After day one of Big 12’s the Tigers are sitting in a disappointing 8th place with 55 points. They have three wrestlers qualified, with only one other to have a chance.
They had some big upsets with Kade Moore and Cam Steed, but had four wrestlers go 0-2 on the day with upsets. Tomorrow they’ll have J Conway and Colton Hawks in 7th place matches, Kade Moore in the consi semis, and Keegan O’Toole plus Cam Steed in the finals.
125lbs: Gage Walker (1-2) – DNQ
- First Round: #3 Troy Spratley (OKST) Dec. Gage Walker (9-2)
- Consolations Round 1: Gage Walker Dec. Mitchell Neiner (CBU) (1-0)
- Consolations Round 2: #28 Antonio Lorenzo (OU) Dec. Gage Walker (4-2)
Gage had a tough draw early with Spratley, giving up multiple takedowns. Walker had a nice ride in the second but didn’t come too close to scoring. He scraped by with an escape to win his next match. In his rematch with Lorenzo it looked similar to the dual. Lorenzo got the only takedown and took neutral, doing a good job of getting to Walker’s legs to wear down time. Walker misses out on placing and is an unlikely candidate for an At-Large bid.
133lbs: Kade Moore – Qualified
- First Round: Kade Moore Maj. Gavin Caprella (AF) (15-3)
- Quarterfinals: Kade Moore Maj. #4 Evan Frost (ISU) (20-6)
- Semifinals: #23 Kyle Burwick (NDSU) Maj. Kade Moore (10-2)
- Next Opponent: Derrick Cardinal (SDSU)
Moore started hot with a great major over Caprella before getting one of the bigger upsets on the day with a major over returning Big 12 finalist and All-American Evan Frost. Moore was the aggressor early and built up his lead with multiple takedowns in the first. He then continuously countered Frost’s attack and forward pressure with perfect throwbys, and threatened from top with a cradle at times. That win put him into an AQ spot, sending him to his second NCAA tournament after coming in as the eight seed.
He struggled in the semis against Burwick, who’s strong top wrestling slowed Moore down a lot. Moore had some good scrambles and close reversals but wasn’t able to score or escape. Tomorrow in the consi semis he’ll take on Derrick Cardinal.
