Big 12 Weekly Recap (11/4/2024)

The first week of Big 12 action kicked off with plenty of action, with Wyoming leading the NCAA in another memorable dual against Campbell. Missouri and Northern Colorado got the conference battles started early, with both teams putting up points in matches. CBU showed off some new starters against another Big 10 team for their opener. 

Utah Valley had two duals, going 1-1 with Terrell Barraclough making a splash in his debut. North Dakota State dropped a dual to Virginia, but got a ranked upset at 184. The weekend finished with West Virginia and North Dakota State at the Southeast Open, and Air Force at the Battle of the Citadel. 

Notable Results:

Wyoming over Campbell (28-12) | Full Results

• 125: #2 Jore Volk Dec. #23 Anthony Molton (2-0)
• 133: Stockton O’Brien Fall #18 Dom Zaccone (4:03)
• 141: Cole Brooks Dec. #29 Shannon Hanna (SV-1 5-2)
• 149: Eugene Harvey Dec. #15 Gabe Willochell (4-0)

The Cowboys started their season with a bang with a dominant win over Campbell to kick off the 2024-2025 wrestling season. The Dual at the Daddy was an entertaining dual throughout, featuring five bonus point wins and two thrilling overtime matches. Jore Volk survived a more than-game Anthony Molton with an escape and riding time. Gabe Willochell suffered an upset to true freshman Harvey, who was #143 on the 2024 Big Board. Stockton O’Brien was one of the biggest winners of the night, earning the Wrestler of the Night belt after the dual with a perfectly timed lefty headlock for the fall. 

Missouri over Northern Colorado (25-14) | Full Results

• 133: #22 Dom Serrano Maj. #29 Kade Moore (16-5)
• 141: #1 Andrew Alirez Maj. #13 Josh Edmond (11-2)
• 157: #17 Vinny Zerban Dec. #31 J Conway (8-4)
• 197: Aeoden Sinclair Maj. Franklin Cruz (19-11)

In the first Big 12 conference dual of the season, the Tigers won against a more than ready Northern Colorado team at home. The dual started at 197 and Mizzou sent out their #3 overall 2024 recruit Aeoden Sinclair, who won a major decision with four takedowns in his college debut. The rest of the matches went by the rankings, with Noah Surtin also out for Missouri. Stevo Poulin beat true freshman Gage Walker, and the Bears handled their ranked matchups with two bonus point wins. The Tigers pulled away late in the dual with a fall from Cam Steed, tech by Keegan O’Toole, and a major by Colton Hawks. 

Virginia over North Dakota State (31-6) | Full Results

• 133: Gable Porter Dec. #30 Kyle Burwick (4-2)
• 141: Kyren Butler Dec. #30 Kellyn March (5-4)
• 184: Aidan Brenot Dec. #25 Hadyn Danals (9-4)

Utah Valley over CSU-Bakersfield (25-15) | Full Results

Stanford over Utah Valley (29-12) | Full Results

• 165: #7 Terrell Barraclough Dec. #3 Hunter Garvin (11-9)

Barraclough made a smash debut with a win over returning All-American Hunter Garvin. The match was a wild back and forth with Barraclough having a 7-1 lead heading into the third period. Garvin started to change the tide however with a reversal and two takedowns of his own. Barraclough is now firmly established as a top podium threat for the Wolverines. 

Indiana over California Baptist (34-4) | Full Results

• 133: #25 Angelo Rini Dec. Hunter Leake (6-3)
• 141: Eli Griffin Maj. #33 Henry Porter (16-7)
• 149: Anthony Bahl Fall Paul Kelly (3:23)

For the second year in a row, the Lancers open their season against a Big 10 team at home. Hunter Leake isn’t ranked but was an NCAA qualifier last season, he suffered a loss in his first match of the year, but improved throughout last year. Eli Griffin looked excellent up two weight classes, hitting a big move to blow the match open against a ranked opponent. He’ll be one to watch as he climbs the rankings. Paul Kelly made his debut, but Bahl hit a wild rollover from bottom to put Kelly on his back for the fall. Look out to see if he’s the established starter or if they’ll save more of his redshirt dates for the future. 

Southeast Open (NDSU, West Virginia) | Brackets

West Virginia

• 125 Finals: #27 Spencer Moore (UNCO) Maj. #14 Jett Strickenberger (11-2)
• 149 Finals: #3 Ty Watters Dec. #6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) (4-1)
• 165 Finals: #4 Peyton Hall Dec. Mac Church (VT) (1-0)
• 184 Finals: Ian Bush Maj. Aidan Brenot (NDSU) (12-0)
• 285 Semis: Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum) Fall #24 Michael Wolfgram (0:37)
• 285 3rd Place: Aydin Guttridge (UNC) Dec. #24 Michael Wolfgram (4-2)

The Mountaineers had a solid tournament with three champs and four finalists. Ty Watters was the biggest winner, taking out a game Lachlan McNeil in the finals. Peyton Hall didn’t have his normal dominant wins here but navigated a close match in the finals. Ian Bush got revenge for teammate Dennis Robin with a win over Aidan Brenot in the finals, WVU clearly has two solid wrestlers at 184. Michael Wolfgram had a rough tournament with two upset losses. Jordan Titus had to medical forfeit after his first match and could be an injury to look out for. He was injured at Big 12’s last season and was clearly banged up in the postseason. 

North Dakota State

• 133 QF: Kyle Montaperto (UVA) Dec. #30 Kyle Burwick (9-5)
• 133 Consolations: #30 Kyle Burwick Fall #33 Mason Leiphart (F&M) (2:16)
• 133 3rd Place: Blake Boarman (UTC) Dec. #30 Kyle Burwick (5-4)
• 141 Semis: Jayden Scott (UNC) Inj. Def. #30 Kellyn March (3:44)
• 149 3rd Place: Gavin Drexler Maj. #31 Maxwell Petersen (15-3)
• 184 SF: Aidan Brenot Fall #23 Dennis Robin (WVU) (4:38)

Kyle Burwick had a rough weekend with upsets to multiple UVA wrestlers, but he did get a nice pin over ranked Leiphart. Kellyn March struggled with injuries last season and had to injury default here. Gavin Drexler had quite the run and beat ranked teammate Maxwell Petersen for third. Drexler was the starter at 141 last season with a win over Vance Vombaur. He looked dominant here with three bonus point wins. Aidan Brenot had a great weekend, first upsetting #25 Haydn Danals at the dual and getting a pin over #23 Dennis Robin while down 8-4. He had some solid moments as a true freshman last season and could be one to watch this year. 

Battle at the Citadel: Air Force | Final Results

• 197: #27 Christian Knop (NCST) Dec. Brian Burburija (SV-1 4-1)

While there weren’t many ranked results from this tournament, Air Force had a solid showing with Jack Ganos and Bubba Wright making the finals. Freshman Brian Burburija showed that he could be one to watch, getting four bonus point wins before a narrow overtime loss to a ranked opponent. Sophomore heavyweight Antonio Ramos also showed that he’s a dangerous opponent with three quick falls.