Big 12 Wrestling Championships: Oklahoma State Leads as Iowa State Sends Four to the Finals — A Tight Race Behind the Points
At the big 12 wrestling championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma State widened its team lead over Iowa State after session two Friday night at the BOK Center, even as the Cyclones pushed four wrestlers into Saturday night’s finals.
Who seized control after session two of the Big 12 Wrestling Championships?
Iowa State advanced four finalists during session two Friday night: Stevo Poulin, Anthony Echemendia, Rocky Elam and Yonger Bastida. The Cyclones went 4-4 in the semifinal round, with Jacob Frost, Connor Euton, MJ Gaitan and Isaac Dean falling in their semifinal matches and moving into the consolation semifinals Saturday afternoon.
In the team race, Oklahoma State held 154. 5 points and Iowa State stood second with 122. 5. Arizona State sat third with 78. 5 points. Iowa State’s day-one scoring included 22 bonus points generated by three falls, two injury defaults, four tech falls and six major decisions.
Which Iowa State wrestlers reached the finals—and how did they get there?
At 125 pounds, Stevo Poulin controlled NDSU’s Ezekiel Witt in a 9-3 decision. Poulin scored a takedown and four near-fall points in the opening period to build an early lead. He will face No. 1 Troy Spratley (OKST) in the finals. The result set up Poulin’s second career Big 12 finals appearance as he pursues his second conference title.
At 141 pounds, No. 2 Anthony Echemendia won a 2-1 decision over Oklahoma’s No. 6 Tyler Wells in a low-scoring semifinal. Echemendia will meet No. 1 Sergio Vega (OKST) in the finals. The bout turned on a deciding stall point, with Echemendia’s pace and attack rate playing a key role. He heads to his second career Big 12 finals appearance aiming for a second league title.
At 197 pounds, top-seeded Rocky Elam won 9-7 over Oklahoma’s No. 5 DJ Parker despite giving up the first takedown. Elam advanced to his third Big 12 finals appearance and will chase his second Big 12 title as well as a third conference title overall, having previously been a 2021 MAC champion.
At 285 pounds, No. 1 Yonger Bastida pinned No. 4 David Szuba (ASU) for a first-period fall, marking his second pin of the season and the 10th of his career. Bastida countered an upper-body lock attempt and used his freestyle background to put Szuba on his back. He will try to win his second Big 12 title in as many finals appearances.
What’s next on Saturday—and what is at stake?
Iowa State returns for Session 3 on Saturday at noon (ET) on +, with consolation semifinals and placing matches scheduled. Session 4, the finals, begins at 7 p. m. (ET) on +.
Beyond team points, national qualification also remained a major storyline in Tulsa. Garrett Grice and Poulin qualified for the NCAA Championships during Session 2, bringing Iowa State’s number of national qualifiers to seven. Grice responded after losing his first match of the day by winning three straight on the consolation side, including two wins by major decision, to clinch his first national championships berth.
With four Cyclones set for title bouts and Oklahoma State holding a sizable points edge, Saturday’s finals at the big 12 wrestling championships will determine how much pressure the challengers can apply at the top—and how firmly the leader can close.
