Cyclones lead at Big 12 Championship, Gremmel qualifies for NCAA’s

The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletic Communications.

TULSA, Okla. – No. 21 Iowa State holds the lead at the 2020 Big 12 Championships after one session of action in Tulsa. In total, eight Cyclones advanced to the semifinals, the most of any team in the tournament.

By advancing to the semifinals at heavyweight, Gannon Gremmel becomes the first Cyclone to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships.

Wrestling continues tonight with semifinal and consolation matches. The second session from the BOK Center will begin at 5 p.m. and can be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

How It Happened
Saturday morning’s first session saw the Cyclones jump out to an early lead at the Big 12 Championship. ISU posted a 10-2 record through the pigtail and quarterfinal rounds to secure eight spots in the semifinals.

Ian Parker and Gremmel got the day going for the Cardinal and Gold, both picking up wins in the pigtail matches, which they parlayed into victories in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.

No. 2 Parker took out NDSU’s Dylan Droegemuller by 7-2 decision, followed by an 8-4 win against No. 7 Clay Carlson of SDSU.

No. 2 Gremmel’s morning was workmanlike, securing a 4-1 win against Oklahoma’s Josiah Jones and then a 3-0 decision over No. 7 Brandon Metz of NDSU.

At 184 pounds, No. 5 Marcus Coleman provided some late-match heroics, taking No. 4 Alan Clothier down with less than 10 seconds in the match to lock in a 4-3 decision over the UNC grappler.

Fourth-seeded Jarrett Degen and third-seeded Sam Colbray also found themselves in tight quarterfinal matchups. Degen edged No. 5 Andrew Alirez of UNC by 4-3 decision, while Colbray picked up a 3-2 decision over No. 6 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming).

No. 6 Chase Straw picked up where he left off last year in Tulsa, rolling into the semifinals with a 7-4 victory against UNC’s Jordan Robinson. No. 3 Alex Mackall picked up his second victory of the year over No. 6 Danny Vega behind a 13-6 win over the Jackrabbit.

The top-seed at 157 pounds, David Carr made his Big 12 Championship debut with an 11-5 decision over No. 8 Dewey Krueger of Wyoming.

Team Scores
1. Iowa State – 64
2. Oklahoma State – 61
3. South Dakota State – 42
4. Oklahoma – 40
5. UNI – 38
6. Wyoming – 37
7. North Dakota State – 36.5
8. Northern Colorado – 24
9. Utah Valley – 15
10. West Virginia – 13
11. Air Force – 11
12. Fresno State – 7.5

Iowa State Match-by-Match
125: No. 3 Alex Mackall dec. No. 6 Danny Vega (SDSU), 13-6.

133: Zach Price (SDSU) dec. No. 5 Todd Small, 11-10.

141: No. 2 Ian Parker dec. Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU), 7-2.
No. 2 Ian Parker dec. No. 7 Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-4.

149: No. 4 Jarrett Degen dec. No. 5 Andrew Alirez (UNC), 4-3.

157: No. 1 David Carr dec. No. 8 Dewey Krueger (Wyoming), 11-5.

165: No. 6 Chase Straw dec. Jordan Robinson (UNC), 7-4.

174: No. 3 Sam Colbray dec. No. 6 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming), 3-2.

184: No. 5 Marcus Coleman dec. No. 4 Alan Clothier (UNC), 4-3.

197: No. 2 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) maj. dec. Joel Shapiro, 9-0.

285: No. 2 Gannon Gremmel dec. Josiah Jones (Oklahoma), 4-1.
No. 2 Gannon Gremmel dec. No. 7 Brandon Metz (NDSU), 3-0.