Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Pre-Seeds Revealed for Big 12 Championship
March 04, 2020 04:01 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Four members of the West Virginia University wrestling team earned pre-seeds for the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
The 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship is set for March 7-8, at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches, will compete over two days for 54 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2020 Big 12 Championship team title.
Redshirt sophomore Noah Adams enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 197 pounds. The Coal City, West Virginia, native finished the regular season with a perfect, 29-0 record. Adams, a fifth-place finisher at last year's event, checks in at No. 2 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 27. Adams will have a first-round bye in the tournament and will face the winner of No. 8-seed Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) and Isaiah Patton (Northern Iowa) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck is the No. 6 seed at 157 pounds after posting a 16-13 overall mark and a 5-3 record in Big 12 action. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native won four straight conference bouts to end the regular season, including a 9-1 major decision over No. 33 Dewey Krueger of Wyoming. Hornfeck will face Trey Brisker of Air Force in the preliminary round on Saturday. The bout will mark the first head-to-head meeting between the two.
Sophomore Caleb Rea will be the No. 6 seed at 141 pounds in his return to the Big 12 Championship, following a sixth-place finish in 2019. The Weirton, West Virginia, native registered 15 wins this season, including four over Big 12 opponents. He was also given a first-round bye and will square off against the winner of No. 3 Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa) and Trevor Jefferies (Wyoming).
Redshirt sophomore Joey Thomas will kick off his first career Big 12 Championship as the No. 8 seed at 125 pounds. The Mount Airy, Maryland, native posted 15 wins on the year and ranked third on the team with 12 decisions. Thomas will wrestle Jeremy Trinh of Fresno State for the first time in his career to open the tournament.
Additionally, senior Brandon Ngati (285), redshirt junior Seth Hogue (149), junior Nick Kiussis (165), sophomores Lucas Seibert (133) and Jackson Moomau (184) and freshman Scott Joll (174) will compete unseeded in their respective weight classes at the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
The 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 noon ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can watch the first three sessions of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The championship matches will be broadcasted live on various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation. Check local listings for more information.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship is set for March 7-8, at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches, will compete over two days for 54 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2020 Big 12 Championship team title.
Redshirt sophomore Noah Adams enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 197 pounds. The Coal City, West Virginia, native finished the regular season with a perfect, 29-0 record. Adams, a fifth-place finisher at last year's event, checks in at No. 2 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 27. Adams will have a first-round bye in the tournament and will face the winner of No. 8-seed Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State) and Isaiah Patton (Northern Iowa) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck is the No. 6 seed at 157 pounds after posting a 16-13 overall mark and a 5-3 record in Big 12 action. The Mars, Pennsylvania, native won four straight conference bouts to end the regular season, including a 9-1 major decision over No. 33 Dewey Krueger of Wyoming. Hornfeck will face Trey Brisker of Air Force in the preliminary round on Saturday. The bout will mark the first head-to-head meeting between the two.
Sophomore Caleb Rea will be the No. 6 seed at 141 pounds in his return to the Big 12 Championship, following a sixth-place finish in 2019. The Weirton, West Virginia, native registered 15 wins this season, including four over Big 12 opponents. He was also given a first-round bye and will square off against the winner of No. 3 Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa) and Trevor Jefferies (Wyoming).
Redshirt sophomore Joey Thomas will kick off his first career Big 12 Championship as the No. 8 seed at 125 pounds. The Mount Airy, Maryland, native posted 15 wins on the year and ranked third on the team with 12 decisions. Thomas will wrestle Jeremy Trinh of Fresno State for the first time in his career to open the tournament.
Additionally, senior Brandon Ngati (285), redshirt junior Seth Hogue (149), junior Nick Kiussis (165), sophomores Lucas Seibert (133) and Jackson Moomau (184) and freshman Scott Joll (174) will compete unseeded in their respective weight classes at the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
The 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 noon ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can watch the first three sessions of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The championship matches will be broadcasted live on various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation. Check local listings for more information.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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