Big 12 Weekly Recap (2/18/2025)

This week saw some great under-the-radar duals from the Big 12, with a handful coming down to the last match. Northern Colorado and Iowa State both hand nailbiters and came out on top. Wyoming wrapped up one of their best dual seasons in recent history. Oklahoma didn’t have as many duals but finished with their best winning percentage since 2014. Not to be outdone, Northern Iowa has matched their most dual wins since 2014 and could match their 1988 season with 14 wins. 

Notable Results:

Friday (2/14): Full Results

Wyoming over Air Force (27-9)

141: Carter Nogle Dec. #33 Cole Brooks (6-3)

After a 4-7 start to the season, true freshman Nogle is quietly 11-2 in his last thirteen matches and scored a ranked win here. With a bonus rate of 52% and 13 falls on the season, he could be a sleeper to look out for in March. 

Northern Colorado over Utah Valley (22-21)

141: #2 Andrew Alirez Maj. #18 Haiden Drury (12-3)

While there weren’t too many notable results individually, this dual came down to the wire in an entertaining matchup. Starting at 133, Northern Colorado reeled off four consecutive wins to build a 16-0 lead. Utah Valley won three of their own before another UNCO bonus point win at 197 and a UVU win at heavyweight. Coming down to 125, Bridger Ricks put up an 18-3 tech but wasn’t able to get the fall in a wild conference matchup. 

Iowa State over South Dakota State (20-15)

285: #27 Daniel Herrera Dec. Luke Rasmussen (8-7)

This was another dual that didn’t have any major upsets, but came down to heavyweight and an upset dual win for the Cyclones. Iowa State won four of the first five, with bonus points from the Frost brothers and Paniro Johnson. SDSU reeled off four of their own to take the lead into a big heavyweight matchup. Herrera was in a 5-0 hole after the first period, but got a takedown in the second to make it close. Then in the third Herrera scored a reversal and eventually another takedown, staying on top long enough to eliminate Rasmussen’s riding time in an electric finish. 

Saturday (2/15): Full Results

North Dakota State over California Baptist (24-13)

157: Drayden Morton Dec. Maxwell Petersen (5-1)

While not a ranked matchup, Morton has recently made the descent to 157 after spending most of the season at 165. He hasn’t had a breakout win yet, but a decision over a solid Petersen makes him one to look out for late in the year. 

Cornell over Arizona State (25-12)

133: Julian Chlebove Dec. #28 Tyler Ferrera (5-2)

141: Emilio Ysaguirre Dec. #30 Josh Saunders (9-2)

In a tough loss, there were a handful of bright spots for the Sun Devils. Chlebove broke a five-match losing streak, all but one against top 20 opponents. Ysaguirre returned this month after being out since CKLV, but took losses to Andrew Alirez and Jacob Frost. A win over Saunders is a positive sign in the right direction and another wrestler to look out for. 

Sunday (2/16): Full Results

Oklahoma over Arizona State (32-6)

141: #15 Mosha Schwartz Dec. Emilio Ysaguirre (5-4)

149: #17 Willie McDougald Dec. Pierson Manville (SV 4-1)

285: #5 Cohlton Schultz Dec. #25 Juan Mora (TB-1 5-2)

Ysaguirre didn’t get the win but it took a late Schwartz takedown for the Sooner win. Pierson Manville is still looking for a dual win, but took two-time NCAA qualifier McDougald to OT in a solid performance. Schultz managed to get a Senior night and his 100th win in an overtime matchup, where Schultz got a late takedown to clinch it. 

Wyoming over Northern Colorado (26-9)

157: #20 Jared Hill Dec. #16 Vinny Zerban (TB-1 3-1)

This result flipped an earlier season overtime loss at National Duals for Hill, who is now sitting at a solid 6-1 in his last seven duals. As a team, Wyoming has racked up 12 dual wins, their most since 2019 and a sharp turnaround from a 1-10 record in 2023. 

North Dakota State over CSU Bakersfield (27-10)

Little Rock over North Dakota State (21-16)

184: #32 Aidan Brenot Fall #16 Brock DelSignore (4:15)

Brenot has had a volatile season but scored another ranked win here. On the year he now has wins over TJ Stewart, Gavin Kane, and Dennis Robin. 

Northern Iowa over Iowa State (26-10)

141: #4 Cael Happel Dec. #11 Jacob Frost (10-7)

149: #15 Colin Realbuto Dec. #6 Paniro Johnson (SV 10-7)

157: #11 Cody Chittum Dec. #5 Ryder Downey (4-2)

174: #19 Jared Simma Dec. #17 MJ Gaitan (7-4)

197: #13 Wyatt Voelker Dec. #10 (At 184) Evan Bockman (7-2)

285: #27 Daniel Herrera Dec. #14 Lance Runyon (3-1)

In the dual of the weekend, Northern Iowa beat Iowa State for the first time since 2019 in front of a raucous crowd. The 7,348 fans broke the All-time McLeod Center record for any sport, an impressive feat after already breaking the wrestling attendance record earlier this season. 

The dual featured ranked matchups in seven of ten matches, with both teams getting some upsets. Happel beat Frost in a back-and-forth match with a late takedown sealing it. Colin Realbuto and Paniro Johnson had an absolute must-watch match. Johnson scored two takedowns and had a 7-3 lead at one point. With constant pressure in the third period, Realbuto forced three stalls plus one in the second to tie it 7-7. With a much fresher looking Realbuto, he kept the pressure on in overtime and got the takedown with the record crowd. 

Chittum and Downey had a Big 12 finals rematch in another back-and-forth entertaining match. Chittum scored the match-winning takedown in the third period, but both wrestlers were active throughout. Jared Simma upset MJ Gaitan, flipping last year’s result that saw Gaitan major him 10-2. Evan Bockman surprisingly bumped up but wasn’t able to upset Voelker. Then, at heavyweight, the Cyclones got one more, with Herrera continuing to impress as a true freshman and get another ranked upset. 

Upcoming Competitions: 

Air Force: AT Northern Colorado (Feb. 23)

Arizona State: AT Lehigh (Feb. 21), AT West Virginia (Feb. 23)

California Baptist: AT CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 21)

Iowa State: AT Missouri (Feb. 22)

Missouri: Iowa State (Feb. 22)

Northern Colorado: Air Force (Feb. 23)

North Dakota State: South Dakota State (Feb. 23)

Northern Iowa: AT Wisconsin (Feb. 23)

Oklahoma: Big 12’s (Mar. 8th)

Oklahoma State: AT Iowa (Feb. 23)

South Dakota State: AT North Dakota State (Feb. 23)

Utah Valley: Big 12’s (Mar. 8th)

West Virginia: Arizona State (Feb. 23)

Wyoming: Big 12’s (Mar. 8th)