TULSA, Okla. – Following two sessions of non-stop action inside the BOK Center on Saturday, true freshman Ty Watters heads into battle for a Big 12 Championship, with five others vying for a top-five finish in their respective weight classes.
 
Watters, seeded No. 3 at 149 pounds, claimed his third bonus-point win of the day with a 19-2 technical over No. 7-seed Gabe Willochell (Wyoming). The Imperial, Pennsylvania, native attempts to be the first true freshman in program history to win a Big 12 Championship, as he matches up against No. 4-seed Jordan Williams of Oklahoma St, who escaped with a 8-7 victory over No. 1-seed Casey Swiderski of Iowa State in the closing minute of the semifinal bout.
 
Additionally, junior Jett Strickenberger (125), redshirt sophomore Jordan Titus (141), senior Peyton Hall (165), redshirt freshman Brody Conley (174) and redshirt senior Michael Wolfgram (HWT) are all still alive to finish third, while redshirt junior Dennis Robin (184) will compete for seventh.
 
West Virginia as a team ends day one in sixth place with 73.0 team points, eclipsing its previous high of 65.5 team points in 2016 since joining the conference in 2012. This year's squad also matched the 2016 and 2022 Mountaineers for the most wrestlers on the Big 12 podium in program history with seven.

Iowa State (129.5) currently leads heading into the day two, as the Cyclones hold a 10-point advantage over second place Oklahoma State (119.5). Missouri (96.0), South Dakota State (92.5) and Northern Iowa (85.0) round out the top six.
 
The final day of the of the 2024 Big 12 Championship is set to begin at 1 p.m. ET., showcasing wrestlers dueling for position on the podium in the third, fifth, and seventh-place matches live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. All championship bouts get underway at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Live stats remain available on Trackwrestling.
 
Semifinals
141: No. 1 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa St) major dec. No. 4 Jordan Titus (WVU), 14-4
149: No. 3 Ty Watters (WVU) tech. fall over No. 7 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming), 19-2 [T – 6:36]
165: No. 2 David Carr (Iowa St) dec. No. 3 Peyton Hall (WVU), 5-1
 
Consolations
125: No. 7 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) dec. No. 8 Trever Anderson (UNI), 15-8
125: No. 7 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) dec. No. 3 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado), 12-9
157: No. 3 Teague Travis (Oklahoma St) dec. Caleb Dowling (WVU), 9-5
174: No. 8 Brody Conley (WVU) dec. Quayin Short (Wyoming), 7-1
174: No. 8 Brody Conley (WVU) dec. No. 5 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa), 7-6
184: No. 7 Dennis Robin (WVU) won by fall over Branson Britten (Northern Colorado), [T - 4:49]
184: No. 3 Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) major dec. No. 7 Dennis Robin (WVU), 16-5
HWT: No. 7 Michael Wolfgram (WVU) dec. No. 8 Kevin Zimmer (Wyoming), 6-4
HWT: No. 7 Michael Wolfgram (WVU) dec. Chase Trussell (Utah Valley), 4-1 (SV1)
 
*No. Seed
 
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