TULSA, Okla. – Fifth-year
Peyton Hall of the No. 24 West Virginia University wrestling team became the program's all-time wins leader after he advanced to the 165-pound final at the 2025 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Hall's third win on the day became his most historic as he passed Greg Jones for most wins in program history. Hall defeated Arizona State's No. 6 seed Nicco Ruiz in the semifinal by decision, 8-2.
This victory came after he cruised through the first round with a win by technical fall over California Baptist's Daniel Manibog, 15-0. In the quarterfinals, Hall needed overtime to defeat Northern Iowa's No. 7 seed Jack Thomsen by sudden victory, 9-6.
In his first match of the day, redshirt senior No. 3 seed
Jett Strickenberger faced a difficult opponent in Oklahoma's No. 6 seed Antonio Lorenzo. A first-period takedown put Strickenberger in front as he advanced to the semifinals with a win by decision, 4-0.
Strickenberger followed his performance by pinning Northern Colorado's No. 2 seed Stevo Poulin. Strickenberger advanced to the championship final in the 125-pound weight class and will face Oklahoma State's No. 4 seed Troy Spratley.
West Virginia is currently tied for fifth place with Northern Colorado with 63 total points.
In the first session of the championships, the Mountaineers had a strong showing across the board. In the first round, fifth-year
Caleb Dowling took multiple overtime periods to upset California Baptist's No. 8 seed Drayden Morton in the 157-pound weight class. Dowling earned the win in the tiebreaker, 5-1.
Redshirt sophomore No. 5 seed
Ian Bush scored an impressive win by major decision as he beat Missouri's Jesse Cassatt in the 197-pound bracket.
Dowling and Bush would go on to lose in the quarterfinals.
Despite an early loss, redshirt junior
Jordan Titus earned three wins to be in contention for third place on the final day of the championship.
With their results, Hall, Strickenberger and Titus each punched their tickets to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Following his quarterfinal loss, Bush won two matches in the second session to be in contention for third place heading into the second day of the championship.
Fifth-year
Sam Hillegas lost his first match but bounced back with two wins later in the day. He lost to Oklahoma's No. 3 Willie McDougald but will compete for seventh place on Sunday.
Dowling recovered from a loss in the quarterfinals with a win over Arizona State's Michael Kilic. However, Dowling lost in his next match and will compete for seventh.
The final day of the championships begin at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. Finals will start at 9 p.m. The first session will be live-streamed on ESPN+ and finals will be on ESPNU.
Round 1 Results
- 133: No. 5 Kyle Burwick (NDSU) major dec. Tommy Maddox (WVU), 10-0
- 141: No. 5 Mosha Schwartz (OU) dec. Jordan Titus (WVU), 9-6
- 149: No. 1 Colin Realbuto (UNI) won by fall over Sam Hillegas (WVU) [T – 4:46]
- 157: Caleb Dowling (WVU) dec. No. 8 Drayden Morton (CBU) [TB-1 5-1]
- 165: No. 2 Peyton Hall (WVU) tech. fall Daniel Manibog (CBU), 15-0
- 184: Caleb Uhlenhopp (UVU) major dec. No. 7 Dennis Robin (WVU), 11-3
- 197: No. 5 Ian Bush (WVU) major dec. Jesse Cassatt (UM), 16-2
- HWT: No. 8 Sam Mitchell (WYO) dec. Brian Finnerty (WVU), 1-0
Quarterfinal Results
- 125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) dec. No. 6 Antonio Lorenzo (OU), 4-0
- 157: No. 1 Cody Chittum (ISU) major dec. Caleb Dowling (WVU), 9-0
- 165: No. 2 Peyton Hall (WVU) dec. No. 7 Jack Thomsen (UNI) [SV-1 9-6]
- 174: No. 3 Gaven Sax (OU) won by injury over No. 6 Brody Conley (WVU)
- 197: No. 4 Zach Glazier (SDSU) dec. No. 5 Ian Bush (WVU), 4-2
Consolations Round 1
- 141: Jordan Titus (WVU) dec. Carter Nogle (USAFA), 12-6
- 149: Sam Hillegas (WVU) tech. fall Alec Viduya (USAFA), 15-0
- 184: David Berkovich (CBU) tech. fall No. 7 Dennis Robin (WVU), 19-4
- HWT: Antonio Ramos (USAFA) won by fall over Brian Finnerty (WVU) [T – 0:42]
Semifinal Results
- 125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) won by fall over No. 2 Stevo Poulin (UNC) [T – 2:15]
- 165: No. 2 Peyton Hall (WVU) dec. No. 6 Nicco Ruiz (ASU), 8-2
Consolations Round 2
- 133: Cleveland Belton (OU) major dec. Tommy Maddox (WVU), 17-4
- 141: Jordan Titus (WVU) dec. No. 6 Josh Edmond (UM), 5-4
- 149: Sam Hillegas (WVU) major dec. No. 7 Logan Gioffre (UM), 13-1
- 157: Caleb Dowling (WVU) dec. Michael Kilic (ASU), 7-2
- 174: Aydin Rix-McElhinney (UNC) won by injury over No. 6 Brody Conley (WVU)
- 197: No. 5 Ian Bush (WVU) tech. fall Jacob Meissner (ASU), 15-0
Consolations Round 3
- 141: Jordan Titus (WVU) dec. Cole Brooks (WYO) [SV-1 4-1]
- 149: No. 3 Willie McDougald (OU) dec. Sam Hillegas (WVU) [SV-1 8-5]
- 157: No. 5 Jared Hill (WYO) dec. Caleb Dowling (WVU), 5-0
- 197: No. 5 Ian Bush (WVU) tech. fall Kael Bennie (UVU), 15-0
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