Oklahoma State finishes second in the team race.
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestlers Daton Fix and Dustin Plott won individual conference titles Sunday night as the Cowboys wrapped up the 2023 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at second place in the team standings.
OSU’s two individual championships tied for most in the tournament, and the Cowboys’ 134 team points trailed only Missouri’s final tally of 148.
The final session began with the 174-pound title match featuring the second-seeded Plott against top-seeded Peyton Mocco of Missouri in a rematch of the 2022 Big 12 final. Mocco struck first with a takedown in the opening period to take a 2-1 lead, but Plott answered with an escape in the second and then forced a stalling point to tie it at 3-3 in the third. With just under 15 seconds remaining, Plott finally completed a shot and scored the winning takedown to win the championship, 5-3. It marked the second consecutive Big 12 title for the junior from Tuttle.
Top-seeded Fix was the next Cowboy on the mat, as he 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. In the final period, Fix used an escape and another pair of takedowns to finish out a 10-2 major decision.
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. His 24.5 total team points scored at the 2023 Big 12 Championships led all wrestlers in the tournament.
Gfeller was the final Cowboy to wrestle in the finals, facing top-seeded Jared Franek of North Dakota State in the 157-pound championship. The Cowboy senior made a run at Franek in the third period that came down to the final seconds, but was unable to finish off his upset bid in a 5-3 decision. It marked Gfeller’s third overall and second consecutive appearance in the Big 12 finals.
With the addition of the individual titles, Oklahoma State now has 120 Big 12 champions and 295 conference champions in its wrestling history.
After their performance this weekend, the Cowboys clinched nine automatic berths to the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships, including every weight except 165 pounds. With an at-large bid at the weight, OSU can still have all 10 wrestlers compete at the event, scheduled for March 16-18 back at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
2023 Big 12 Wrestling Championships
March 5, 2023 | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.
Session IV (Sunday Morning)
Final Team Standings
1. Missouri - 148.0
2. Oklahoma State - 134.0
3. Iowa State - 131.0
4. Oklahoma - 97.5
5. N. Dakota State - 89.0
6. S. Dakota State - 86.5
7. N. Iowa - 73.0
8. Air Force - 64.5
9. N. Colorado - 50.0
10. Wyoming - 41.0
11. Utah Valley - 37.5
12. West Virginia - 34.5
13. Cal Baptist - 1.0
Finals
133: No. 1 Daton Fix (OSU) MD No. 3 Zach Redding (Iowa St.), 10-2
157: No. 1 Jared Franek (N. Dakota State) dec. No. 2 Kaden Gfeller (OSU), 5-3
174: No. 2 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. No. 1 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 5-3