Iowa State wrestling walks away from the Big 12 Championship on Sunday with 117.5 points and a third-place finish as a team.

The Cyclones lost to two first-place teams: Oklahoma State and University of Oklahoma, who tallied up 124 points. 

Not a loser’s bracket 

On day one of the competition Saturday, a handful of Cyclone wrestlers were eliminated from the first- and second-place finish.

Those who did not beat their first-round opponents had opportunities to earn third and fifth place as well as team points in the consolation bracket early Sunday. 

Freshman Kysen Terukina (125) was in position to compete for third place. In session three, he took on Danny Vega of South Dakota State.

Terukina took the fall against Vega in a 12-3 decision, but he still had the chance to earn fifth place and qualify for the NCAA Championship. 

Terukina had another opportunity for fifth place, facing off with Trevor Mastrogiovanni from Oklahoma State. Terukina had a hard time fighting through Mastrogovanni, and he eventually was defeated 19-1 and left the Big 12 in sixth for his debut.

Another standout freshman was Zach Redding (133), who took a loss Saturday in the semifinals, but he was still in position to wrestle for third place.

Redding crushed the No. 3 seed, Zach Price of South Dakota State, in an 8-4 decision. 

Redding put himself in position to earn the third-place finish and a trip to the NCAA Championship. He got the job done, coming down on Mosha Schwartz of Northern Colorado for the title in a 20-7 fall. Redding will make his debut at the NCAA Championship. 

After watching Redding progress throughout his first year, Head Coach Kevin Dresser is excited for the future of this young wrestler. 

“Zach Redding really stepped up and made a difference, filled that hole really well for us,” Dresser said. “He is going to have a really bright future at Iowa State.”

Senior Jarrett Degen (149) was among those Cyclones to compete in the consolation bracket. Degen met Kyle Parco again in the third-place round. Parco put up a good fight; Degen was unable to keep up.

Degen ended his last Big 12 Championship in fourth place, losing to Parco 9-4. He will still qualify for the NCAA Championship. 

After taking a loss in consolation semifinals, senior Sam Colbray (184) competed for fifth place against Darrien Roberts, belonging to Oklahoma. Colbray sealed the deal on Roberts, earning the victory in a 7-1 decision. 

Redshirt junior Marcus Coleman (197) made his way to the end of the bracket, looking to walk away in third place. Coleman took on No. 3 Noah Adams from West Virginia in his final bout. 

Coleman gave up the first takedown to Adams but found a takedown late in the final period. But it wasn’t enough. Adams took third place in a 6-3 decision over Coleman. 

Demas gets revenge 

Last year in the Big 12 Championship, Senior Ian Parker (141) put up a brutal battle against Oklahoma’s Dom Demas but would take the first-place title. 

The two wrestlers met again on the mat for the finals Sunday.

Parker and Demas battled hard, going back and forth for momentum advantage. Parker gave up the first point to Demas with an escape but answered back later on in the third period with an escape of his own. 

Going into third tie-breaker periods, Parker had a lead but Demas had the riding time. Demas found his revenge over Parker, taking the first-place title at 141 pounds. 

Parker finished his Big 12 competition in second place, battling through some of the best wrestlers in the country. He will end his season at the NCAA Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Carr and Gremmel get the job done

In his return for the Big 12 title, sophomore David Carr (157) took on No. 3 Jared Franek of North Dakota State. Carr looked to defend his first-place Big 12 Championship title; he left it all out there. Carr came into this weekend undefeated on the season. 

Carr came out hot, looking to score on any take. Franek couldn’t keep up with the pace and energy of Carr. Carr defeated Franek in an 8-2 decision after three periods of high-level wrestling.

Contrary to Carr, senior Gannon Gremmel (HWY) missed the mark last year in the finals, taking a hard loss to Brian Andrews from Wyoming. 

After a few minutes of celebration, Carr reminded himself that the NCAA Championship is right around the corner. 

“I can’t even describe the feelings I have, I am shaking when I think of Nationals,” Carr said. “As long as these two weeks go well, that is the tournament I’ve been dreaming about as a kid.” 

Gremmel found what he had been looking for, meeting Andrews in the finals, working to take back the heavyweight title. 

The first points were awarded by Gremmel with an escape. It was a drawn out two period stretch for these two, but after working hard, Gremmel was able to get Andrews to his knees. 

With riding time and his point on an escape, Gremmel took down Andrews in a 2-0 decision. 

Coaching Gremmel for five years now, Dresser was proud of his performance. 

“The guy comes to compete, he comes to compete … heavyweight is a funny animal,” Dresser said. 

Gremmel is hoping to go into the NCAA Championship and remain undefeated.

“I gotta win two weeks from now and really shock the world,” Gremmel said.