(NDSU Athletics) FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State wrestling team travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma this weekend for the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, at the BOK Center.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, March 4
Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches — 10:00 a.m.
Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches — 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 5
Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Third, Fifth & Seventh Place Matches — 12:00 p.m.
Session 4: Championship Matches — 8:00 p.m.
NDSU Big 12 Championship History
The Bison, who are in year eight in the Big 12, have a had a pair of conference champions since joining the conference, with the championships coming in 2020 and 2021. Current assistant coach Cam Sykora took the 133-pound title in 2020 and Luke Weber won the 165-pound title in 2021. NDSU’s nine place winners and 90.5 team points in 2020 were the most by a Bison team since making their conference debut in 2016. North Dakota State’s highest finish in the team standings was fourth place in 2017 with 82.5 points. The Bison have had 45 placing finishers in the first seven seasons, including 10 runner-up finishes and five third-place finishes.
Big 12 Allocated 65 NCAA Qualifying Spots
The Big 12 Conference has been pre-allocated 65 qualifying spots for the NCAA Division I wrestling championship to be held March 16-18 in Tulsa. After the 10 automatic qualifying champions from each weight class, the Big 12 will have seven additional qualifiers at 165 pounds and heavyweight; six additional at 141, 149 and 157; five additional at 125, 133, 174 and 197; and three additional at 184. Following automatic qualification from the pre-allocations, the NCAA will announce seven at-large spots at 184, five at-large spots at 133, 165 and 174 and four at-large spots for the remaining six weight classes to complete the 33-wrestler fields for each weight class.
Bison Placing at Big 12 Championships
Heading into this weekend’s championship, the Bison have had a total of 45 placers, averaging 6.5 placers per season in the first seven trips. Aside from the two champions, NDSU has also had 10 second-place finishers and five third-place finishers. Jared Franek is the most recent to finish in both spots, with runner-ups in 2021 and 2022, and a third in his debut in 2020. The 10 third-place finishers, along with 10 sixth-place finishers, are the most frequent placing finish for the Bison.
1st – 2 | 2nd – 10 | 3rd – 5 | 4th – 4 | 5th – 4 | 6th – 10 | 7th – 6 | 8th – 4
Highest Ranking In Program History
The Bison reached No. 15 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, the highest official ranking in the program’s Division I history. Prior to this season, the Bison had never been ranked higher than 19. In the InterMat rankings the Bison reached No. 12, which marks the highest the Bison have ever been in any poll in the Division I era.
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