Big 12 Weekly Recap (1/17/2024)

Air Force (Overall: 2-4; Conference: 0-2): Dual Results (WYO) | Dual Results (CP)

The Falcons hosted two duals but dropped both to Wyoming and Cal Poly. Giano Petrucelli, Sam Wolf, and Wyatt Hendrickson went 2-0 on the weekend, with Petrucelli and Hendrickson getting bonus points in each. Hendrickson scored two falls to get his season total up to 11; over the weekend he spent just 1:18 on the mat to get his wins. 

Next Up: Air Force competes against SDSU and NDSU on the road on January 26th and 28th. 

California Baptist (Overall: 3-6; Conference: 0-3): Dual Results

California Baptist dropped a 20-12 dual against conference opponent Northern Colorado over the weekend, but got a big upset. Eli Griffin kicked off the dual with a 7-4 upset over Big 12 champ Stevo Poulin despite a third-period injury that slowed him down. Dayne Morton, Carter Schubert, and Nathan Haas also won decisions. After a slow start to the year, Griffin is back to looking like a contender in a chaotic weight class. 

Next Up: California Baptist heads north to compete against Big 12 foes NDSU and SDSU on January 20th and 21st respectively. 

Iowa State (Overall: 9-1; Conference: 2-0): Dual Results

The Cyclones had a dual against Pitt canceled due to the snowstorm, but still got a conference win over the visiting Wolverines. They beat Utah Valley 44-3 including seven bonus wins and a forfeit at heavyweight. Zach Redding continues to man the 149 spot and scored a late takedown to beat Isaiah Delgado. Julien Broderson lost to one of two ranked Utah Valley wrestlers, dropping a 6-1 decision to Evan Bockman. 

Next Up: Iowa State duals Oklahoma on January 26th and Oklahoma State on January 27th. 

Missouri (Overall: 7-0; Conference: 3-0): Dual Results

The Tigers briefly escaped the cold, heading west for a dual against a young but tough Stanford team. They dominated with a 39-0 win and six bonus point wins. Noah Surtin hit a big move late to major Nico Provo 12-3. Logan Gioffre got his biggest win of the year with an 8-1 decision over Jaden Abas. Gioffre is now 5-4 on the year with all of his losses coming to top eight wrestlers. Brock Mauller got back in the win column over Daniel Cardenas, winning the takedown battle 4-1. Peyton Mocco returned to the lineup with a 21-8 major over Ty Monteiro. This was the team's first shutout win over a Division I team since 2021. 

Next Up: Missouri had the UNI Open on January 20th, but the event is canceled. It sounds like they are looking to find competition, but if not, they dual West Virginia on January 26th. 

North Dakota State (Overall: 1-6; Conference: 0-1): No Competition.

Next Up: The Bison return to competition with duals against California Baptist and Northern Colorado on January 20th and 21st respectively. 

Northern Colorado (Overall: 8-2; Conference: 1-1): Dual Results (CP) | Dual Results (CBU)

Northern Colorado went 1-1 in duals and got their first conference win of the season. They dropped a 23-15 dual against Cal Poly, winning four matches. Stevo Poulin majored Dom Mendez while Vinny Zerban majored Legend Lamer. Dom Serrano took Zeth Romney to overtime, but lost with a takedown. The team beat California Baptist 20-12, but Stevo Poulin was upset by Eli Griffin. Overall they won six matches there, including bonus points from Dom Serrano and Xavier Doolin. 

Next Up: The Bears stay on the road with duals against SDSU and NDSU on January 19th and 21st respectively. 

Northern Iowa (Overall: 3-4; Conference: 2-0): Dual Results

Despite a blizzard, the Panthers found a way to dual Utah Valley and get their second conference win of the season. Initially, it looked like the dual was going to be canceled, as the Wolverines were stuck in Ames with the weather. Iowa State graciously allowed the teams to compete in their facility. They beat Utah Valley 32-6 winning eight matches and scoring bonus points in four of them. Julian Farber, Cael Happel, and Ryder Downey all scored major decisions, while Parker Keckeisen scored a tech. Adam Allard lost 5-0 to Isaiah Delgado and Wyatt Voelker was upset by Evan Bockman. 

Next Up: With the UNI Open being canceled, the team next has Oklahoma State and Oklahoma duals on January 26th and 27th. 

Oklahoma State (Overall: 7-0; Conference: 3-0): Dual Results (PITT) | Dual Results (WVU)

The Cowboys continued their dominant run, taking out Pittsburgh 31-6 and West Virginia 29-9. Spratley had an impressive weekend, pinning Colton Camacho before majoring Jace Schafer. Daton Fix dominated Vince Santaniello 11-0 but gave up a surprising 3rd-period rideout. Tagen Jamison navigated a dangerous Cole Matthews with an 8-2 win and won a wild one against Jordan Titus. Sammy Alvarez got the start at 149lbs and went 1-1, majoring ranked Finn Solomon before dropping a close 4-2 match to true freshman standout Ty Watters. Brayden Thompson dropped a match to Luca Augustine, again going to rideouts but being unable to escape or score in overtime. 

Izzak Olejnik won a funky match over Holden Heller before dropping a 5-1 decision to Peyton Hall for his first defeat of the year. A penalty point for a headgear pull and a takedown for Hall was the match, but Olejnik was in deep a few times late. Luke Surber made a return to the lineup, dropping a 5-2 match to Mac Stout. Afterward, it sounded like Surber may have suffered a leg injury, and missed the WVU dual. Konner Doucet notched a top-ten win over Dayton Pitzer, scoring a reversal during a locked-hands call for the 3-0 win. Troy Spratley, Daton Fix, Tagen Jamison, Teague Travis, Dustin Plott, and Konner Doucet went 2-0 on the weekend. 

Next Up: Oklahoma State returns home for a dual with Oregon State on January 21st. 

Oklahoma (Overall: 5-3; Conference: 2-2): Virginia Dual Results

There were a number of late schedule changes, but the Sooners ended up going 1-1 at the Virginia Duals. They beat Navy in an impressive 24-11 win before dropping to Wisconsin 22-16. Stephen Buchanan, Jared Hill, and Josh Heindselman went 2-0 on the day. Jace Koelzer scored an upset over Brendan Ferretti of Navy but was majored by Wisconsin’s Nicolar Rivera. Cael Carlson and Tate Picklo had a rough day going 0-2 to ranked opponents. Giuseppe Hoose got a ranked win, taking out David Key in overtime 7-4. Willie McDougald went 1-1, beating Navy but losing 2-1 to Joseph Zargo for the second time this season. 

Next Up: The Sooners have a week off before hosting Iowa State and Northern Iowa.

South Dakota State (Overall: 6-2; Conference: 0-0): Virginia Dual Results

The Jackrabbits also went to the Virginia Duals and went 2-0, blanking Kent State and handling Navy 30-13. The team averaged a tech against Kent State with five techs, three falls, a major, and a regular decision. Against Navy, they dropped matches at 141, 165, and 285. Clay Carlson dropped a 3-1 decision to Josh Koderhandt while Tanner Cook was majored by Andrew Cerniglia. The team got big wins at 174 and 184, as Cade DeVos blanked Danny Wask 5-0 and Bennett Berge beat David Key 9-6. Add in a fall, two major decisions, and two techs and the Jackrabbits looked dominant. 

Next Up: South Dakota State hosts Northern Colorado on January 19th and California Baptist on January 21st. 

Utah Valley (Overall: 1-2; Conference: 0-2): Dual Results (ISU) | Dual Results (UNI)

The Wolverines braved the blizzard to compete in Iowa, dropping duals to Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Evan Bockman went a solid 2-0 against ranked opponents, beating Julien Broderson and Wyatt Voelker. Isaiah Delgado was the only other Wolverine to get a win, beating UNI’s Adam Allard. Haiden Drury appears to be the starter at 141 after starting the year at 133, while Delgado appears to have won the 149 spot over Ty Smith. 

Next Up: Utah Valley hosts Wyoming on January 20th. 

West Virginia (Overall: 8-2; Conference: 2-2): Dual Results

West Virginia hosted OK State and dropped the dual 29-9. The team got wins from Peyton Hall, Ty Watters, and Austin Cooley. Hall took out red-hot Izzak Olejnik, with a late takedown in the second and showcased some crazy knee flexibility defensively in the third. Watters had a wild one with Sammy Alvarez, getting the 4-2 win in a match filled with back-and-forth scrambles. Jordan Titus was razor close with Tagen Jamison, showing some good and dangerous defense throughout the match. Alex Hornfeck got the start against Teague Travis, and wrestled close before dropping a 5-2 match. 

Next Up: West Virginia hosts Missouri in a big conference dual January 26th before traveling to take on Morgan State on January 28th. 

Wyoming (Overall: 4-5; Conference: 2-3): Dual Results

Wyoming got their second conference win of the season with a dominant 30-14 dual win over Air Force. In a dual that had bonus points in eight matches, the Cowboys were on the winning side in five of them. The team started 5-0 in the dual with Jore Volk beating an always-tough Tucker Owens 11-6. True freshmen Cole Brooks and Joey Novak continue to impress with tech falls. Garrett Ricks has now started two of the last three duals, while Birdwell started in the Nebraska dual. 

Next Up: Wyoming hosts Air Force on January 12th for another Big 12 dual.