photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com
We’ve finally reached the end of our conference previews. The Big 12 will wrap things up for us. It is a conference with traditional superpower Oklahoma State, along with conference mainstays Oklahoma and Iowa State. West Virginia is a recent addition to the actual conference and there are eight other affiliate members for wrestling only. Those affiliate members consist of teams from the midwest and west, most of which have improved dramatically over the past couple of years.
With a tremendous recruiting class mixed in with a strong returning cast, Oklahoma State will be an overwhelming favorite this weekend. John Smith’s team has top-three seeds at six of the ten weights and past conference finalists at two of the other weights. Looking ahead to St. Louis, the Cowboys should be in the team trophy hunt and, with some luck, could threaten Iowa or Penn State for the title. After OSU, second place is up-for-grabs. Iowa State has some big guns and will thrive in tournament settings. Wyoming has a back half of a lineup that few can match. They are a solid dual team that should be able to perform in tournaments. The same can be said for South Dakota State. Northern Iowa had a lot of new faces in their lineup, but most performed well. They have a pair of number one seeds.
Below you’ll find the top eight seeds at each weight, along with a preview of the action that will take place Saturday and Sunday from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have also made our predictions for the top-six at all ten weights and in the team race.
125
1) #6 Brody Teske (Northern Iowa)
2) #4 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley)
3) #20 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)
4) #24 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)
5) #25 Danny Vega (South Dakota State)
6) Cody Phippen (Air Force)
7) Kysen Terukina (Iowa State)
8) Mason Naifeh (Oklahoma)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
We’ll get things kicked off with a weight class that features a pair of contenders ranked in the top-ten nationally. The two have not faced each other, either. Top-seeded Brody Teske has navigated through a tough schedule with much success. He went 8-1 during the regular season, with his only loss coming to third-ranked Brandon Courtney. Teske picked up wins over past national qualifiers Connor Brown (Missouri) and Alex Mackall (Iowa State), along with the third seed, Trevor Mastrogiovanni. Taylor LaMont is the other member of this bracket in the top-ten. He is unbeaten on the year, but has not faced the level of competition as Teske. LaMont is a two-time national qualifier that was the seventh seed in 2019 and advanced to the bloodround. Mastrogiovanni was one of the centerpieces of a top-ranked recruiting class of 2020 for John Smith. Trevor has stepped into the lineup right away and stabilized a potential hole for the Cowboys. The elimination of the Old Dominion program had left 2020 NWCA honorable-mention All-American and MAC runner-up, Killian Cardinale, without a home. He has transferred to West Virginia and put together a solid season. Cardinale lost three matches during the first two weeks of the year, but bounced back to finish on a five-match winning streak. Speaking of closing strong, fifth-seeded Danny Vega lost his first four bouts, but is riding through a stretch with 12 consecutive wins. Vega tallied 24 wins last season, but came up short of a berth at nationals. Also with a shot at breaking through and taking one of the top-five spots is Cody Phippen. Cody went 10-2 with closes losses to Mastrogiovanni and Cardinale.
TOM Predictions
1st - Teske (Northern Iowa)
2nd - LaMont (Utah Valley)
3rd - Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)
4th - Vega (South Dakota State)
5th - Cardinale (West Virginia)
6th - Phippen (Air Force)
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1) #1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
2) #18 Ryan Sullivan (West Virginia)
3) #14 Zach Price (South Dakota State)
4) #22 Jared Van Vleet (Air Force)
5) #17 Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado)
6) #21 Job Greenwood (Wyoming)
7) #24 Zach Redding (Iowa State)
8) #19 Ty Smith (Utah Valley)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
This weight class is quite unusual because you have Daton Fix...and everyone else. Fix returned to the mat in mid-February, more dominant than ever. In five bouts, Fix has pinned four opponents and teched the other. He is a heavy favorite over anyone that emerged from the other half of the bracket. However the cookie crumbles, this will be a weight with a handful of at-large berths next week. Outside of the top eight seed, three other members of this bracket (Anthony Madrigal, Jack Skudlarczyk, and Haiden Drury) are currently ranked in the top 33. The downside of that is that a quality wrestler or two could be on the outside with a disastrous tournament. The second seed is freshman Ryan Sullivan. Ryan was 7-2 and had wins over two of the top-six seeds during the regular season. Perhaps the best single-season out of anyone in this weight, excluding Fix, belonged to Zach Price. Price finished the year on an eight-match winning streak and claimed wins over the eventual MAC and Pac-12 champions. Interestingly enough, one of Price’s two losses came via major decision to Jared Van Vleet, the fourth seed. After Van Vleet burst onto the scene defeating Price, he also grabbed a win over Mosha Schwartz, the 15th seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. Schwartz only saw action in five bouts this year. He won his first three before closing the dual season with losses to Van Vleet and Job Greenwood. Greenwood was quite streaky himself, sandwiching seven wins between six losses.
TOM Predictions
1st - Fix (Oklahoma State)
2nd - Price (South Dakota State)
3rd - Skudlarczyk (Northern Iowa)
4th - Schwartz (Northern Colorado)
5th - Sullivan (West Virginia)
6th - Van Vleet (Air Force)
141
1) #6 Ian Parker (Iowa State)
2) #7 Dom Demas (Oklahoma)
3) #16 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State)
4) #11 DJ Lloren (Fresno State)
5) #19 Lenny Petersen (Air Force)
6) #29 Chris Sandoval (Northern Colorado)
7) Dylan Droegemueller (North Dakota State)
8) #30 Chase Zollman (Wyoming)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (4)
141 lbs features one of the best rivalries in the conference with Ian Parker and Dom Demas. Each has claimed a Big 12 championship over the last two tournaments, with Parker’s coming head-to-head against Demas in 2020. The pair have squared off six times at the collegiate level, with each wrestler possessing three wins apiece. Parker has won the last two, including a 4-3 decision in late January. Demas has won his previous 19 matches against opponents not named Parker. With his array of trips, one has to assume that with Parker’s experience, he’ll fare better than most other opponents. After the big two is Clay Carlson, who is in the midst of a breakout season. Carlson is 13-4 with no “bad losses” on his ledger. Not only has he racked up the wins, but Carlson has been able to score bonus points in nine of the contests. The fourth-seed, DJ Lloren, has a perfect record, but hasn’t faced any top competitors, in-conference or out. Lloren made the NCAA Tournament last year, for the first time, with an at-large berth. Speaking of at-large’s, A couple could come from the Big 12 as seven ranked wrestlers are slated to compete for only four automatic berths. Like Lloren, Lenny Petersen has a solid record (4-1), but not much recent history against the conference’s elite. His lone loss on the year came via major decision to Carlson. Chris Sandoval was one of the stories of the 2019 tournament as he upset top-seeded Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) in the first round and ended up securing a place at the NCAA Championships. Sandoval is 8-2 this year, though he has losses to wrestlers who didn’t enter from Fresno State and West Virginia. Oh yeah, don’t overlook Oklahoma State’s “unseeded” entry. None other than 2019 Big 12 champion Kaden Gfeller. Kaden has been thrust into action at this weight with injuries to Kaid Brock and Dusty Hone. It’s unknown how effective Gfeller will be at 141 as he competed at 149 and even 157 earlier in the year.
TOM Predictions
1st - Parker (Iowa State)
2nd - Demas (Oklahoma)
3rd - Carlson (South Dakota State)
4th - Gfeller (Oklahoma State)
5th - Lloren (Fresno State)
6th - Sandoval (Northern Colorado)
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1) #4 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)
2) #7 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado)
3) #12 Mitch Moore (Oklahoma)
4) #28 Tristan Lara (Northern Iowa)
5) #6 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
6) Dylan Martinez (Air Force)
7) Cameron Hunsaker (Utah Valley)
8) Jaden Van Maanen (North Dakota State)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
Sixth-year senior Boo Lewallen is back for a final ride and wants to end his career in Stillwater on a high note. The two-time All-American has only lost three matches over the past two seasons and two of them were to the same opponent (Brock Mauller - Missouri) in extra time. Lewallen already has a pair of Big 12 titles to his name, but has a tall task ahead before making it three. If the seeds hold up, he’ll likely draw two-time All-American Jarrett Degan in the semifinals. Degen has been slowed by injuries over the past two seasons and hasn’t faced Lewallen during the school’s regular duals. Lewallen did pin Degen at the same round in 2020. Waiting in the finals could be either Andrew Alirez or Mitch Moore. Alirez fell to Lewallen 11-4 during the 2019-20 and has only seen action in four duals this year. The Greeley, Colorado product is widely known for his freestyle prowess, but has not been able to clash with many of the top dogs in folkstyle. Moore met Lewallen twice in Bedlam duals this season and was beaten by four points on both occasions. The Virginia Tech transfer, Moore, has performed admirably in his first season in Norman, losing only one other match to an opponent not named Lewallen. The fifth seed belongs to Tristan Lara, who claimed the most significant win of his collegiate career when he pinned Degen during his most recent outing. Also coming in hot is Dylan Martinez, who owns the sixth seed. Martinez has won his last eight matches and is 9-2 overall.
TOM Predictions
1st - Lewallen (Oklahoma State)
2nd - Alirez (Northern Colorado)
3rd - Degen (Iowa State)
4th - Moore (Oklahoma)
5th - Lara (Northern Iowa)
6th - Jaron Jensen (Wyoming)
157
1) #3 David Carr (Iowa State)
2) #11 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma)
3) #12 Jared Franek (North Dakota State)
4) #20 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State)
5) #15 Jacob Wright (Wyoming)
6) #16 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State)
7) Danny Snediker (Utah Valley)
8) Parker Simington (Air Force)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (3)
This weight class is prime for at-large berths. With six top-20 entrants fighting for only three automatic bids, there will be a handful of capable wrestlers on the outside looking in. Especially since four top-20 wrestlers are already looking for at-large’s and that doesn’t even consider the Big Ten. Someone we’re pretty sure doesn’t have to worry about at-large bids is third-ranked David Carr. David is 12-0 this year with bonus points in ten of his matches and is 30-1 over his two-year career with the Cyclones. Carr’s closest bout of the year was against the second seed, Justin Thomas. Justin is a two-time NCAA qualifier that advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 in 2019. He closed the year with back-to-back wins over the 2020 Big 12 runner-up, Wyatt Sheets. Third-seeded Jared Franek was an honorable mention All-American last season as a freshman. He has been even better this year, with only two losses in 11 matches. Those both came against top-ten opponents, one of which being Carr. This year’s top freshman at the weight is Cade DeVos. Cade got off to a slow start with two losses on the opening weekend of the season. DeVos would right the ship and amassed 11 wins. One of them came over Jacob Wright, the fifth seed. That loss was Wright’s final setback of the regular season. He reeled off nine consecutive wins to conclude the dual portion of the schedule. Dangerous at the sixth-seed is Sheets. If healthy, he can be ready for a finals run.
TOM Predictions
1st - Carr (Iowa State)
2nd - Thomas (Oklahoma)
3rd - Franek (North Dakota State)
4th - Wright (Wyoming)
5th - DeVos (South Dakota State)
6th - Sheets (Oklahoma State)
165
1) #3 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
2) #20 Peyton Hall (West Virginia)
3) #21 Cole Moody (Wyoming)
4) #23 Luke Weber (North Dakota State)
5) #29 Isaac Judge (Iowa State)
6) Jordan Robison (Northern Colorado)
7) Austin Yant (Northern Iowa)
8) Colten Carlson (South Dakota State)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
This weight class will be much more fair in terms of its national qualifier allocations compared to its predecessor. Provided no upsets occur (right?), the five-ranked wrestlers in this bracket could move on to St. Louis. The group is led by sophomore Travis Wittlake, who is now 40-2 through almost two years of competition. Wittlake will be shooting for his second Big 12 crown in as many tries. He was last year’s stud freshman at the weight, this time West Virginia’s Peyton Hall is the guy. Hall has impressed to the tune of a 10-2 for the Mountaineers. His two losses have both come to undefeated opponents (Wittlake and Bucknell’s Zach Hartman). Hall’s biggest win of the season came against the wrestler below him in the seeds, Cole Moody. Cole is a second-year starter for the Cowboys who won 21 bouts last year but wasn’t able to qualify for nationals. He’s been much more consistent in 2021, going 11-4 with no bad losses. Luke Weber is a senior but has also found a way to win on a regular basis this year. Weber was beaten in two of his first three matches, but has not fallen since January 10th. There was some uncertainty as to who would represent Iowa State at 165 this year, but Isaac Judge has solidified the spot and even moved into the national rankings after a win against Northern Iowa. Competition for that fifth and final automatic qualifying spot should be intense as Jordan Robison, Austin Yant, and Colten Carlson are all capable of pushing for the bid.
TOM Predictions
1st - Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
2nd - Hall (West Virginia)
3rd - Moody (Wyoming)
4th - Weber (North Dakota State)
5th - Yant (Northern Iowa)
6th - Judge (Iowa State)
174
1) #3 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley)
2) #8 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming)
3) #16 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)
4) #22 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa)
5) #27 Cody Surratt (Air Force)
6) #28 Jackson Hemauer (Northern Colorado)
7) Cade King (South Dakota State)
8) #26 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (4)
During the 2019 tournament, Demetrius Romero showed a flair for the dramatic and had three come-from-behind wins as he became Utah Valley’s first Big 12 champion. Romero only took the mat twice in 2020 as an injury wiped out the majority of the year. He was granted an extra year of eligibility in 2021 and made the most of it. Romero hasn’t had to rely on his clutchness very often this year, as he’s rolled to bonus points in nine of his 12 bouts and ascended to the third spot in the country. Looking to spoil his fun will be Hayden Hastings, one of the few wrestlers to limit Romero to a regular decision. That accounts for the only loss of the year for the two-time national qualifier. Hastings clinched the second seed with his win over true freshman Dustin Plott during Oklahoma State’s Cowboy Challenge Tournament. If healthy, Plott could be a serious title threat. Plott finished the year with a large brace on his shoulder and was severely limited. He suffered a loss to the eighth-seed, Anthony Mantanona, in the final regular-season dual. Another quality freshman in this bracket is Northern Iowa’s Lance Runyon. Lance earned a spot in the rankings after an early-season pin of Mantanona. The always-exciting Mantanona could be a spoiler from the eighth-seed. Senior Cody Surratt will be looking to make his first trip to nationals. He notched 23 wins in 2019-20, but only went 2-2 at this tournament. He gets the fifth-seed based on his head-to-head win over past qualifier, Jackson Hemauer. Jackson’s loss to Surratt was his only of the year.
TOM Predictions
1st - Romero (Utah Valley)
2nd - Hastings (Wyoming)
3rd - Plott (Oklahoma State)
4th - Mantanona (Oklahoma)
5th - Runyon (Northern Iowa)
6th - Hemauer (Northern Colorado)
184
1) #6 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
2) #8 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming)
3) #9 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
4) #22 Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado)
5) #7 Sam Colbray (Iowa State)
6) Anthony Carman (West Virginia)
7) #30 Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma)
8) #27 Hunter Cruz (Fresno State)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (4)
Who would have guessed with all of the great freshmen in the Oklahoma State room that the top-ranked freshman in the conference would be Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen? The freshman from Wisconsin has wins over the MAC champion (Brit Wilson - Northern Illinois), an All-American (Dakota Geer), and a past NCAA tenth seed (Sam Colbray). Keckeisen is continuing the recent run of great 184 lbers from UNI with Taylor Lujan and Drew Foster in the past two seasons. A pair of Cowboys have the second and third seeds, with Tate Samuelson and Geer, respectively. Samuelson gets his placement based on a win over Geer at OSU’s Cowboy Challenge Tournament. He is currently undefeated against Big 12 opponents in 2021. While Geer suffered losses to the top-two seeds, he is as capable and proven as anyone in this weight. He’s still chasing his first Big 12 title after claiming third in each of the past two years. A loss in sudden victory to Samuelson on the first weekend of the season is the only thing standing between Alan Clothier and an undefeated season. While he has a sparkling record, Clothier has yet to face most of the contender at this weight. Colbray is another veteran in this group seeking his first conference crown. The Cyclone has been the ultimate team player for Iowa State, competing at every weight class between 174-285 during his time in Ames. He has been extremely limited in 2021, only seeing action in three duals. Another freshman to watch at this weight is Anthony Carman. Anthony has been a pleasant revelation for Tim Flynn’s team. He has faced a tough schedule and managed a winning record. Carman’s best win of the season came over the seventh-seed Darrien Roberts. Both Roberts and Hunter Cruz are currently ranked and could push for a place in the top four.
TOM Predictions
1st - Geer (Oklahoma State)
2nd - Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
3rd - Samuelson (Wyoming)
4th - Colbray (Iowa State)
5th - Clothier (Northern Colorado)
6th - Cruz (Fresno State)
197
1) #5 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
2) #7 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)
3) #8 Noah Adams (West Virginia)
4) #14 AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
5) #16 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma)
6) Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)
7) Owen Pentz (Fresno State)
8) Kayne Hutchinson (Air Force)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
Perhaps the most fun to be had in Tulsa will be following the 197 lb weight class. Noah Adams completed the 2020 season unbeaten at 32-0 and was ranked second headed into nationals. Adams started the 2021 campaign ranked first in the country and added seven more W’s to his winning streak. That was abruptly halted by Wyoming sophomore Stephen Buchanan who edged him 8-7 in early February. For good measure, Buchanan did it again at the Cowboy Challenge. With Buchanan the second seed and Adams the third, odds are good we’ll see another chapter in the rivalry during the semifinals. Adams took both meetings between the two in 2020. We’ve made it this far without mentioning the top-seed Tanner Sloan. Tanner is 13-0 with three falls and six tech falls. He has only failed to grab bonus points in two matches this year. He’ll have a stiff test of his own in the semis against super-freshman AJ Ferrari. One of the top gets from the Class of 2020, Ferrari has proved he was worth the hype after a 12-1 regular season. His lone loss came by a point to Adams. AJ owns a pair of wins over the fifth-seed Jake Woodley. While Woodley’s record may be unsightly at 5-5, it’s more of a function of his schedule than an indictment of his talent. Woodley is a two-time national qualifier that was seeded 18th at nationals both times. After some time out of the lineup, Marcus Coleman is back for the postseason. Coleman is trying to qualify for nationals at the third different weight in as many tries.
TOM Predictions
1st - Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
2nd - Buchanan (Wyoming)
3rd - Sloan (South Dakota State)
4th - Adams (West Virginia)
5th - Woodley (Oklahoma)
6th - Coleman (Iowa State)
285
1) #7 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State)
2) #10 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa)
3) #15 Brian Andrews (Wyoming)
4) #23 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma)
5) #24 Austin Harris (Oklahoma State)
6) #25 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)
7) #26 Brandon Metz (North Dakota State)
8) Blake Wolters (South Dakota State)
Automatic Qualifiers Allocated: (5)
And we’ll close with one of the deepest weights in the conference, 285 lbs. Seven of the top 26 big men in the country will be in competition. Both finalists from 2020 are back; however, the returning champion Brian Andrews is seeded third, while the runner-up Gannon Gremmel is first. Andrews is only 4-3 this year, but two of those losses came to top-five opponents while the third came at the hands of #11. He has split his career meetings against Gremmel and is 2-0 with a pair of sudden victory wins over second-seeded Carter Isley. Gremmel’s 2020 season netted him the 11th seed at nationals and second-team All-American honors from the NWCA. He is 5-2 career against Isley, with his two losses coming before the 2019-20 season. Isley earned honorable mention All-American honors after securing his first trip to nationals in 2020. The fourth seed belongs to Oklahoma’s freshman Josh Heindselman. Josh has been neck-and-neck with the top two seeds in this weight, losing one-point decisions to both. He also has a pair of wins over the fifth seed Austin Harris. The former 184 lber, Harris, is in his second year starting for the Cowboys and has flipped his record from 5-12 last season to 8-4 this year. Another high-quality freshman in this bracket is Wyatt Hendrickson, who is 9-2. Hendrickson did not lose in the month of February and picked up four falls during that span. Another returning national qualifier at this weight is Brandon Metz. Metz was seventh in the conference in 2020. With the Big Ten pressed for berths at this weight and a large contingent from the MAC looking for at-large’s, missing out on the top-five could be disastrous.
TOM Predictions
1st - Andrews (Wyoming)
2nd - Gremmel (Iowa State)
3rd - Isley (Northern Iowa)
4th - Heindselman (Oklahoma)
5th - Hendrickson (Air Force)
6th - Metz (North Dakota State)
Team Score Predictions
1) Oklahoma State
2) Iowa State
3) Northern Iowa
4) Wyoming
5) Oklahoma
6) South Dakota State
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