Three Cowboys Claim Individual Titles at Big 12 Wrestling Championships

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestlers Daton Fix, Kaden Gfeller and Dustin Plott won individual conference titles Sunday night as the Cowboys wrapped up the 2022 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at fourth place in the team standings.

Although no other team finished with more than one champion, OSU's 107.5 team points were just behind Missouri's 131.5, Oklahoma's 113 and Iowa State's 110.

"I thought we had a pretty good day today," coach John Smith said. "We went 4-1 earlier and 3-1 tonight, so it's a good last day going 7-2 overall. As you know in a 10-team tournament, it's hard to win a tournament when three of your weights struggle to score and that's the difference, but something that I thought could happen."

Fix, who claimed his third individual 133-pound Big 12 title, jumped out to an early 4-1 lead with a pair of takedowns in the first period and secured a 6-2 win over second-seeded Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa. He is the 36th three-time conference champion and the 18th three-time Big 12 champion in Oklahoma State history. He enters the NCAA Championships with a perfect 21-0 record this season.

"It started off pretty well with two takedowns in the first period," Fix said. "After that not so well. I didn't generate enough offense to score really. … I scored enough points to win, but I want to score way more than that."

Gfeller's win came in a 149-pound Bedlam bout against second-seeded Willie McDougald of Oklahoma. In a tight matchup that featured two escapes and no takedowns, Gfeller repeatedly pressured McDougald to the edge of the mat and had several near misses on completing shots. After McDougald was hit for a second stalling call with just over a minute remaining, Gfeller was able to grind out the 2-1 win for his second career conference title and his first since winning as a freshman in 2019.

"It's incredible," Gfeller said. "I can't even really put it into words how far I have come. A lot has changed since the first time I won it, and now I'm really excited and pleased with the person that I've become. It means a lot to me."

Plott earned his first Big 12 title in what was possibly the most thrilling finish of the night. Trailing Missouri's Peyton Mocco, 3-1, entering the final period, Plott cut the lead with an early escape then wrestled through several late scrambles and finally broke through for a takedown on the edge of the mat in the final 15 seconds. After a lift and return to the mat, Plott rode out the rest of the period to secure the 4-3 win.

"It's really awesome," Plott said. "Growing up in Oklahoma, I've come to Big 12s several times and it's been a goal of mine since I was little. It was great to make it happen, although not really in the fashion I would like. I thought I wrestled a little bit sloppy, but I got it done in the end."

Sophomore Luke Surber nearly joined them on top of the podium to become the lowest-seeded wrestler in history to win a Big 12 title but fell just short of completing a heroic pin. He faced top-seeded and undefeated Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force in the heavyweight final and took him to his back in a cradle in the opening 20 seconds of the bout. Hendrickson was able to wrestle out of it and recover before pulling away for a 16-6 win as the heavy favorite. The runner-up finish completed an impressive showing for the Cowboy's first time to compete at the conference championships.

With the addition of the three individual champions, Oklahoma State now has 118 Big 12 champions and 293 conference champions in its wrestling history.

After their performance this weekend, the Cowboys clinched six automatic berths to the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships. In addition to the four Cowboy finalists, Trevor Mastrogiovanni and Carter Young also secured spots at 125 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively. OSU's other four wrestlers can still an at-large selection to the event, scheduled for March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
 
2022 Big 12 Wrestling Championships
March 6, 2022 | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.
 
Session IV (Sunday Night)
 
Final Team Standings
1. Missouri – 131.5
2. Oklahoma - 113.0
3. Iowa State – 110.0
4. Oklahoma State - 107.5
5. Northern Iowa - 100.0
6. South Dakota State - 66.0
7. North Dakota State - 62.0
7. West Virginia - 62.0
9. Wyoming - 57.5
10. Air Force - 45.0
11. Northern Colorado - 35.5
12. Utah Valley - 34.0
 
Finals
133: No. 1 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 2 Kyle Biscoglia (N. Iowa), 6-2
149: No. 1 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 2 Willie McDougald (Oklahoma), 2-1
174: No. 1 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. No. 6 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 4-3
HWT: No. 1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) MD No. 7 Luke Surber (OSU), 16-6