Big 12 Conference releases brackets for annual wrestling championships

The brackets have been released for the Big 12 Championships Saturday and Sunday in Tulsa, Okla.

Iowa State and Northern Iowa combined for three top seeds and five more No. 2 seeds.

For the Cyclones, Anthony Echemendia (141) and Casey Swiderski at 149 are No. 1 seeds. NCAA champion and two-time finalist David Carr is the No. 2 seed at 165 behind Missouri defending national champion Keegan O’Toole. All-American Yonger Bastida, who bumped up to heavyweight this season, is also the No. 2 seed behind Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson. Iowa State’s Evan Frost (133) and 174-pounder M.J. Gaitan are seeded second.

UNI’s unbeaten NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American Parker Keckeisen will look to continue the Panthers’ conference dominance at 184. The Panthers have won the last six Big 12 titles at that weight and Keckeisen is the No. 1 seed. Former Lisbon prep and NCAA qualifier Cael Happel is the third seed at 141. Ryder Downey is the No. 2 seed at 157 for UNI, while former West Delaware prep Wyatt Voelker is the No. 5 seed at 197.

South Dakota State NCAA finalist and four-time national qualifier Tanner Sloan is the top seed at 197. Sloan, a former two-time state champion from Alburnett, is 18-1 this season.

Here are the full brackets for the Big 12 Championships

Iowa State seeds

125: No. 6 Kysen Terukina

133: No. 2 Evan Frost

141: No. 1 Anthony Echemendia

149: No. 1 Casey Swiderski

157: No. 4 Cody Chittum

165: No. 2 David Carr

174: No. 2 MJ Gaitan

184: No. 5 Will Feldkamp

197: Unseeded Julien Broderson

Hwt.: No. 2 Yonger Bastida

Northern Iowa seeds

125: No. 8 Trever Anderson

133: No. 5 Julian Farber

141: No. 3 Cael Happel

149: Unseeded Adam Allard

157: No. 2 Ryder Downey

165: Unseeded Jack Thomsen

174: No. 5 Jared Simma

184: No. 1 Parker Keckeisen

197: No. 5 Wyatt Voelker

Hwt.: No. 6 Tyrell Gordon

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com