Friday, March 6
Tulsa, Okla.
11 a.m./6 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Big 12 Wrestling Championships
Titus Reaches Milestone, Five Mountaineers in Contention for Third at Big 12 Wrestling Championships
March 06, 2026 11:12 PM | Wrestling
TULSA, Okla. – Three Mountaineers qualified for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships and five remain in contention for third place after the first day of the 2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championships presented by Allstate at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After an uninterrupted first session, Mother Nature played a role on the first night of the championships as a tornado warning was announced just over an hour into the second session. For nearly an hour, athletes and spectators sheltered in place inside the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. Competition resumed just after 7 p.m. CT.
The opening day of the tournament featured two Mountaineers competing in the semifinals. In his first appearance at the conference championship since 2024, redshirt sophomore No. 4 seed Ty Watters advanced to the semifinals to face No. 1 seed Kaleb Larkin.
Watters picked up two wins by major decision to advance to the semifinals against Larkin. Watters struck first with a takedown in the opening period, but Larkin quickly responded with a takedown and an escape to lead, 4-3.
Watters regained the lead with a takedown in the second period before Larkin tied it up at six. In the final period, Larkin scored a takedown to take the match and advance to the finals.
In the 184-pound weight class, redshirt junior No. 4 seed Ian Bush advanced to the semifinals for the first time in his career. After receiving a bye in the first round, Bush beat Northern Iowa's No. 5 seed Nick Fox by decision, 7-1.
With a spot in the finals on the line, Bush matched up with Missouri's No. 1 seed Aeoden Sinclair. Sinclair scored a takedown in the second period to pull away from Bush, winning by decision, 6-2.
Bush, Watters, graduate student Jett Strickenberger, redshirt senior Jordan Titus and freshman Gunner Andrick remain in contention for third on the second day. Bush, Titus and Andrick each qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships in their respective weight classes.
Titus becomes just the 16th Mountaineer to qualify four times for the NCAA Championships.
Round One Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over Bryson Valdez (Northern Colorado) (TF 17-2)
141: Jordan Titus over No. 8 Jesse Vasquez (California Baptist) (Dec 12-11)
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) over Willie McDougald (Dec 2-1)
157: No. 4 Ty Watters over Drayden Morton (California Baptist) (MD 11-0)
165: No. 2 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) over Sasha Gavronsky (Fall 5:40)
174: No. 7 Brody Conley over Max Magayna (NDSU) (TF 15-0)
HWT: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) over Brock Kehler (TF 24-6)
Quarterfinal Results
125: No. 6 Ezekiel Witt (NDSU) over No. 3 Jett Strickenberger (Dec 9-6)
133: No. 5 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) over No. 4 Gunner Andrick (Dec 2-1)
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) over Jordan Titus (MD 16-3)
157: No. 4 Ty Watters over No. 5 Gavin Drexler (NDSU) (MD 14-3)
174: No. 2 Carter Schubert (OU) over No. 7 Brody Conley (Dec 3-1 TB-1)
184: No. 4 Ian Bush over No. 5 Nick Fox (UNI) (Dec 7-1)
197: No. 2 Joey Novak (Wyoming) over No. 7 Rune Lawrence (Dec 7-6)
Consolations Round One Results
165: Sasha Gavronsky over Boeden Greenely (NDSU) (MD 11-3)
HWT: Brock Kehler over No. 8 Adam Ahrendsen (UNI) (Dec 11-5)
Semifinal Results
157: No. 1 Kaleb Larkin (ASU) over No. 4 Ty Watters (Dec 9-8)
184: No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) over No. 4 Ian Bush (Dec 6-2)
Consolations Round Two Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over Sefton Douglass (WYO) (TF 18-3)
133: No. 4 Gunner Andrick over Richard Murillo (CBU) (TF 19-1)
141: Jordan Titus over Max Brady (UNI) (Dec 9-5)
149: Willie McDougald over No. 7 Paul Kelly (CBU) (Dec 4-2)
165: No. 8 Marcus Espinoza-Owens (SDSU) over Sasha Gavronsky (Dec 4-2)
174: No. 8 Cael Valencia (ASU) over No. 7 Brody Conley (Dec 8-6)
197: Colton Hawks (ASU) over No. 7 Rune Lawrence (Dec 14-9)
HWT: No. 7 Jarrett Stoner (Missouri) over Brock Kehler (Dec 7-2)
Consolations Round Three Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over No. 8 Tucker Owens (USAFA) (Dec 8-6)
133: No. 4 Gunner Andrick over No. 8 Cale Seaton (SDSU) (MD 9-0)
141: Jordan Titus over No. 5 Pierson Manville (ASU) (Dec 8-5 SV-1)
149: No. 3 David Evans (UVU) over Willie McDougald (Dec 8-5)
Ninth Place Semifinal Match Result
197: No. 7 Rune Lawrence over John Gunderson (Dec 2-1)
West Virginia returns to action at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
After an uninterrupted first session, Mother Nature played a role on the first night of the championships as a tornado warning was announced just over an hour into the second session. For nearly an hour, athletes and spectators sheltered in place inside the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. Competition resumed just after 7 p.m. CT.
The opening day of the tournament featured two Mountaineers competing in the semifinals. In his first appearance at the conference championship since 2024, redshirt sophomore No. 4 seed Ty Watters advanced to the semifinals to face No. 1 seed Kaleb Larkin.
Watters picked up two wins by major decision to advance to the semifinals against Larkin. Watters struck first with a takedown in the opening period, but Larkin quickly responded with a takedown and an escape to lead, 4-3.
Watters regained the lead with a takedown in the second period before Larkin tied it up at six. In the final period, Larkin scored a takedown to take the match and advance to the finals.
In the 184-pound weight class, redshirt junior No. 4 seed Ian Bush advanced to the semifinals for the first time in his career. After receiving a bye in the first round, Bush beat Northern Iowa's No. 5 seed Nick Fox by decision, 7-1.
With a spot in the finals on the line, Bush matched up with Missouri's No. 1 seed Aeoden Sinclair. Sinclair scored a takedown in the second period to pull away from Bush, winning by decision, 6-2.
Bush, Watters, graduate student Jett Strickenberger, redshirt senior Jordan Titus and freshman Gunner Andrick remain in contention for third on the second day. Bush, Titus and Andrick each qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships in their respective weight classes.
Titus becomes just the 16th Mountaineer to qualify four times for the NCAA Championships.
Round One Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over Bryson Valdez (Northern Colorado) (TF 17-2)
141: Jordan Titus over No. 8 Jesse Vasquez (California Baptist) (Dec 12-11)
149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) over Willie McDougald (Dec 2-1)
157: No. 4 Ty Watters over Drayden Morton (California Baptist) (MD 11-0)
165: No. 2 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) over Sasha Gavronsky (Fall 5:40)
174: No. 7 Brody Conley over Max Magayna (NDSU) (TF 15-0)
HWT: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) over Brock Kehler (TF 24-6)
Quarterfinal Results
125: No. 6 Ezekiel Witt (NDSU) over No. 3 Jett Strickenberger (Dec 9-6)
133: No. 5 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) over No. 4 Gunner Andrick (Dec 2-1)
141: No. 1 Sergio Vega (OSU) over Jordan Titus (MD 16-3)
157: No. 4 Ty Watters over No. 5 Gavin Drexler (NDSU) (MD 14-3)
174: No. 2 Carter Schubert (OU) over No. 7 Brody Conley (Dec 3-1 TB-1)
184: No. 4 Ian Bush over No. 5 Nick Fox (UNI) (Dec 7-1)
197: No. 2 Joey Novak (Wyoming) over No. 7 Rune Lawrence (Dec 7-6)
Consolations Round One Results
165: Sasha Gavronsky over Boeden Greenely (NDSU) (MD 11-3)
HWT: Brock Kehler over No. 8 Adam Ahrendsen (UNI) (Dec 11-5)
Semifinal Results
157: No. 1 Kaleb Larkin (ASU) over No. 4 Ty Watters (Dec 9-8)
184: No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) over No. 4 Ian Bush (Dec 6-2)
Consolations Round Two Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over Sefton Douglass (WYO) (TF 18-3)
133: No. 4 Gunner Andrick over Richard Murillo (CBU) (TF 19-1)
141: Jordan Titus over Max Brady (UNI) (Dec 9-5)
149: Willie McDougald over No. 7 Paul Kelly (CBU) (Dec 4-2)
165: No. 8 Marcus Espinoza-Owens (SDSU) over Sasha Gavronsky (Dec 4-2)
174: No. 8 Cael Valencia (ASU) over No. 7 Brody Conley (Dec 8-6)
197: Colton Hawks (ASU) over No. 7 Rune Lawrence (Dec 14-9)
HWT: No. 7 Jarrett Stoner (Missouri) over Brock Kehler (Dec 7-2)
Consolations Round Three Results
125: No. 3 Jett Strickenberger over No. 8 Tucker Owens (USAFA) (Dec 8-6)
133: No. 4 Gunner Andrick over No. 8 Cale Seaton (SDSU) (MD 9-0)
141: Jordan Titus over No. 5 Pierson Manville (ASU) (Dec 8-5 SV-1)
149: No. 3 David Evans (UVU) over Willie McDougald (Dec 8-5)
Ninth Place Semifinal Match Result
197: No. 7 Rune Lawrence over John Gunderson (Dec 2-1)
West Virginia returns to action at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
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