Three South Dakota State wrestlers are seeded second to lead a group of seven Jackrabbits in the top eight of their respective weight classes as preparations continue for this weekend’s Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
Returning All-American Clay Carlson, a junior from Willmar, Minnesota, is seeded second for the Jackrabbits in the 141-pound class after compiling a 27-3 overall record so far this season. Iowa State’s Ian Parker received the top seed in the weight class, which has seven automatic qualifying spots allocated for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in mid-March.
Also seeded second from SDSU are 174-pounder Cade DeVos and 197-pounder Tanner Sloan. A sophomore from Altoona, Iowa, DeVos has posted a 26-5 record this season at 174 pounds after earning a trip to nationals at 157 pounds during the 2020-21 campaign. Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott is the No. 1 in the 174-pound division.
Sloan, a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds, has won 12 matches in a row and enters the postseason with a 17-4 overall record. The junior from Alburnett, Iowa, is seeded behind Wyoming’s Stephen Buchanan.
Seeded third at 133 pounds is South Dakota State newcomer Gabriel Tagg. Since joining the lineup in January, Tagg has put together a 12-3 record. Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix and Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa are the top two seeds in the weight class.
Entering the tournament with the No. 4 seed at heavyweight is junior A.J. Nevills. A native of Clovis, California, Nevills reached the Big 12 finals twice while wrestling for Fresno State and holds a 24-9 overall record in his first season at South Dakota State. Top billing at heavyweight went to Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson.
Rounding out the seedings for the Jackrabbits are Cade King, fifth at 184 pounds, and Tanner Cook, who is sixth in a competitive 165-pound bracket. King, a junior from Waseca, Minnesota, has posted a 14-7 record this season, while Cook, a sophomore from Ilion, New York, has compiled an 18-9 mark. Cook was an NCAA qualifier during the 2019-20 season after placing third at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
Keegan O’Toole of Missouri holds the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds, with Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen taking the same honors in the 184-pound division.
Unseeded wrestlers for the Jackrabbits include Tanner Jordan (125 pounds), Daniel Kimball (149 pounds), and Kenny O’Neil (157 pounds).
Big 12 Championships Pre-Seeds
Pairings for each of the 10 weight classes will be announced later in the week.
Action at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The two-tournament concludes with the finals at 7 p.m. Sunday. Video coverage of the first three sessions will be available through the ESPN+ streaming platform, with Sunday’s championship matches televised on ESPN2.
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