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Hendrickson win at heavyweight cements Big 12 title for Oklahoma State in first year of Taylor era

Watch: Big 12 Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State won its first Big 12 tournament title since 2021 and needed its star heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson to pull off a win in the last match of the event to do so.
Hendrickson defeated four-time NCAA All-American Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State, 8-5, in the heavyweight final to scoot the Cowboys past a pesky Northern Iowa squad, who finished as runner-up with three champions.
Oklahoma State opened the day at the Big 12 tournament with a 17-point lead on Northern Iowa. The Panthers then won their first four bouts of the session, with one coming by fall and another by forfeit, to get within seven and a half points of the Cowboys. The team race stayed hot through the morning session and into the championship bouts—Oklahoma State held a 12-point lead and a six-to-four finalist advantage over UNI.  
With each win in the finals worth four team points, plus any bonus, UNI needed everything to go its way to win the tournament. One loss for UNI and one win for OSU would essentially lock up the team title for the Cowboys.
The finals opened with Troy Spratley taking on West Virginia’s Jett Strickenberger at 125. No score in the first period with Strickenberger starting the second on bottom. Spratley put together a good ride, but … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/09/hendrickson-win-at-heavyweight-cements-big-12-title-for-oklahoma-state-in-first-year-of-taylor-era

March 11, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Steveson Makes History with Fourth Big Ten Title

EVANSTON, Ill. – Minnesota’s Gable Steveson made history with his fourth career conference championship as the 2025 Big Ten Championships wrapped up Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
Steveson became the first heavyweight in Big Ten history to win four titles, and he became just the 19th wrestler to accomplish the feat overall. The only other Gopher to do so was Verne Gagne, who recorded wins in 1944 and 1947-49. 
As a team, Minnesota finished in fourth place with 108.5 points, equaling its best finish under head coach Brandon Eggum, after also reaching fourth in 2019. Penn State won the team title with 181.5 points, followed by Nebraska (137) and Iowa (112).
Steveson’s title win came over the defending national champion and fellow undefeated Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State. Steveson had takedowns in each period on his way to a 10-3 decision, snapping Kerkvliet’s 38-match win streak dating to the 2023 NCAA Championship match. Steveson has yet to be taken down this season and he’s now 6-0 this year against top-10 opponents and 14-0 overall. It was Steveson’s 66th straight victory, passing Dustin Schlatter for the second longest win streak in program history. The record belongs to Cole Konrad at 76 from 2005-07.
Steveson, who was named First Team All-Big Ten and Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, was one of three Gophers to make the finals Sunday night.
In a battle of undefeated wrestlers at 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Max McEnelly was dealt the first loss of his collegiate career in an overtime battle against top-ranked and four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci of Penn State. McEnelly, a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, had won the first 35 matches of his career, including 15 last year in a redshirt season.
It was McEnelly who struck first, scoring the opening takedown for a 3-1 lead … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2025/3/9/wrestling-steveson-makes-history-with-fourth-big-ten-title

March 11, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Iowa Finishes 3rd at Big Ten Championships

The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team finished in third place at the 2025 Big Ten Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
EVANSTON, Illinois – The University of Iowa men’s wrestling team finished in third place at the 2025 Big Ten Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Iowa dropped all three finals bouts in Session IV.  “We are heading to Philadelphia,” said head coach Tom Brands. “I think you have to be looking forward. You evaluate, you look forward, you get better. You have to really look forward to the competition, not just because the date is on the calendar, but because you are excited to compete at the National Championships.” 
No. 1 seed Drake Ayala finished as runner-up at 125 pounds losing to second-seeded Lucas Byrd of Illinois via fall, 3:16. 
Second-seeded Michael Caliendo dropped a 4-1 decision at 165 pounds to the No. 1 seed Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink. 
At 197, No. 1 seed Stephen Buchanan lost a 4-2 decision to No. 3 seed Jacob Cardenas of Michigan. 
The Hawkeyes won three placement matches. No. 7 seed Ben Kueter finished in third after defeating No. 3 seed Joshua Heindselman of Michigan, 2-1. 
In fifth place matches, fourth seed Patrick Kennedy pinned No. 12 seed Maryland’s Branson John in 1:59 at 174 and No. 4 Seed Gabe Arnold defeated No. 3 seed Silas Allred of Nebraska, 4-3. 
No. 2 seed Kyle Parco dropped the 149 third place match to No. 1 seed Shayne Van Ness of Penn State, 13-0.  
Fourth seed Jacori Teemer finished in seventh earlier in the day defeating No. 9 Chase Saldate of Michigan, 8-3 … more at …

March 11, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lovett and Hardy B1G Champs, Huskers Take Second

Evanston, Ill. – Ridge Lovett (149) and Brock Hardy (141) claimed Big Ten Championships on Sunday evening, highlighting the Nebraska wrestling campaign for its second-place team finish. The Huskers wrapped the two-day tournament with 137 points, the most ever recorded by Nebraska in a conference tournament.
Lovett secured his second-straight title, the first Husker to do so since Robert Kokesh in 2014 and 2015. Lovett and Hardy’s wins made the duo the first in 11 years to bring home multiple champions for the Big Red (2014 – James Green and Kokesh). 
The runner-up Big Ten finish for the team is the highest since finishing second in 2020.
Four Huskers placed above their designated pre-seeds, No. 7 Camden McDanel in fifth, No. 3 Lenny Pinto in second and No. 3 seeds Hardy and Lovett taking home titles. Nine represented Nebraska on their respective podiums, and punched their tickets for the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa., with automatic qualifications. 
No. 7 Caleb Smith opened the championship bouts in Evanston, facing No. 8 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) in the final at 125. The Nittany Lion struck first, putting three on the board with a takedown in the first period. Smith used an escape to notch a point, and earned two more from PSU penalties, but with an extra escape from Lilledahl, the Husker fell after 7:00. Smith took two ranked wins en-route to his runner-up finish and will continue his postseason campaign in Philadelphia.
In the 141 final, No. 6 Hardy took on No. 8 Vance Vombaur (MINN). Hardy did not take long to strike with a takedown, but followed through to pin the Gopher in 1:59. The championship fall was the Husker’s fifth of the season, and his 50th career bonus-point win. Hardy leaves Evanston a Big Ten Champion, and an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.
Going for back-to-back Big Ten titles, Lovett met Kannon Webster (ILL) on the mat at 149. The pair tussled, but in the end an escape from the Husker made the decision after regulation. Lovett won by 1-0 decision, becoming the first Husker since Kokesh in 2015 to claim consecutive Big Ten titles. The senior’s victory in the final also made it the first time in 11 years that the Big Red had two champions. … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2025/03/9/lovett-and-hardy-b1g-champs-huskers-take-second

March 11, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Penn State w/ five champs, wins team title at the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championship

EVANSTON, Ill. — Back in 2011, at the old Welsh Ryan Arena, Penn State crowned five individual champs and held off Iowa to win the Big Ten tournament. It was the first conference tournament team title ever for the Nittany Lions, who crowned five champs that weekend and beat the Hawkeyes by a single point, 139-138.
Fourteen years later, Penn State returned to Evanston, this time at the new Welsh Ryan Arena. The script was similar, as the Nittany Lions finished with five individual Big Ten champs again — only this time, the team race wasn’t nearly as close as it was all those years ago.
When Sunday’s action finished, top-ranked Penn State piled up 181.5 team points to win the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. It is the school’s third-straight Big Ten tournament team title, and ninth all-time, under head coach Cael Sanderson. “It feels great,” Sanderson, the 2024-25 Big Ten Coach of the Year, said afterward. “It’s obviously a very exciting tournament with a lot of great competition. Nationals are in two weeks, so we’ll sharpen our sticks a little bit and get ready for the nationals. “We’re very happy right now.”
Penn State finished with five individual champs — Luke Lilledahl (125), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174), Carter Starocci (184) — and had all 10 wrestlers finish sixth or better at their respective weights. The 181.5 team points is the most by a Big Ten team champion since Iowa put up 185 in both 1995 and 1992.
The Nittany Lions finished 44.5 points clear of second-place Nebraska, which finished with two champs, Brock Hardy (141) and Ridge Lovett (149). The Huskers had two more finalists and five wrestlers total finish fourth or better at their respective weights. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/09/penn-state-finishes-with-five-champs-wins-team-title-at-the-2025-big-ten-wrestling-championship
And …

Nittany Lions Storm to 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championship
Penn State wins ninth team title as five Lions claim individual crowns.
EVANSTON, Ill.  – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (15-0, 8-0 B1G) stormed the field at the 2025 Big Ten Championship to claim its ninth Big Ten Championship, all under head coach Cael Sanderson. The Nittany Lions ran away from the field, winning the title with 181.5 points, a new school record (breaking the mark of 170.5 set last year). Five Nittany Lions won individual titles, also tying a school record.
Penn State has qualified all ten of its wrestlers for the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in two weeks on March 20-22, 2025. All rankings listed are InterMat as of March 4, 2025. Penn State’s 181.5 points were 44.5 points in front of second place Nebraska’s 137.0. Iowa took third with 112.0.
This is Penn State’s ninth conference championship, having also won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Penn State now has 69 Big Ten Champions spread among 37 individuals. Penn State’s five champions ties the school record, set in 2024 and 2011. Carter Starocci was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. He is Penn State’s 13th Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Cael Sanderson was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the ninth time. … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2025/03/10/nittany-lions-storm-to-2025-big-ten-wrestling-championship

March 11, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment