Big 12 Pre-Seeds Announced
February 26, 2018 12:59 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Pre-seeds for the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, set for March 3-4, at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were announced by the league office on Monday.
All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches and approved at the pre-championship coaches meeting on Friday, will compete over two days for 45 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2018 Big 12 Championship team title.
The Mountaineers, who finished seventh at the 2017 Big 12 Championship, have a trio of wrestlers seeded inside the top five of their respective weight classes.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed at 125 pounds. Ranked No. 15 in his weight class, the Northampton, Pennsylvania, native rides a 20-win season into the postseason. He owns a team-leading 20-8 mark on the year and is 6-2 vs. Big 12 opponents. The 2018 season marks the first time since 2015 that Moisey will wrestle at the conference tournament, when he placed second as a true freshman.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith was announced as the No. 4 seed at 197 pounds. The Charleston, West Virginia, native finished the regular season with an 11-6 overall mark, winning four of his last five duals. Smith, the 2017 Big 12 runner-up, checked-in at No. 22 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 22.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt is the No. 5 seed at 133 pounds after posting an 18-10 overall mark with a 5-3 record in Big 12 action. The Platte City, Missouri, native has a team-high five major decisions on the year and comes in at No. 32 in the most recent coaches' panel rankings.
Junior Christian Monserrat enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed at 141 pounds. Monserrat, who started the season at 149, posted a 16-14 overall mark on the year.
Additionally, freshman Nick Kiussis and redshirt senior Parker VonEgidy were announced as the No. 8 seeds at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Both wrestlers registered 13 wins on the year.
Redshirt freshman Kyler Rea (149), redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore (157) and true freshman Brenden McRill (184) each captured the No. 9 seed in their respective weight classes. Rea collected 13 wins on the season, Moore posted 12 victories and McRill had 10.
Sophomore Brandon Ngati rounded out the Mountaineers' seedings as the No. 12 seed in the heavyweight bout.
Of note, Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa each have three top-seeded wrestlers, while Wyoming has two wrestlers in the top spot.
Action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET. The championship will be streamed live to subscribers by FloWreslting, with live stats on FloArena.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches and approved at the pre-championship coaches meeting on Friday, will compete over two days for 45 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2018 Big 12 Championship team title.
The Mountaineers, who finished seventh at the 2017 Big 12 Championship, have a trio of wrestlers seeded inside the top five of their respective weight classes.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed at 125 pounds. Ranked No. 15 in his weight class, the Northampton, Pennsylvania, native rides a 20-win season into the postseason. He owns a team-leading 20-8 mark on the year and is 6-2 vs. Big 12 opponents. The 2018 season marks the first time since 2015 that Moisey will wrestle at the conference tournament, when he placed second as a true freshman.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith was announced as the No. 4 seed at 197 pounds. The Charleston, West Virginia, native finished the regular season with an 11-6 overall mark, winning four of his last five duals. Smith, the 2017 Big 12 runner-up, checked-in at No. 22 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 22.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt is the No. 5 seed at 133 pounds after posting an 18-10 overall mark with a 5-3 record in Big 12 action. The Platte City, Missouri, native has a team-high five major decisions on the year and comes in at No. 32 in the most recent coaches' panel rankings.
Junior Christian Monserrat enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed at 141 pounds. Monserrat, who started the season at 149, posted a 16-14 overall mark on the year.
Additionally, freshman Nick Kiussis and redshirt senior Parker VonEgidy were announced as the No. 8 seeds at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Both wrestlers registered 13 wins on the year.
Redshirt freshman Kyler Rea (149), redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore (157) and true freshman Brenden McRill (184) each captured the No. 9 seed in their respective weight classes. Rea collected 13 wins on the season, Moore posted 12 victories and McRill had 10.
Sophomore Brandon Ngati rounded out the Mountaineers' seedings as the No. 12 seed in the heavyweight bout.
Of note, Oklahoma State and Northern Iowa each have three top-seeded wrestlers, while Wyoming has two wrestlers in the top spot.
Action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET. The championship will be streamed live to subscribers by FloWreslting, with live stats on FloArena.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
HWT
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
You Can Never Have Too Many Headlocks
Wednesday, April 01
WRES: NCAA Championships Hype Video
Wednesday, March 18
2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championships Hype
Thursday, March 05
WRES: 2026 Senior Recognition Ceremony
Tuesday, February 10
