Tulsa entering Sunday’s consolation semifinals and medal matches. After 18 wins in 26 matches on Day 1, the Cowboys showed they are still the best of the Big 12, going 9-0 and wrapping up another league crown five hours before the final session.
It started with rookie Reece Witcraft’s technical fall in the seventh place bout at 133 pounds. It finished with Dakota Geer’s technical fall for third place at 197 pounds. In between, Dusty Hone won two matches at 141, Joe Smith won a pair at 174, and Anthony Montalvo claimed two victories at 184 pounds.
“It was a good round. We talked about being a little tougher,” OSU boss John Smith said. “The gut matches you see in consolations in conference and national tournaments; it takes a lot of energy to wrestle them because they are going to be hard. We did a good job of that today.
“We talked about this before the tournament, that we could win this in consolations. You go 9-0 in the first session of Day 2 and you are going to win tournaments. They wrestled for each other, and knowing they were already going to nationals it was about winning another conference trophy.”
Joe Smith entered the weekend at 8-5 and one of those “on-the-bubble” entering the postseason. The two-time All-American won a pair of close bouts Saturday before losing to top-seeded Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa. On Sunday he won twice and qualified for his fourth NCAA Championship.
“Still trying to find himself throughout the tournament and slowly you saw some energy,” John Smith said. “What we did see is that he was the one backing people up, holding the center, doing a good job of applying pressure. He was a bit methodical, but he did a good job considering where he’s been the last few matches. We talked about him just being comfortable out there, not worrying about the outcome.”
For Geer, an All-American at 184 last March, bouncing back after a Saturday loss was not easy.
“Really have to think about the team,” Geer said. “It’s easier to wrestle when you aren’t just wrestling for yourself and you have a team behind you. That’s what we did this morning.
“I felt good, better the second day. I needed to relax, just get to my offense and make these guys wrestle. I felt more like myself on Sunday.
”
Iowa State, with four in wrestlebacks, saw Jarrett Degen take third at 149, but Sam Colbray was injured against Joe Smith in the bronze medal bout and Chase Straw was pinned by South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook going for third at 165. Marcus Coleman went 1-1 and earned fifth.
The Cowboys led by 19 ½ points entering the second day, but had an insurmountable 135 ½ to 108 ½ margin when the third session was complete.
Select company
Piccininni won his fourth league title Sunday night. The senior from East Setauket, N.Y., is the ninth in Big 12 history to do so and the first since fellow Cowboy Anthony Collica won his fourth in 2017. The OSU 125-pounder joins OSU’s Alex Dieringer (2013-16), Chris Perry (2011-14), Jordan Oliver (2010-13), and Johnny Thompson (2001-04). Nebraska’s Brian Snyder, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson, and Oklahoma’s Michael Lightner also accomplished the feat. OSU’s Lee Roy Smith, Pat Smith, and Steve Barrett won four conference crowns in the old days of the Big Eight. Freshman could not compete in the postseason prior to 1972.
You know it’s coming, but …
South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook knows it – and so does his opponents. But somehow, usually, the redshirt-freshman from Ilion, N.Y., finds a way to work a cement-mixer (insert your local vernacular here) in a match. On Sunday he finished his first Big 12 meet by pinning Iowa State’s Chase Straw with, you guessed it, a cement-mixer. It was his second pin of the day and 14th in 25 bouts this season.
“I’m not really strong, but maybe a bit tall for the weight,” said Cook after pinning Straw. “I’m always practicing (the cement mixer), looking for it. I just started hitting it in college. I took a year off from wrestling and came back, starting really working on it. I can put myself in some tough situations with it, but I feel pretty good from a number of positions with it.
“The coaches do make me drill it all the time. Sometimes (the coaches) do get a little upset with me, want me to work on other techniques, but they know it’s always there.”
Showing up in March
Oklahoma senior 125-pounder Christian Moody entered the weekend at just 9-15. He dropped his first match to Air Force’s Cody Phippen, 10-3, to drop into the consolations where he won a pair of decisions, then had back-to-back pins to finish third and qualify for the NCAAs for the fourth time.
The Collinsville, Okla., product – about a half hour from Tulsa – takes a 65-55 career record to Minneapolis.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla.
125 (4 qualifiers)
1st - Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State) RS Sr. over Alex Mackall (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Dec 3-1)
3rd - Christian Moody (Oklahoma) RS Sr. over Jacob Schwarm (N. Iowa) RS Fr. (Fall 2:35)
5th - Cody Phippen (Air Force) Fr. over McGwire Midkiff (North Dakota State) RS So. (Dec 2-0)
7th - Daniel Vega (South Dakota State) RS Jr. over Joey Thomas (West Virginia) RS So. (MD 12-4)
133 (8 qualifiers)
1st - Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) RS Sr. over Mosha Schwartz (N. Colorado) Fr. (Dec 5-4)
3rd - Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) RS Jr. over Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) So. (Fall 6:54)
5th - Jack Skudlarczyk (N. Iowa) Jr. over Lawrence Saenz (Fresno State) So. (MD 12-0)
7th - Reece Witcraft (Ok State) Fr. over Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) So. (TF-1.5 7:00 (22-7))
141 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Ian Parker (Iowa State) RS Jr. over Dom Demas (Oklahoma) RS So. (SV-2 4-2)
3rd - Dusty Hone (Ok State) RS Jr. over Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 6-4)
5th - Michael Blockhus (N. Iowa) over Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 6-5)
7th - Caleb Rea (West Virginia) So. over Lenny Petersen (Air Force) Jr. (MD 14-2)
149 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Boo Lewallen (Ok State) RS Sr. over Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 8-5)
3rd - Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) RS Jr. over Andrew Alirez (N. Colorado) Fr. (Dec 5-3)
5th - Greg Gaxiola (Fresno State) Sr. over Max Thomsen (N. Iowa) RS Sr. (M. For.)
7th - Cameron Hunsaker (Utah Valley) Fr. over Jaden VanMaanen (North Dakota State) RS So. (Dec 9-6)
157 (5 qualifiers)
1st - David Carr (Iowa State) RS Fr. over Wyatt Sheets (Ok State) (Dec 6-4)
3rd - Jared Franek (North Dakota State) RS Fr. over Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) RS Jr. (Dec 4-2)
5th - Jacob Wright (Fresno State) RS So. over Paden Moore (N. Iowa) RS Fr. (Dec 7-1)
7th - Dewey Krueger (Wyoming) RS Sr. over Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) So. (Dec 7-5)
165 (4 qualifiers)
1st - Travis Wittlake (Ok State) So. over Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 8-4)
3rd - Tanner Cook (South Dakota State) RS Fr. over Chase Straw (Iowa State) RS Sr. (Fall 4:58)
5th - Adam Kemp (Fresno State) So. over Cole Moody (Wyoming) So. (Dec 9-7)
7th - Austin Yant (N. Iowa) Jr. over Jordan Robison (N. Colorado) Jr. (Dec 8-2)
174 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Bryce Steiert (N. Iowa) RS Fr. over Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) RS So. (Fall 5:52)
3rd - Joseph Smith (Ok State) RS Sr. over Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Inj. 1:17)
5th - Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) RS Sr. over Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) Jr. (Dec 5-4)
7th - Cody Surratt (Air Force) Jr. over Luke Weber (North Dakota State) RS Jr. (Fall 6:35)
184 (5 qualifiers)
1st - Taylor Lujan (N. Iowa) Sr. over Zach Carlson (South Dakota State) RS Sr. (Dec 10-6)
3rd - Anthony Montalvo (Ok State) So. over Alan Clothier (N. Colorado) RS Jr. (Dec 11-7)
5th - Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) RS So. over Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) So. (Fall 5:47)
7th - Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) Fr. over Jacob Thompson (Air Force) So. (Dec 5-2)
197 (6 qualifiers)
1st - Noah Adams (West Virginia) RS So. over Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) RS Fr. (Dec 5-1)
3rd - Dakota Geer (Ok State) RS Jr. over Jacob Seely (N. Colorado) RS Fr. (TF-1.5 3:47 (17-0))
5th - Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) RS So. over Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) Fr. (Dec 3-1)
7th - Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) RS Sr. over Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) RS Sr. (Dec 5-2)
285 (7 qualifiers)
1st - Brian Andrews (Wyoming) Jr. over Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) RS Jr. (Dec 3-2)
3rd - Josh Hokit (Fresno State) Sr. over Carter Isley (N. Iowa) Sr. (Dec 2-0)
5th - Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) RS So. over Dalton Robertson (N. Colorado) Sr. (MD 11-0)
7th - Brandon Metz (North Dakota State) RS So. over Blake Wolters (South Dakota State) RS Jr. (Fall 1:44)
133 9th place match
Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) over Todd Small (Iowa State) (SV-1 5-3)
165 True 4th
Chase Straw (Iowa State) over Adam Kemp (Fresno State) (SV-1 10-8)
197 True 6th
Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) over Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) (Dec 9-5)
133 True 8th
Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) over Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) (TF-1.5 5:00 (17-2))
Team Standings
1 Oklahoma State, 147.5
2 Iowa State, 116.5
3 Northern Iowa, 111.5
4 South Dakota State, 94.0
5 North Dakota State, 90.5
6 Oklahoma, 83.0
7 Wyoming, 75.5
8 Northern Colorado, 72.5
9 Fresno State, 57.0
10 West Virginia, 41.0
11 Utah Valley, 33.0
12 Air Force, 25.5
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