(TULSA, Oklahoma / March 10, 2019) – The No. 2 Oklahoma State wrestling team finished the third session of the 2019 Big 12 Championship with 143.5 team points and a 30-point lead over the field to clinch its seventh consecutive Big 12 team title with one session remaining at the event.

OSU’s run of seven-straight conference tournament titles marks the longest streak in Big 12 wrestling history, as well as OSU’s longest stretch of consecutive conference tournament titles since claiming one in eight straight seasons from 1921-1928.

The title marks coach John Smith's 21st career conference title, as well as OSU's 51st conference tournament title and 53rd overall conference title in wrestling. Additionally, Oklahoma State has now claimed 17 of the 23 Big 12 tournament trophies that have been awarded in the conference’s history as well as the 2012 and 2013 regular season titles in the only years it was awarded. Including the regular season titles, OSU has won a Big 12 championship in 10 straight seasons.

“We take the Big 12 tournament seriously,” coach John Smith said. “It’s important. It’s not something you get used to or disrespect winning. It’s important to our program. It’s important to Oklahoma State. It’s important to our athletic director. We want to win Big 12 championships.”

The Cowboys have also now claimed nine automatic berths into the 2019 NCAA Championships, with every weight other than 157 pounds securing a spot at the national tournament in Pittsburgh.

In Sunday’s first session, three Cowboy finished out their tournament in the consolation semifinals and placement matches, including Wyatt Sheets at 157 pounds, Joe Smith at 165 pounds and Dakota Geer at 184 pounds.

Geer highlighted the session with a third-place finish, picking up an 11-3 major decision over fifth-seeded Jackson Hemauer of Fresno State in the consolation semifinals and a 16-3 major decision over Utah Valley’s sixth-seeded Will Sumner to claim third place. It marked Geer’s 13th and 14th bonus-point wins of the season, and brought his record to 26-6 on the year.

“I felt a lot better this session than the first day,” Geer said. “The first day I started out slow, wasn’t really getting my shots. When I came today I felt a lot better. My weight cut went better, and my feet were better. I was kind of mad about the first time I wrestled [Sumner] yesterday. I only beat him by a point, and he stood up and took me down with like 15 seconds left at the end of the period. I just wanted to go out there and score points on him.”

OSU’s next best finish in the session came from Sheets, who earned a 3-2 upset win over No. 2 seed Jacob Wright of Fresno State in the consolation semifinals before finishing fourth after a tough loss to No. 7 seed Alex Mossing of Air Force in the third place match. Sheets now sits at 18-12 on the season.

Joe Smith dropped his consolation semifinal bout the top-seeded Branson Ashworth of Wyoming, 4-2, but responded with a 10-2 major decision over Iowa State’s Logan Schumacher to claim a fifth-place finish and a spot in the 2019 NCAA Championships. His win over Schumacher was his 13th bonus point win of the year and brought his record to 18-6.

“I think there were some high-pressure moments today,” John Smith said. “Dakota Geer coming back and finishing third. Wyatt Sheets didn’t have a bad tournament. He won some really good matches and beat some really good guys. A few mistakes made there in his last match. Overall, we finish with a third, fourth and fifth.”

The 2019 Big Championships conclude Sunday night with championship bouts in the fourth and final session, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center in Tulsa and will be televised live on Fox Sports regional networks, including Fox Sports Oklahoma. Seven Cowboys will compete for individual titles.

 

2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship
March 10, 2019 | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.

Session Three (Sunday Afternoon)

Team Standings After Session Three

1. Oklahoma State - 143.5

2. Iowa State - 113.5

3. Northern Iowa - 80

4. Oklahoma - 74

5. Fresno State - 59.5

6. Wyoming - 58

7. Utah Valley - 57

8. North Dakota State - 53.5

9. West Virginia - 46

10. South Dakota State - 18.5

11. Air Force - 18

12. Northern Colorado - 17

Consolation Semifinals
157: No. 4 Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. No. 2 Jacob Wright (Fresno State), 3-2

165: No. 1 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) dec. No. 7 Joe Smith (OSU), 4-2
184: No. 3 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD No. 5 Jackson Hemauer (Fresno State), 11-3

Third-Place Matches
157: No. 7 Alex Mossing (Air Force) dec. No. 4 Wyatt Sheets (OSU), 7-4

184: No. 3 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD No. 6 Will Sumner (Utah Valley), 16-3

Fifth-Place Matches

165: No. 7 Joe Smith (OSU) MD Logan Schumacher (Iowa State), 10-2
Finals Schedule (Sunday Night)
125: No. 1 Nick Piccininni (OSU) vs. No. 2 Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
133: No. 1 Daton Fix (OSU) vs. No. 3 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)

141: No. 5 Kaid Brock (OSU) vs. No. 3. Dom Demas (Oklahoma)
149: No. 1 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) vs. No. 3 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)

174: No. 1 Jacobe Smith (OSU) vs. No. 3 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa)

197: No. 1 Preston Weigel (OSU) vs. No. 2 Willie Miklus (Iowa State)
285: No. 1 Derek White (OSU) vs. No. 2 AJ Nevills (Fresno State)