Big 12 Weekly Recap (11/13/2023)

In week two of Big 12 action, fans got to see the first conference dual of the year between Wyoming and California Baptist. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State both started their seasons with dual wins, while Iowa State saw familiar faces in a win against Davidson. West Virginia swept the Mountaineer Quad they hosted. NDSU and Mizzou hosted tournaments in their home states, while Air Force, SDSU, Iowa State, and UNI sent handfuls of wrestlers to various open tournaments. Utah Valley and Northern Colorado had the week off, but get back on the road next week. 

Air Force: App State Open Brackets

Air Force went to the App State Open and came away with five in the finals and three champs. #26 Tucker Owens had one of the most impressive days, with a tech and two majors along his way to a title at 125lbs. #24 Giano Petrucelli was down 5-1 in the finals but battled back with three takedowns and a four-point nearfall to win his weight. #27 Sam Wolf had another impressive day at 184lbs, taking out two-time qualifier Jah’Quan Anderson of Gardner-Webb in the finals. Calvin Sund and Antonio Ramos both finished as runner-ups, and Ramos continued channeling his inner-Wyatt Hendrickson with two more pins. 

Next Up: The Falcons have another tournament, headed to compete at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18th. 

California Baptist: Dual Results | ERAU Mile High Open

The Lancers kicked off conference wrestling with a dual against Wyoming at home. The Cowboys won 28-12, as California Baptist won three of the ten matches. The best performance was Mateo De La Pena getting a 47-second pin over Brett McIntosh at 165lbs. Hunter Leake scored a close 2-1 decision over Cooper Birdwell at 133lbs. Then true freshman Carter Schubert was able to get a 2-0 decision to close out the dual. A surprising result came at 125lbs, where the expected Jore Volk vs #33 Eli Griffin matchup didn’t happen. The Cowboys sent out Garrett Ricks, who ended up putting Griffin on his back with a reversal to a cradle. Griffin was up 10-5 in the first period when it occurred. My Big 12 Breakout wrestler of the year, Griffin has had a rough start to the season. Eight CBU wrestlers also competed at the ERUA Mile High Open and crowned three champs. 

Next Up: The team competes against Division II schools Embry-Riddle and Vanguard on Friday, Nov. 17th before the Roadrunner Open on Nov. 19th. 

Iowa State: Dual Results | Grand View Open Brackets

The Cyclones had their home opener against Davidson, which saw the return of Nate Carr Jr. and Marcus Coleman as Davidson coaches. Iowa State won in a 50-0 rout that included six techs, two majors, and two pins. The Frost brothers were again at 133/141, and true freshman Cody Chittum made his debut in a Cyclone singlet. He scored a dominant 13-3 major decision at 157lbs. Still no sign of #5 Will Feldkamp, but he was listed as a probable and Coach Dresser noted that he is close to returning. 

The team also sent 24 wrestlers to the Grand View Open and got six titles there. Ethan Perryman, Zach Redding, and Casey Swiderski won in the Open division. Swiderski won while wearing a Paniro Johnson freestyle singlet. Garrett Grice finished second and Jason Kraisser was fifth. True freshman Tate Naaktgeboren got a chance against #1 Parker Keckeisen, but dropped a 17-3 major. He did wrestle back for third; however, with plenty of bonus points of his own. 

Next Up: Iowa State has another UFC Fight Pass dual, this time against Wisconsin at Humboldt High School in Humboldt, Iowa on Nov. 19th.

Missouri: Tiger Style Invite Brackets

The Tigers are planning on starting and ending their season in Kansas City this season, kicking things off by hosting the Tiger Style Invite. The event was held at the high school of Zach and Rocky Elam and featured Lindenwood, SIUE, Little Rock, Cal Poly, and #29 Maryland. Mizzou put nine in the finals, only missing out at 197 where they didn’t have anyone registered. #18 Noah Surtin had a dominant day, with two pins, a 6-1 decision, and a 17-0 tech in the finals. Expected redshirt freshman starter #24 Zeke Seltzer made the finals, but lost to true freshman blue-chip Nasir Bailey of Little Rock in overtime. #16 Josh Edmond lost to #22 Kal Miller (Maryland) in the finals in a low-scoring overtime match. Logan Gioffre won the wrestle-off in the intrasquad, and kept the momentum up by making the finals and dropping to #8 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly). 

At 157, Mizzou put two in the finals and had three impressive results. Cam Steed pinned #25 Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) in 26 seconds and fellow redshirt freshman J Conway beat #28 Michael North (Maryland). Steed then went on to beat Conway 3-2 before losing in the finals to teammate #8 Brock Mauller. O’Toole bonused his way through unranked opponents with two techs and two pins to kick off his Hodge campaign. #6 Peyton Mocco took a surprising loss in the finals to #21 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly), losing 8-7 after being down 6-1 early in the match. 184 lbs saw another teammate match in the finals, with Clayton Whiting beating #17 Colton Hawks 4-1 in overtime. The Tigers capped the day with #5 Zach Elam winning a title in his hometown gym with an 8-1 decision over #17 Seth Nevills (Maryland).

Next Up: The Tigers host future Big 12 member Arizona State at home on Nov. 19th.

North Dakota State: Bison Open Brackets

NDSU stayed at home this week and held their annual Bison Open tournament. They had two champs without all their starters in but had some surprising results. At 141 #33 Gavin Drexler stayed undefeated and got a 6-4 win over #24 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) in the finals. Carlos Negrete (125), Boeden Greenley (157), Brendan Howes (165), and Adam Cherne (184) all finished second. Greenley took out teammate Landen Johnson, who started the Nebraska dual in a match that could change the lineup going forward. At 149, the brackets originally showed Maxwell Petersen beating teammate Kellyn March by fall, but was later updated to an injury default. Petersen went on to defeat #17 Drew Roberts (Minnesota) in the finals. Of the six the Bison had in the finals, five were redshirt/true freshmen which shows that this team should only climb through the year. 

Next Up: NDSU starts their conference schedule with a dual vs Oklahoma in Norman, OK on Nov. 19th. 

Northern Colorado: No Competition.

Next Up: UNC heads to the Arm Bar at the Armory event in New York to take on Buffalo and Presbyterian on Nov. 17th before staying in the state for the Black Knight Invitational at West Point on Nov. 19th. 

Northern Iowa: Grand View Open Brackets

The Panthers opened their season at the Grand View Open, taking home six titles with a mix of freshmen and starters. #1 Parker Keckeisen bonused his way to a title with a tech, pin, and two majors. Ethan Basile could compete for the 149 spot and went 2-2 with two pins. #30 RJ Weston had an impressive day, beating Iowa State’s Jason Kraisser 10-4 on his way to a title at 157. Weston also scored a pin and two majors. The team also had five champions in the freshman/sophomore division, with two Panthers splitting the title at the 125lb finals. 

Next Up: The Panthers head to South Dakota for the Daktronics Open on Nov. 19th. #1 Parker Keckeisen then heads to the All-Star Classic in State College to defend his ranking on Nov. 21st. 

Oklahoma State: Dual Results

The Cowboys kicked off their season with a strong 38-6 dual win over Bucknell, where the only match they lost was an early injury default. Transfers #24 Troy Spratley, Tagen Jamison, and #6 Izzak Olejnik all scored solid wins. Spratley scored points in a hurry for a 22-3 tech, Jamison battled back after an early deficit for a 10-5 win, and Olejnik separated from true freshman #33 Noah Mulvaney for a major decision. Veterans #2 Daton Fix, #4 Dustin Plott, and #11 Luke Surber scored big bonus points. Surber was especially impressive with a 21-5 tech over a ranked opponent. 

At 149 and 157 there were questions as to the potential starters, and both OK State wrestlers got wins. Teague Travis stepped up late for Jordan Williams and got a controlling 6-1 win. Jalin Harper recently lost to teammate Daniel Manibog, but got the start and a close 5-4 decision win. True freshman Brayden Thompson got the start but appeared to suffer a hamstring injury while defending a shot. No word on what the future may hold for Thompson and the Cowboys lineup. #18 Konner Doucet capped the dual with a 2-1 decision over #32 Dorian Crosby. 

Next Up: OK State takes a long break, not competing again until the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1st and 2nd. Head Coach John Smith said he expects some guys to head to various opens until then and specifically mentioned the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18th as a possibility. 

Oklahoma: Dual Results | Michigan State Open Brackets

The Roger Kish era has arrived, with the Sooners taking out Central Michigan 29-11 and winning seven matches. The team scored bonus points at 133, 165, 184, 197, and 285 to separate, but dropped ranked matches at 149, 157, and 174 to put a damper on the dual. Transfer Cael Carlson looked impressive with an 11-3 win over #30 Tracy Hubbard. McDougald lost on a late takedown against #13 Corbyn Munson. Wiley and Picklo were both majored in surprising one-sided matches that saw the score get out of hand with the three-point takedown. Conrad Hendriksen at 125 and John Wiley at 157 were the starters in the dual, in potential lineup battles to keep an eye on. 

Just two days later the Sooners stayed in the Great Lake State and competed at the Michigan State Open. John Wiley lost to #15 Johnny Lovett in the semis before medically forfeiting, while #24 Jared Hill lost in the first round to Luke Mechler (Wisconsin) then later to Zack Mattin (Michigan) to drop to 5th. Willie McDougald dropped a 2-1 match to #15 Joe Zargo (Wisconsin), then an 8-3 decision to Samuel Cartella (Northwestern) to place 5th. Picklo, Buchanan, and Heindselman won titles, while Koelzer, Carlson, and Hoose placed third. Picklo was able to avenge his loss to #17 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan), with a 7-2 win in the finals. Carlson lost to #4 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) but notched a big 3-1 decision over Northwestern’s #9 Maxx Mayfield in the 3rd place match. 

Next Up: The Sooners have double duals next week, starting on the road against Little Rock on Nov. 17th before coming home for their opener against NDSU on Nov. 19th. 

South Dakota State: Bison Open Brackets

The Jackrabbits kicked their season off by heading north to the Bison Open with some starters and young wrestlers. They came away with one title, a runner-up, and five third-place finishes. #29 Tanner Jordan won his weight with a tech, major, and a sudden victory win over Carlos Negrete Jr. (North Dakota State). Bowen McConville placed second, going 2-1 on the day. Derrick Cardinal went 3-1 to finish third and had three bonus point wins. Brandon Meredith (125), Caleb Gross (141), Daniel Kimball (149), Kail Wynia (285) all finished third as well. 

Next Up: SDSU hosts two events. The first is the Dakota Showcase, with in-state programs Augustana, Dakota Wesleyan, and Northern State in duals on Nov. 17th. Then two days later on Nov. 19th, they host their annual Daktronics Open at home. 

Utah Valley: No Competition.

Next Up: After a week off the Wolverines head to Washington D.C. to dual American University on Nov. 17th, and have the Spokane Open and the Keystone Open on the schedule for Nov. 19th. 

West Virginia: Dual Results

West Virginia hosted the Mountaineer Quad and swept Kent State, Cleveland State, and Duke at home. They opened with a 44-3 win over Kent State, followed by a 33-9 win over Cleveland State, and finished with a 40-6 win over Duke. The only wrestlers to not go 3-0 were Davin Rhoads, #32 Austin Cooley, #12 Peyton Hall, and #22 Michael Wolfgram. The Hall loss was the most shocking, as Duke’s Gaetano Console hit a lefty headlock to pin him in the first period. Cooley and Wolfgram both dropped ranked matches against Cleveland State to #27 Ben Smith and #25 Daniel Bucknavich respectively. 

Next Up: The Mountaineers head to PA to take on Clarion on Thursday, Nov. 16th and the Hitchcock Classic on Saturday, Nov. 18th. 

Wyoming: Dual Results (CSUB) | Dual Results (CBU)

Head Coach Mark Branch took his Cowboys out to California and are coming back with two more wins after taking out CSU Bakersfield 40-3 on Friday and California Baptist 28-12 on Saturday. Cole Brooks (141), Riley Davis (174), Ethan Ducca (184), Joey Novak (197), and Kevin Zimmer (285) all went 2-0. One of the biggest results was Garrett Ricks starting at 125 over the weekend and scoring a fall over #33 Eli Griffin. Griffin was up 10-5 in an electric first period until Ricks reversed him into a cradle for the fall. The win over California Baptist avenges a 22-10 loss at home last year. 

Next Up: Wyoming has a fun one, as they’ll take on Campbell on UFC Fight Pass on Nov. 17th at what is being called the Battle at the Barn in Laramie.