TULSA, Okla. Nine Jacks finished on the podium at the Big 12 Championships on Sunday, with six out placing their seeds as the Jacks finished third out of 14 teams.
Cobe Siebrecht was the Jackrabbit who finished the highest, making it all the way to the championship match after wins over Ryker Fullmer, No. 5 Jared Hill and No. 1 Cody Chittum. In the finals, Siebrecht went up against No. 6 Vinny Zerban. Zerban scored an early takedown followed by a near-fall to get out to a quick 5-0 lead over Siebrecht. Siebrecht battled back, scoring two escapes in the first two periods and forcing three stall calls against Zerban, but there wasnt enough time to even the score as Siebrecht dropped the title match, 7-4. He finished as the runner-up at 157 pounds.
The Jacks had three wrestlers place third at their respective weights. Bennett Berge led the way, scoring a decision win over No. 5 DJ Parker of Oklahoma and another major decision over No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach of Wyoming to secure third place at 184 pounds. Berge one-ups his finish from last years Big 12 Tournament, where he took fourth.
No. 4 Zach Glazier needed a win in his consolation semi-final match to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and he scored his win in style, posting an 8-0 shutout over Air Forces Brian Burburija. This win will send Glazier to his second National Championships. In the third-place match, he squared off against No. 5 Ian Bush of West Virginia in a quarterfinal rematch. Glazier scored an early takedown and never looked back, posting a 4-3 decision and a third-place finish.
No. 7 Luke Rasmussen also needed a win to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In his way stood No. 5 Juan Mora of Oklahoma, who held a 10-3 decision over Rasmussen this year. Rasmussen shot out to an early lead, scoring a takedown and a near fall to go up 7-0. But Mora stormed back with several reversals to tie the match 10-10. After Rasmussen scored an escape, the score was functional, 11-11 with Moras ride time, but Rasmussen defended a single leg takedown and scored on the go behind to secure his first NCAA Qualification. In his third-place match, he faced off with No. 8 Sam Mitchell. Mitchell scored the opening takedown, but Rasmussen took him out of the match with two reversals and a takedown to secure an 8-3 decision and third place at the Big 12 Tournament.
In total, nine Jackrabbits made the podium in their respective weight classes. Cade DeVos placed fifth after scoring his third win over No. 4 Jared Simma this year by decision. Derrick Cardinal and Julina Tagg placed fifth at 133 and 141 pounds after accepting medical forfeits in their fifth-place matches.
Finally, Tanner Jordan dropped a tightly contested dual, giving up a last-second pin to Trever Anderson of UNI to take eighth place at 125 pounds. Jordan will be up for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Avery Allen wrestled two tightly contested duals on Sunday, first against Teague Travis of Oklahoma State. Travis scored a reversal in the third period, which Allen couldnt recover from, dropping a 3-0 decision. In the fifth-place match, Allen took on No. 3 Willie McDougald of Oklahoma. After trading escapes, McDouglad was able to score a takedown in the third period, securing a 5-2 decision over Allen. Allen ends his run at the Big 12 Tournament, going 2-3, finishing sixth at 149 pounds after entering unseeded.
Up next
The Jacks are back in action at the NCAA Tournament on March 20-22. Seven Jacks automatically qualified for the tournament due to pre-allocations for the Big 12. Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds and Drake Rhodes at 165 pounds will be candidates for at-large bids to the tournament.
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