Parker Leads Sooners as Wrestling Wraps Up Season on Day Two of NCAAs

Thursday, March 20

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Parker Leads Sooners as Wrestling Wraps Up Season on Day Two of NCAAs

March 21, 2025 | Wrestling

By: OU Athletics Communications

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — No. 20 Oklahoma concluded its run at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center, with DJ Parker (184) advancing to Session IV before falling in the Blood Round to Maryland's eighth-seeded Jaxon Smith.

Parker dominated through the consolation bracket in Session III, securing his team-leading 15th and 16th bonus-point victories of the season. He opened with a 16-1 technical fall (5:16) over Princeton's Kole Mulhauser before pinning No. 11 Gabe Arnold of Iowa in just 48 seconds to set up a shot at All-America honors.

In the decisive match, Smith notched the only takedown in the closing seconds of the second period, which proved to be the difference in a 4-2 decision.

Parker, a redshirt junior, finished his first season of competition in Norman with a career-best 18-7 record.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Antonio Lorenzo (125), Mosha Schwartz (141), Willie McDougald (149), and Gaven Sax (174) saw their postseason runs end Friday.

Lorenzo, McDougald, and Sax each lost close decisions in the second round of consolations, while Schwartz defeated No. 20 Joshua Saunders of Cornell 13-8 before being pinned by Bucknell's Dylan Chappell in the third round of wrestlebacks.

The Sooners finished the tournament with 10.5 team points.

Oklahoma now shifts its focus to the offseason, as head coach Roger Kish's second recruiting class includes multiple all-area, all-state, and All-America honorees, as well as state champions.