Wrestling Set to Compete in Cliff Keen Invitational

Friday, December 5

Las Vegas, Nev. | Las Vegas Convention Center

All Day

University of Oklahoma

Cliff Keen Invitational

Photo by: Channing Holloway/University of Oklahoma

Wrestling Set to Compete in Cliff Keen Invitational

December 04, 2025 | Wrestling

Watch Live Stats

By: OU Athletics Communications

¹⁹ Oklahoma

Cliff Keen Invitational

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 5-6 / All Day / Las Vegas, Nev. / Westgate Hotel Paradise Event Center

Live Stream (FloWrestling) / Live Stats (FloWrestling)

Projected Lineup (Rankings by InterMat)
No. 19 Oklahoma
Wt.	Result	Record
125	Conrad Hendriksen	5-3
133	Carter Schmidt	1-2
141	No. 24 Tyler Wells	3-2
149	Hunter Hollingsworth	3-2
157	Layton Schneider	2-4
165	Clay Giddens	1-2
174	Carter Schubert	3-3
184	No. 13 Brian Soldano	4-1
197	No. 11 DJ Parker	5-1
285	No. 24 Juan Mora	5-1

NORMAN – The No. 19 Oklahoma wrestling team heads west this weekend for the 44th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, set for Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5-6) at the Westgate Hotel Paradise Event Center. Action begins at 11 a.m. CT on Friday and 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, with the championship round scheduled for 5 p.m. CT. All matches will stream live on FloWrestling.

The Sooners (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) make their first appearance at Cliff Keen since 2021. Widely regarded as the premier regular-season tournament in college wrestling, the event has historically featured many of the nation's top programs. Oklahoma won the team title in the 32nd edition of the tournament in 2013, producing three individual champions.

Last Time Out

Oklahoma returned to McCasland Field House last Sunday and earned its second dual win of the season, defeating Indiana 22-13 for the program's first victory over a Big Ten opponent since 2022. After falling behind 13-6, the Sooners (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) won the final four bouts to secure the comeback.

Making their season debuts, Carter Schmidt (133) and Hunter Hollingsworth (149) provided an early spark with a pair of decision victories. Trailing entering the upperweights, OU flipped the dual behind a dominant stretch at 174, 184, 197 and 285 pounds. Carter Schubert earned his first dual win at 174 before the Sooners poured on bonus points: No. 14 Brian Soldano delivered an 11-0 major decision over No. 16 Sam Goin, No. 11 DJ Parker rolled to a 14-4 major over No. 13 Gabe Sollars for his second straight top-15 win to earn him Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors, and No. 24 Juan Mora closed it out with an 18-3 tech fall.

Our Last Appearance at Cliff Keen

The Sooners last competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in 2021, placing four wrestlers on the podium and finishing 11th in a field that included 10 NWCA-ranked programs. Jake Woodley led the way with a fourth-place finish at 197 pounds, while Darrien Roberts (184) took fifth, Mitch Moore (149) earned sixth, and Justin Thomas (157) claimed seventh.

Scouting the Field

The tournament is slated to host 32 teams in the 2025 event, once again producing one of the most difficult fields in collegiate wrestling.

Of the 32 teams, 10 are currently ranked by the NWCA, including No. 3 Iowa State, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Virginia Tech, No. 8 South Dakota State, No. 15 Michigan, No. 17 Cornell, No. 18 West Virginia, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 24 Stanford and No. 25 Oregon State. Four more teams received votes in this week's poll: Purdue, Wyoming, Utah Valley and Cal Poly.

Tournament Team

Oklahoma's most recent tournament action came at the Tiger Style Invite on Nov. 9, where the Sooners placed 15 wrestlers and finished second in the team standings with 122.5 points, trailing only host Missouri. The lineup was led by a pair of champions in DJ Parker (197) and Juan Mora (285), who each rolled to titles in their respective brackets.

Parker dominated his way to the final, allowing just four total points across three matches before securing his second career tournament crown. Mora followed with an equally strong performance at heavyweight, outscoring his opponents 52-16 behind two tech falls and an 11-5 decision over No. 24 Jarrett Stoner in the title bout.

The Sooners collected four additional podium finishes at the top of the brackets, with Carter Schubert (174) and Brian Soldano (184) earning runner-up honors. Conrad Hendriksen (125) and Tyler Wells (141) each finished third, while seven more Sooners – Layton Schneider (149), Owen Eck (165), Ricky Thomas (285), Alex Braun (141), Anthony Harris (197), Kaden Smith (133), Rafael Hipolito Jr. (157) and Anders Thompson (184) – also placed to round out a strong day for Oklahoma.

Sooners in the Rankings

Oklahoma enters its second tournament of the season ranked No. 19 nationally by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The Sooners, ranked in the NWCA preseason top 25 for the third consecutive year, earned their highest starting position since 2021.

Nine Sooners appeared in the latest individual rankings (Dec. 2) from InterMat, FloWrestling and Open Mat: Conrad Hendriksen (125), Tyler Wells (141), Jack Gioffre (149), Rafael Hipolito Jr. (157), Peyten Kellar (165), Carter Schubert (174), Brian Soldano (184), DJ Parker (197) and Juan Mora (285).

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