Plott Earns His Championship Shot and a Third-Time with Parker Keckeisen

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – There will be two Oklahoma State Cowboys in the NCAA Championship finals on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center and there will be a third match-up between the Cowboys Dustin Plott and Northern Iowa’s Big 12 champion Parker Keckeisen. Plott made sure of that with his 11-2 major decision over Minnesota’s Big Ten champion and the No. 2 seed Isaiah Salazar in the 184 pound semifinals. Earlier in the evening OSU graduate wrestler Daton Fix made his fourth NCAA championship match at 133 pounds.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Plott vs. Salazar in the 184 pound semifinals.

It was the fourth straight bonus points win for Plott in this NCAA Championship. He had a tech fall and then three major decisions in a row. Salazar wasted not time and shot early in the first period but Plott went over the top and was able to fend the attempt off. Then Plott took his first shot and got to Salazar’s ankle and continued to work his position until he got control of both legs as the two wrestlers were on the edge of the circle. The official threw up the hand and three fingers. 

Salazar got the escape and it was 3-to-1, but before the end of the first period worked a high crotch and just before the end of the period got his second takedown and rode out the last few seconds for a 6-1 advantage. 

Plott started the second period in the down position and got up on his feet immediately but it took time to work free and get the escape for the 7-1 lead. That was how the period ended.

Salazar was down to start the third and he was able to get the escape to make it 7-2. It looked like the two would just scrap and push and pull until the end, but then Plott took a well-timed shot and got the takedown and a sturdy position on top of Salazar. The ride went all the way until the end of the period and picked up the riding time point with 1:09 on the clock. 

Plott had the major decision at 11-2. On to his first NCAA championship match and waiting was his top seed and riva Keckeisen, who beat him in Stillwater 12-6 in a dual and then a major decision of 14-5 in the Big 12 Championship.

“He’s a good wrestler, a tough kid,” Plott said. “I want to wrestle him, Going against him makes me better. I need to be good enough to beat him.” 

Keckeisen beat Trey Munoz of Oregon State and the son of former Cowboys NCAA champ Mark Munoz 7-to-2. He is not taking a third time with Plott for granted.

“He’s not the same wrestler and I’m not the same wrestler. We may have wrestled two weeks ago, but we’re not the same,” Keckeisen said of him and Plott. He got better and I got better. I’m the new Parker Keckeisen and he’s the new Dustin Plott. We’re going to go scrap. He wrestles hard. I wrestle hard. It’s going to be fun.”

One thing that is not fun is the team standings as Penn State has already clinched and it looking like they will win in the biggest runaway in NCAA Wrestling history.

Team Standings After Session IV (Top 10)

1. Penn State - 148.0

2. Michigan - 64.5

3. Iowa - 60.0

4. Iowa State - 59.5

4. Arizona State - 59.5

6. Cornell - 58.5

7. Ohio State - 57.0

8. Oklahoma State - 55.0

9. Virginia Tech - 53.0

10. Nebraska - 52.0