TULSA, Okla. – Parker Keckeisen became the third Panther to earn two Big 12 wrestling championships with back-to-back titles at 184 pounds.
A Panther has won a title at 184 pounds every year since joining the league in 2018. It’s the second longest active streak of any Big 12 school at a weight class. Oklahoma State has had a champion at 149 pounds since 2015.
UNI finished fifth with 100 points and seven medalists who qualified for the NCAA championships.
At 184 pounds, Keckeisen faced one of the few opponents he had not met in the Big 12 in No. 19 Jeremiah Kent of MIssouri. Kent was seeded sixth coming into the Big 12s.
Keckeisen opened with a takedown and gave up a reversal before getting a reversal of his own. He cut Kent and closed out the first period with a second takedown and two nearfall points to lead 8-3. Keckeisen escaped off the whistle and grabbed a takedown in the second period. A penalty point and riding time gave Keckeisen the 13-3 major decision.
UNI had three finalists with Brody Teske at 125 pounds and Kyle Biscoglia at 133 pounds. Teske is now a two-time finalist with a title last year and taking second place this season. Biscoglia, who was seeded second took runner-up honors at his first Big 12 tournament.
Earlier in the day, four Panthers earned podium spots at the Big 12 Championships. All four joined the finalists at the NCAA championships to make seven automatic qualifiers for UNI. Seven Panthers have earned automatic bids to nationals, tying the most head coach Doug Schwab has ever taken to the national tournament.
UNI’s three finalists equals UNI’s most finalists since the program joined the Big 12 for the 2018 championships when UNI had its highest finish as runner-up.
Taylor Lujan and Drew Foster are the only other Panthers to earn two Big 12 titles since UNI joined the league in 2018. Foster won his titles back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 at 184 pounds. Lujan won titles in 2018 at 174 pounds and 2020 at 184 pounds and placed second in 2019 at 174 pounds.
Teske lost 8-3 to top-seed Killian Cardinale of West Virginia. Cardinale is a returning all-American who was seventh last year at the national tournament.
At 133 pounds, Biscoglia fell in a 6-2 decision to reigning Big 12 champion Daton Fix, who is a two-time NCAA runner-up.
SESSION 3
Colin Realbuto avenged a loss to Jarrett Degen of Iowa State to earn a bronze medal at 149 pounds and his first trip to the NCAAs. Austin Yant is UNI’s other third-place finisher, which was also an automatic bid to the NCAA championships at 165 pounds. This will be his second trip to the NCAAs.
At 157 pounds, Derek Holschlag was edged out in sudden victory for fifth place. However, his sixth-place finish secured his first spot on the national stage. Lance Runyon medically forfeited his final placing match to also take sixth and one of the allocated spots for nationals at 174 pounds. He earned an at-large bid last year, but was unable to compete.
AT LARGE BIDS
A total of 58 wrestlers advanced automatically from the Big 12 Championships. At-large bids will be awarded March 8. Brackets and seeding for the NCAA championships will be revealed at 5 p.m. CT March 9 during an NCAA.com selection show.
The NCAA Division I National Championships are set for March 17-19 in Detroit, Michigan.
Team Scores
Missouri 131.5
Oklahoma 113
Iowa State 110
Oklahoma State 108.5
UNI 100
South Dakota State 66
North Dakota State 62
West Virginia 62
Wyoming 57.5
Air Force 45
Northern Colorado 35.5
Utah Valley 34
WEIGHT (SEED) #NCAA RANKING
125 | (3) #16 Brody Teske – 2nd / NCAA qualifier
W – Jared Van Vleet (Air Force) 6:06 F
W – #18 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) 6-5
W – (7) #22 Joey Prata (Oklahoma) 6-3
L – (1) #8 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) 8-3
133 | (2) #21 Kyle Biscoglia – 2nd / NCAA qualifier
W – (7) #31 Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma) 10-2 MD
W – Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) 7-5 SV
L – (1) #2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 6-2
184 | (1) #4 Parker Keckeisen
W – Jake Thompson (Air Force) 14-5 MD
W – DJ Parker (North Dakota State) 12-4 MD
W – (4) #10 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) 19-7 MD
W – (6) #19 Jeremiah Kent (Missouri)
FROM SESSION 3
149 | (5) Colin Realbuto – 3rd place / NCAA qualifier
W – (4) #18 Josh Edmond (Missouri) 3-1
L – (1) #15 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 11-5
W – Dylan Martinez (Air Force) 13-4 MD
W – (3) #17 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 8-6
157 | (7) #33 Derek Holschlag – 6th place / NCAA qualifier
W – Kenny O`Neil (South Dakota State) 4-1
L – (2) #5 Jared Franek (North Dakota State) 8-4
W – Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) 11-3 MD
W – Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) 6-1
L – (5) #15 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) 5-4
L – (4) #20 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) 3-1 SV
165 | (3) #13 Austin Yant – 3rd place / NCAA qualifier
W – Danny Snediker (Utah Valley) 4-1
L – (2) #8 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) 4-1
W – (8) Joe Grello (Oklahoma) 2-0
W – (5) #17 Luke Weber (North Dakota State) 5-4
174 | (4) #20 Lance Runyon – 6th place / NCAA qualifier
W – Jackson Hemauer (Northern Colorado) 8-0 MD
W – Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) 5-1
L – (1) #9 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) 3-1
L – (3) #23 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) 8-4
MFF for 6th place
FROM DAY 1:
141 | (6) #23 Cael Happel – DNP
L – Andrew Alirez (UNC) 7-2
L – (5) #16 Carter Young (OSU) 10-5
197 | John Gunderson – DNP
L – Rocky Elam (Missouri) 14-3 MD
L – (3) #12 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) 7-2
285 | #32 Tyrell Gordon – DNP
L – Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) 13-3 MD
L – (8) #29 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) 2-1
