Cottrell Wins Big 12 Wrestling Title

For the first time, West Virginia has a Big 12 wrestling champion. Dylan Cottrell defeated No. 1 seed Chandler Rogers, of Oklahoma State, in the 165-pound final with a 5-4 decision on Sunday in Tulsa.

The Spencer, West Virginia, native was the No. 2 seed at the start of the tournament and has been ranked in the top 25 all season. He is currently No. 10 in the Intermat poll. Cottrell’s performance ensured his qualification for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship.

WVU’s Jacob A. Smith made it to the final of the 197-pound weight class as the No. 1 seed, but was injured in the first period, falling to OSU’s Preson Weigel. Smith still qualified for the NCAA tournament.

A couple Mountaineers also won bouts over the weekend:

Joe Wheeling, 141 pounds, earned an 8-2 decision over Henry Pohlmeyer from South Dakota State in the first sound before losing in the quarterfinals.

Christian Monserrat, 149 pounds, defeated Gabe Moreno of Iowa State 11-1 in the first round, but lost his second-round bout.

The Mountaineers finished sixth with 50 points. Oklahoma State captured its fifth-straight championship, now 15 total, placed wrestlers in all 10 finals and totaled 176.5 points.

The 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship will take place March 16–18 in the Socttrade Center in St. Louis. The official selection show will air on March 8.