The University of Missouri wrestling team secured its 12th-consecutive conference championship by winning the 2023 Big 12 wrestling title. The tournament was held at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
The Tigers managed to hold off Oklahoma State and Iowa State, who finished second and third, respectively. Oklahoma State had put themselves in a great position in the team race after going 8-2 in the quarterfinal round, grabbing 83 team points and a 29-point lead.
Key Individual Performances
Paniro Johnson and David Carr both secured individual Big 12 titles for Iowa State Sunday night inside the BOK Center. Carr is the second Iowa State wrestler, and first since 2002, to win four Big 12 titles. In a highly anticipated rematch from last month, Carr pinned defending Big 12 and National Champion Keegan O’Toole in sudden victory (7:38).
Top-seeded Fix wrestled No. 3 seed Zach Redding of Iowa State for the crown at 133-pounds. Fix jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening period and then rode out Redding the second period to build a riding time advantage of more than three minutes. It marked his fourth bonus point win of the tournament in as many bouts, improved his overall record to 26-0 and made him the 10th wrestler in Oklahoma State history to win four conference titles. With the addition of the individual titles, Oklahoma State now has 120 Big 12 champions and 295 conference champions in its wrestling history.
Finals Matches Highlights:
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- 125 pounds: No. 4 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) dec. Tristan Daugherty (North Dakota State), 2-0
- 133 pounds: No. 5 Kyle Burwick (North Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 8 Kade Moore (Missouri), 10-2
- 141 pounds: No. 4 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), 13-6 SV-1
- 149 pounds: No. 1 Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. No. 5 Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State), 14-4
- 165 pounds: No. 5 Cam Steed (Missouri) dec. No. 1 Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley), 6-3 SV-1
- 174 pounds: No. 1 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 5 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), 17-8
- 184 pounds: No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) inj. def. No. 4 Evan Bockman (Iowa State), 3:35
- 197 pounds: No. 1 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 4 Zach Glazier (South Dakota State), 1-0
- 285 pounds: No. 1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) fall No. 5 Juan Mora (Oklahoma), 3:22
2025 NCAA wrestling championship finals | FULL REPLAY
Day One Controversy
Day one of the Big 12 tournament wasn’t without its controversy. After an issue at weigh-ins, there was a discussion regarding eligibility with Oklahoma State’s Tagen Jamison and OU’s Cleveland Belton.
This led to a review and delay to the start of their competition. Eventually they were cleared and competed, but it became a buzz surrounding the event for the rest of the day.
Team Standings
Here's a look at the team standings after the first day:
- Oklahoma State, 137.5
- Northern Iowa, 120.5
- South Dakota State, 87.5
- Iowa State, 84
- Northern Colorado, 63
- West Virginia, 63
- Oklahoma, 60.5
- Missouri, 55
- North Dakota State, 52
- Wyoming, 46
- Arizona State, 36.5
- Utah Valley, 17
- California Baptist, 15
After trailing Iowa State after the first session, Northern Iowa had a good semifinal round to take over the second-place spot. Oklahoma State still led by a fairly wide margin, but Northern Iowa’s wrestlers on the consolation side continued to close the gap into the evening.
Placement Match Results:
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| Weight Class | 1st Place | 3rd Place | 5th Place | 7th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | Stevo Poulin (N. Colorado) | Reece Witcraft (OK State) | Jore Volk (Wyoming) | N/A |
| 133 | Daton Fix (OK State) | Wyatt Henson (Oklahoma) | McGwire Midkiff (N. Dakota State) | N/A |
| 141 | Andrew Alirez (N. Colorado) | Clay Carlson (S. Dakota State) | N/A | Jordan Titus (W. Virginia) |
| 149 | Paniro Johnson (Iowa St.) | Mitch Moore (Oklahoma) | Colin Realbuto (N. Iowa) | N/A |
| 157 | Jared Franek (N. Dakota State) | Jacob Wright (Wyoming) | Cael Swensen (S. Dakota State) | Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) |
| 165 | N/A | Michael Caliendo III (N. Dakota State) | Austin Yant (N. Iowa) | Gerrit Nijenhuis (Oklahoma) |
| 174 | Dustin Plott (OK State) | Cade DeVos (S. Dakota State) | N/A | Scott Joll (W. Virginia) |
| 184 | Parker Keckeisen (N. Iowa) | Travis Wittlake (OK State) | Deanthony Parker Jr (N. Dakota State) | N/A |
| 197 | Rocky Elam (Missouri) | Luke Surber (OK State) | Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) | Austin Cooley (W. Virginia) |
| 285 | Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) | Zach Elam (Missouri) | Konner Doucet (OK State) | Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) |
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