The Big 12 at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials

The Big 12 is well represented at this year’s Olympic Trials, with eight teams having at least one current or former wrestler qualified. There’s at least one in every freestyle weight and two weights in Greco. Oklahoma State and Missouri are tied for most athletes with four each, including current collegiate wrestlers. The Olympic Team Trials will be held at Penn State on April 19th-20th. 

Air Force: Wyatt Hendrickson (125kg), Sidney Flores (GR - 60kg), Vincent Dolce (GR - 77kg)

The Falcons are represented in both styles with three graduate wrestlers. Flores and Dolce both graduated in 2022 and qualified for the trials with runner-up finishes at the 2024 Armed Forces tournament. Wyatt Hendrickson is arguably the best wrestler in Air Force’s history and will be looking to make the Olympic team after a dominant run to a U23 World title last summer. 

Iowa State: David Carr (74kg)

After finishing his collegiate career with a second national title Carr will be looking to add to his already lengthy freestyle resume. He was on the 2022 U23 world team, was a 2022 Senior national team member, and won a Junior world title in 2019. 

Missouri: Keegan O’Toole (74kg), Jarrett Jacques (74kg), J’den Cox (97kg), Dom Bradley (125kg)

Jarrett Jacques qualified for his first Olympic Trials with a fourth-place finish at Senior Nationals. Keegan O’Toole outscored his opponents 46-4 along the way to a 2023 U23 world title at 74kg to qualify for the Trials. He also won a 2021 Junior World title. J’den Cox has won multiple Olympic and World medals and is looking to make his first team since 2022 while representing the Cliff Keen WC. One of the most veteran wrestlers competing, Dom Bradley qualified for his fourth Olympic Trials by winning Senior Nationals for the third time in his career. 

North Dakota State: Hayden Zillmer (125kg)

Currently competing for the Gopher WC RTC, Zillmer was a 2015 All-American for the Bison at 184lbs. This will be his third Olympic Trials and second in freestyle. He was third in Greco (2016) and third in freestyle (2021). Sandwiched between that was 2022 where he was the World team member and he lost in the quarterfinals. 

Northern Colorado: Andrew Alirez (65kg)

Alirez took an Olympic redshirt after a dominant title for the Bears in 2023 and will be one of the strongest contenders at his weight. Alirez has a lengthy age-level freestyle resume, placing top three at the 2018 and 2019 Junior World Team Trials. He had multiple impressive wins during his Olympic redshirt, including Alec Pantaleo, Beau Bartlett, Austin DeSanto, and multiple-time world champion Haji Aliyev. 

Oklahoma State: Daton Fix (57kg), Ladarion Lockett (74kg), Alex Dieringer (86kg), Christian Carroll (97kg)

Another Big 12 school well represented at the Trials, the Cowboys have past, present, and future wrestlers competing. Ladarion Lockett is one of the top recruits of 2025 and is qualified after winning U17 worlds at 71 kg. Initially, it was announced that he was going 65kg, but it sounds like he will be in a deep 74 kg weight class. Christian Carroll redshirted at heavyweight as a true freshman this year, but it sounds like he is making his way to 197 lbs and competed at 97 kg to qualify. He won the Last Chance Open to qualify, including an impressive tech fall in the finals and an 8-7 win over Jacob Warner in the semis. 

Two of the more credentialed recent OSU wrestling graduates, Daton Fix and Alex Dieringer are both looking to make their first Olympic team. Fix won a World silver at 2021 Senior Worlds at 61 kg, and will compete at 57 kg for the first time since 2021 where he lost in the semis of the Olympic Trials. He is qualified as a 2019 World Team member at 57kg. Dieringer won Senior Nationals and has come razor close to making teams before. He now competes for the Cliff Keen WC, but was the Cowboy’s last Hodge Trophy winner in 2016. 

South Dakota State: Seth Gross (65kg)

Before finishing his career and starting his coaching career at Wisconsin, Gross was a two-time All-American and the Jackrabbit’s first Division I champ in 2018. He qualified as a 2022 World Team member at 61 kg and is forced to move up with the Olympic weights. 

Utah Valley: Taylor LaMont (GR - 60kg)

Another former Big 12 wrestler who finished his career at Wisconsin, LaMont was a 2021 All-American and four-time qualifier for the Wolverines. He won a bronze medal at 2016 Junior Worlds and was on eight consecutive age-level World teams (three Cadet, three Junior, two U23). He qualified for the trials with a fourth-place finish at the Senior Nationals.