Wrestling Places Six on Podium at Big 12 Tournament

Wyoming Finishes 10th in the Team Standings

TULSA, Oklahoma (3/9/25) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team wrapped up its Big 12 Tournament on Sunday afternoon inside the BOK Center. Six Pokes earned a spot on the podium and half of them clinched automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. The Cowboys finished 10th as a team with 58 points.

No. 8 Sam Mitchell (HWT) stole the show during Session 3. He upset Iowa State’s No. 6 Daniel Herrera, who was ranked No. 25, in the consolation semifinals to capture one of the few NCAA allocations at his weight class.

“When I was talking pre-tournament about the guys who were going to have to have the tournament of their lives, Sam was in that spot,” head coach Mark Branch said. “We figured he’d have to fight back through the consolation side and with heavyweight only getting four bids, that was a tall task. Sam gutted out a lot of hard-earned wins. That’s awesome. That gets you excited.”

Mitchell fell in his third-place bout to South Dakota State’s No. 7 Luke Rasmussen to end up taking fourth. No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (184) – who locked up an NCAA bid on Saturday with his weight receiving seven bids – matched Mitchell’s finish on Sunday. Neitenbach advanced via forfeit in the consolation semifinals and dropped his third-place match to South Dakota State’s No. 3 Bennett Berge.

No. 2 Joey Novak (197) and No. 5 Jared Hill (157) each placed fifth, winning their last bout of the tournament. Novak defeated Air Force’s No. 7 Brian Burburija via major decision, 9-0, and Hill upset Iowa State’s No. 1 Cody Chittum by decision, 4-3.

Hill had already locked up his NCAA Championship spot on Saturday with his weight class receiving six allocations. Novak will have to rely on an at-large bid with his weight only getting four bids. He has a strong case, being ranked No. 10 in the Coaches’ Poll and No. 9 in the RPI.  

No. 4 Gabe Willochell (149) and Cole Brooks (141) both took eighth on Sunday. Willochell dropped his seventh-place match to West Virginia’s Sam Hillegas and Brooks lost to Oklahoma’s No. 5 Mosha Schwartz.

Willochell will also have to wait and see on an at-large selection. He’s No. 24 in the Coaches’ Poll and No. 17 in the RPI. Brooks is unranked in both.

Four Cowboys’ seasons came to close Saturday in Tulsa. Garrett Ricks (125), Stockton O’Brien (133), Cooper Voorhees (165) and Riley Davis (174) all lost twice before the consolation quarterfinals.

Below is a list of the Wyoming results from the entire Big 12 Tournament.  

125: Garrett Ricks (0-2)

First Round: No. 6 Antonio Lorenzo (Oklahoma), ranked No. 25, decision Ricks, 10-4

Consolation Round 2: Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State), ranked No. 16, fall Ricks, 2:31

133: Stockton O’Brien (0-2)

First Round: No. 1 Evan Frost (Iowa State), ranked No. 3, major decision O’Brien, 17-4

Consolation Round 2: Gavin Caprella (Air Force) decision O’Brien, 8-3

141: Cole Brooks (2-2), Placed – 8th

First Round: No. 1 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), ranked No. 2, technical fall Brooks, 15-0

Consolation Round 2: Brooks decision No. 7 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley), ranked No. 18, 2-1

Consolation Quarterfinals: Jordan Titus (West Virginia) sudden victory Brooks, 4-1

Seventh-Place Match: No. 5 Mosha Schwartz (Oklahoma), ranked No. 14, decision Brooks, 17-13

149: No. 4 Gabe Willochell (1-3), Placed – 8th, ranked No. 24

Quarterfinals: No. 5 Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State) decision Willochell, 3-1

Consolation Round 2: Willochell fall Smokey McClure (Utah Valley), :49

Consolation Quarterfinals: Avery Allen (South Dakota State) decision Willochell, 6-1

Seventh-Place Match: Sam Hillegas (West Virginia) fall Willochell, 1:53

157: No. 5 Jared Hill (3-2), Placed – 5th, ranked No. 18

Quarterfinals: No. 4 Cobe Siebrecht (South Dakota State), ranked No. 21, sudden victory Hill, 10-7

Consolation Round 2: Hill tiebreaker-1 John Wiley (Oklahoma), 2-1

Consolation Quarterfinals: Hill decision Caleb Dowling (West Virginia), 5-0

Consolation Semifinals: No. 2 Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State), ranked No. 11, fall Hill, 4:49

Fifth-Place Match: Hill decision No. 1 Cody Chittum (Iowa State), ranked No. 8, 4-3

165: Cooper Voorhees (1-2)

First Round: No. 7 Jack Thomsen (Norther Iowa), ranked No. 19, decision Voorhees, 7-2

Consolation Round 1: Voorhees major decision Daniel Manibog (Cal Baptist), 18-10

Consolation Round 2: Aiden Riggins (Iowa State) decision Voorhees, 10-7

174: No. 8 Riley Davis (1-2)

First Round: Davis decision Jack Ganos (Air Force), 6-2

Quarterfinals: No. 1 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State), ranked No. 2, technical fall Davis, 20-5

Consolation Round 2: Devin Wasley (North Dakota State) decision Davis, 2-0

184: No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (3-2), Placed – 4th, ranked No. 25

Quarterfinals: No. 3 Bennett Berge (South Dakota State), ranked No. 5, major decision Neitenbach, 8-0 

Consolation Round 2: Neitenbach major decision Gage Musser (Air Force), 14-3

Consolation Quarterfinals: Neitenbach major decision No. 8 Colton Hawks (Missouri), ranked No. 11, 15-4

Consolation Semifinals: Neitenbach medical forfeit No. 4 Evan Bockman (Iowa State), ranked No. 10

Third-Place Match: Berge major decision Neitenbach, 12-1

197: No. 2 Joey Novak (3-2), Placed – 5th, ranked No. 10

First Round: Novak fall Eli Sheeran (Cal Baptist), 1:32

Quarterfinals: Novak decision No. 7 Brian Burburija (Air Force), 4-3

Semifinals: No. 3 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), ranked No. 12, decision Novak, 4-2

Consolation Semifinals: No. 4 Ian Bush (West Virginia) sudden victory Novak, 7-4

Fifth-Place Match: Novak major decision Burburija, 9-0

HWT: No. 8 Sam Mitchell (4-2), Placed – 4th

First Round: Mitchell decision Brian Finnerty (West Virginia), 1-0

Quarterfinals: No. 1 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State), ranked No. 3, fall Mitchell, 2:23

Consolation Round 2: Mitchell sudden victory Tristan Kemp (Cal Baptist), 4-1

Consolation Quarterfinals: Mitchell sudden victory Andrew Blackburn-Forst (North Dakota State), 4-1

Consolation Semifinals: Mitchell decision No. 6 Daniel Herrera (Iowa State), ranked No. 25, 5-3

Third-Place Match: No. 7 Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State), ranked No. 33, decision Mitchell, 8-3