Big 12 Weekly Recap (12/21/2023)

It was a big dual week in the conference, as Iowa State and Northern Iowa competed at the Collegiate Duals. Every team outside of Oklahoma and Utah Valley had duals, while those two and Wyoming competed at Reno’s Tournament of Champions. All three schools finished in the top four, despite Utah Valley not bringing a full lineup. There’s not a ton of action coming up this week, but tournaments like the Southern Scuffle, Soldier Salute, and Midlands are right around the corner. 

Air Force (Overall: 2-2; Conference: 0-2): Dual Results

Air Force went on the road to wrestle Big 12 champs Missouri and lost a 38-3 dual. Their lone win was a big one however, as #8 Sam Wolf beat #6 Clayton Whiting in overtime 4-1. Giano Petrucelli made things fun against O’Toole late, scoring two takedowns in the third while O’Toole was pushing for the tech. The team was short Wyatt Hendrickson for the dual, as he went 5-0 at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Hendrickson scored four pins in five minutes of wrestling, then finished it off with a 15-4 major decision over Josh Heindselman of Oklahoma. 

Next Up: Air Force has the F&M Open in Lancaster, PA on January 5th to start the new year. 

California Baptist (Overall: 3-4; Conference: 0-1): Dual Results (NIU) | Dual Results (SIUE/Kent State)

California Baptist had a busy weekend, going 1-2 in duals in Illinois. They lost to NIU 19-15, SIUE 20-15, but got a 29-19 win over Kent State. Chris Island at heavyweight was unfortunately injured in their first dual against NIU, and the Lancers had to give up six points in all three duals. Hunter Leake was the only wrestler to go 3-0 on the weekend. Mateo De La Pena at 165 was 2-0, but suffered an injury against Kent State. 

Next Up: The Lancers have the Midlands Tournament on December 29th as their next event. 

Iowa State (Overall: 6-1; Conference: 0-0): Collegiate Dual Results

Iowa State went undefeated at the Collegiate Dual event, beating Pitt 21-14, Little Rock 31-9, and Cornell 26-15. Anthony Echemendia, Cody Chittum, and Yonger Bastida went 3-0, with David Carr going 2-0. Bastida actually took out three ranked opponents, the only Cyclone to do so. Casey Swiderski and Julien Broderson were both dinged up and didn’t compete, with Zach Redding actually bumping up and getting two wins at 149. There were some upsets against them, Kysen Terukina, Evan Frost, and Will Feldkamp all took losses against lower ranked wrestlers. 

The biggest storyline may have been in the match that didn’t happen, as Cornell did not send out Julian Ramirez against David Carr. Ramirez beat Carr at CKLV, and had actually gone 2-0 earlier that day against Little Rock and Pittsburgh. While there was a lot of discussion about resting vs “ducking”, it will be interesting to see if/how it affects seeds in March. Cornell also did not send out Vito Arujau, Meyer Shapiro, or Brett Ungar. It just so happens that Cornell is ranked higher at those weights as well. Between the CKLV title and the undefeated showing, Iowa State continues to look like trophy contenders. 

Next Up: The team takes a break until 2024, taking on future conference opponent Arizona State on the road on January 5th. 

Missouri (Overall: 4-0; Conference: 3-0): Dual Results

Another dominant conference win for the Tigers with the 38-3 win. Of their nine wins, the team scored seven bonus point wins. Noah Surtin notched an impressive 17-1 tech fall over Tucker Owens. Kade Moore got another start and this time scored a major decision. Peyton Mocco and Zach Elam both took injury time in their matches, but finished the match with tech falls. Clayton Whiting was the upset loss, unable to score a takedown against Sam Wolf. Colton Hawks wrestled at 197 lbs for the second time this year and got another win, this time 4-1 over Calvin Sund. Even with Mocco and Zach Elam finishing the matches, their injury status will be something to keep an eye on with a short turn around to competition. 

Next Up: The Tigers will wrestle Illinois in St.Louis at the Stifel Theater on December 21st in a UFC Fight Pass dual. 

North Dakota State (Overall: 1-6; Conference: 0-1): Dual Results

NDSU competed at Campbell’s Camel Duals, going 1-2. The Bison scored their first win of the year, taking out Purdue 22-17. The team lost to Campbell 30-13 and Stanford 26-17. A big part of that is that NDSU is short a 125lber, and gave up forfeits in all three duals. Gaven Sax stayed hot, going 3-0 including a win over Austin Murphy. Kellyn March made his return to the lineup, but lost a 4-1 decision against Campbell’s Justin Rivera. Meanwhile Max Petersen started the other two duals and went 2-0. Brendan Howes got a big win against ranked Stoney Buell of Purdue, and Fernando Barreto scored a win over Stanford’s Dom Lajoie who may end up in the rankings. While the Bison are in a bit of a rebuild, they are getting wins in a lineup with six freshmen getting strong wins.  

Next Up: NDSU’s schedule doesn’t get easier, as they’ll next compete at the Southern Scuffle on January 1st. 

Northern Colorado (Overall: 7-1; Conference: 0-1): Dual Results

The Bears hosted the UNC Quad Duals and beat Otero Junior College, North Idaho, and Northwest Kansas Tech. The school went 30 for 30, including 21 bonus point wins. While no significant results came from these duals, Travis Mastrogiovanni did make his debut for UNC at 174lbs. 

Next Up: The team is another Big 12 team set to compete at the Southern Scuffle on January 1st. 

Northern Iowa (Overall: 1-3; Conference: 0-0): Collegiate Dual Results

Northern Iowa was the other Big 12 team to compete at Collegiate Duals where they went 1-2. They beat Lock Haven 35-3 while they dropped to NC State 16-25 and Ohio State 7-26. Even in losses, there were some big results. Parker Keckeisen went 3-0, Julian Farber went 2-1, including an upset over Nic Bouzakis. Trever Anderson had a huge win over Jakob Camacho. Jared Simma pinned Alex Faison and Tyler Stoltzfus in back to back matches. Evan Yant got the start in two duals at 165, but went 0-2 while RJ Weston beat his Lock Haven opponent. The team still has four top 10 opponents on the schedule, and showed here that they can be competitive. 

Next Up: The Panthers have the Soldier Salute next on the schedule on December 29th. 

Oklahoma State (Overall: 4-0; Conference: 2-0): Dual Results

It was Cowboys vs Cowboys this week as Oklahoma State took out Wyoming 31-9. OK State scored bonus points in four of their eight wins. Troy Spratley struggled on bottom against Jore Volk and dropped a 5-1 decision. Jersey Robb bumped up to 197 after winning two open tournaments at 184lbs and nearly had the upset over fellow true freshman Joey Novak. Daton Fix made his return against former teammate Cooper Birdwell and got an 8-2 decision. True freshman phenom Cael Hughes got his first start, and scored a major decision over Stockton O’Brien. Jordan Williams got his first ranked win of the season as he took out Gabe Willochell in a wild 13-11 match. 

Next Up: OK State’s schedule picks up in the second semester, starting with NC State on January 5th. 

Oklahoma (Overall: 4-2; Conference: 2-2): Reno TOC Brackets

The Sooners took home the title in Reno, putting eight in the finals and getting four champions. KJ Evans won at 141 lbs, an impressive and intriguing result for the true freshman. Mosha Schwartz hasn’t wrestled since an injury against West Virginia, so Evans could get some opportunities in the lineup. Jared Hill won at 157 lbs, outplacing teammate John Wiley who finished 4th. The two have gone back and forth, but Hill winning this bracket could give him the opportunity. Tate Picklo could have established himself as the starter, beating teammate Gerrit Nijenhuis in the finals. Finally, Stephen Buchanan dominated his way to a title, beating Wyoming’s Joey Novak in the finals. 

Next Up: The Sooners have the Southern Scuffle next, their third tournament of the year. 

South Dakota State (Overall: 3-2; Conference: 0-0): Dual Results

The Jackrabbits took on a top Big Ten opponent in Nebraska and dropped a 21-17 dual. Derrick Cardinal continues to look like one of the most improved wrestlers from last season, with a 6-1 decision over Kyle Burwick. He’s already surpassed his 11 wins from last season, sitting at 13-3 this season. Tanner Jordan, Cael Swensen, Tanner Cook, and Bennett Berge dropped losses to higher ranked opponents. Cade DeVos, Tanner Sloan, and Luke Rasmussen also got wins. Rasmussen actually took on Silas Allred, last year’s Big Ten champ who bumped up from 197lbs for the dual. Unfortunately Allred had to default with a head injury. 

Next Up: SDSU has the Soldier Salute on December 29th next. 

Utah Valley (Overall: 1-0; Conference: 0-0): Reno TOC Brackets

Utah Valley competed at the Reno TOC and came away with one champ and a fourth place finish. Jacob Armstrong went 4-0 to win the title at 184 lbs. Haiden Drury made the finals at 141 lbs, his first time at that weight this season. Caleb Uhlenhopp and Mahonri Rushton finished 5th, while Chase Trussell was 6th. The team did not have any wrestlers at 125, 133, or 197. 

Next Up: The Wolverines take some time off, taking on Iowa State for their first Big 12 dual on January 12th. 

West Virginia (Overall: 7-1; Conference: 2-1): Dual Results

West Virginia hosted Division II school Fairmont State, and got a 56-0 victory. While not a significant win, it had some significant historical results. The team has started 7-1 in consecutive seasons, the first time since 1960-1961. The team put up over 50 points for the first time since 2009. The team scored bonus points in every match, including two forfeits and five pins. True freshman Ty Watters is now tied for fifth with 8 falls already this season.

Next Up: West Virginia will host Fairmont State on December 19th for a dual. 

Wyoming (Overall: 3-2; Conference: 1-1): Reno TOC Brackets | Dual Results

Wyoming had a busy week, finishing second at the Reno tournament before a dual against Oklahoma State. They impressed at Reno, starting with Jore Volk taking a title over Richie Figueroa. Joey Novak also made the finals, and dropped a match to Stephen Buchanan. Cooper Birdwell and Garrett Ricks both made the podium at 133 lbs, both taking out top seed Jace Koelzer. Birdwell finished fifth while Ricks was fourth. Sloan Swan, Gabe Willochell, Stockton O’Brien finished third, while Quayin Short was fourth, and Cooper Voorhees and Kevin Zimmer were fifth. 

Against OK State the team got two wins with Jore Volk and Joey Novak. Volk won a controlled match over Troy Spratley while Novak had a comeback win, putting Jersey Robb on his back while down 5-3. Sloan Swan made his dual debut, dropping a 6-2 decision to Teague Travis. The team bumped up from 165-184 and were missing typical starter Cole Brooks at 141lbs. 

Next Up: Wyoming competes at the Soldier Salute on December 29th.