Sooners Open Big 12 Championships Saturday

Big 12 Championship

Oklahoma (10-6)

March 8-9 | All Day | BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.

Notes

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Oklahoma Probable Lineup (with Big 12 seed)
Weight	Wrestler	Class	Record
125	No. 7 Christian Moody	RJr.	10-9
133	No. 6 Anthony Madrigal	Fr.	14-13
141	No. 3 Dom Demas	RFr.	26-7
149	No. 6 Davion Jeffries	Sr.	19-8
157	No. 1 Justin Thomas	RSo.	17-8
165	No. 8 Jeremy Thomas	RSo.	10-11
174	No. 7 Anthony Mantanona	RFr.	13-14
184	No. 8 Kayne MacCallum	Gr.	13-14
197	No. 5 Jake Woodley	RFr.	14-9
HWT	Jake Boyd	RFr.	10-19

NORMAN – The Oklahoma wrestling team is set for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, set for Saturday and Sunday in Tulsa, Okla.

Oklahoma finished sixth at last season's Big 12 Championships with 52 team points. Three Sooners earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships by virtue of their Big 12 finishes including current Sooner Christian Moody (125 pounds). Davion Jeffries (149) earned a wildcard to the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Tournament Schedule

The championship is split into four sessions over two days of competition.

Saturday, March 9
Session I -11:00 a.m.
Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches
Session II - 5:00 p.m.
Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches

Sunday, March 10
Session III - 12:00 p.m.
Consolation Semifinals, 3rd & 5th Place Matches
Session IV - 6:00 p.m.
Championship Matches

Regular Season Recap

OU went 10-6 on the season, good for the 46^th 10-win season in program history and second under head coach Lou Rosselli.

The Sooners closed out the season on a five-match winning streak, with four of those victories coming against Big 12 opponents.

OU's 5-3 mark in Big 12 matches ties its best finish under Coach Rosselli (2017).

Sooners Streaking

Dom Demas (141), Davion Jeffries (149) and Jake Woodley (197) all ride five-match winning streaks into the Big 12 Tournament.

Demas' five wins in that stretch have come as bonus-point victories – two major decisions and three tech falls.

Justin Thomas ended the season on a four-match winning streak. Two of those wins came over ranked Big 12 opponents in then-No. 19 Jacob Wright of Fresno State and North Dakota State's No. 19 Luke Weber.

Dom-inant Demas

Redshirt freshman Demas logged 26 wins on the season to become the first Sooner since Ross Larson in 2013-14 to earn 20+ wins in his first year of competition.

Demas also earned three wins over ranked opponents.

The Columbus, Ohio, native was the only Sooner to be consistently ranked in the InterMat release, breaking into the rankings the second week of the season. Demas entered the rankings at No. 17 and rose as high as No. 7 at 141.

Mantanona's Pinning Ways

Mantanona led the Sooners in wins by fall with five.

Three of his five wins by fall came in under two minutes, and Mantanona had OU's fastest pin of the season in just 55 seconds against Gregg Harvey of Pitt.

Mantanona recorded back-to-back pins against West Virginia (Jan. 4) and Pitt (Jan. 6).

Big 12 Championships History

Oklahoma has notched two Big 12 titles, in 1999 and 2002, with both titles coming over second-place Oklahoma State.

Five Sooners have been named the Big 12's Most Oustanding Wrestler: Cody Brewer (2016; 133 pounds), Jarrod Patterson (2010; 125 pounds), Sam Hazewinkel (2007; 125 pounds), Teyon Ware (2003; 141 pounds) and Shane Valdez (1999; 125 pounds).

Current Oklahoma assistant coach Michael Lightner had a Big 12 Championship career to remember. As a Sooner, Lightner was a four-time Big 12 champion at 141 pounds (1998-2001). His Big 12 title run in 2001 helped him achieve a perfect 37-0 record as a senior.

NCAA DI Qualifier Allocations (Big 12)

125: 5
133: 5
141: 6
149: 7
157: 1
165: 6
174: 5
184: 5
197: 7
285: 6

Tournament Info

Live stats for the tournament will be available through FloArena. Live video will be provided through FloWrestling for a fee, while the fourth and final session (championship finals) will be telecast by Fox Sports Regional Networks.

Up Next

Sooners who qualify for the 2019 NCAA Championships will travel Pittsburgh, Pa., for the tournament, held at PPG Paints Arena March 21-23.

For updates, follow @OU_Wrestling on Twitter, or like Oklahoma Wrestling on Facebook.