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Jumping from one season to the next comes with its line up changes and depth chart shuffles. With seniors graduating and recruits/transfers coming in and out, among other changes, teams will be looking to improve their roster. In a series of articles, I will be breaking down individual wrestlers within each weight class and where they stand inside the Big 12 Conference.
149lbs Conference Overview:
The 141lbs weight class will be returning six of its top eight Big 12 placers from the 2021-22 season. three of the returning starters have qualified for the NCAA Championship one time and none have made it onto the podium. While a majority of the weight class is back for the upcoming season, there are multiple teams that will be looking for new faces to fill their lineups for the upcoming season.
The 149lbs class is full of shuffling for the new year and will have new products inside the Big 12. The return of Mizzou’s Brock Mauller is an important piece to the Tiger’s potential repeat for the upcoming season. With all the new (and young) faces in this weight class, it will be exciting to see how it will shake out with potential stars in the making for the conference.
Anticipated Matchup:
Brock Mauller (MIZ) vs. Mitch Moore (OU)
- This will be a fresh match-up between two wrestlers sitting atop their weight class. Both wrestlers have been on the big stage of the NCAA Championships multiple times and will be coming off medical redshirt seasons.
149lbs Sleeper:
Victor Voinovich (OKST)
- Voinovich is coming off a redshirt season where he went 16-1 as an unattached wrestler. He went 5-0 against conference opponents. Took home a third-place finish in the 2021 Southern Scuffle Tournament.
Returning 2021-22 Starters:
Willie McDougald (So.) - Oklahoma - NCAA Championship Seed: 16 - Record: 20-7
Finished the season with a 10-4 conference record and a second-place conference finish in the 21-22 season. McDougald is a one-time returning NCAA qualifier and potentially moving up a weight class (157lbs) for the upcoming season. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 2-2, getting knocked out by decision (2-1) to No. 9 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) in the third-round consolation.
Colin Realbuto (Jr.) - UNI - NCAA Championship Seed: 20 - Record: 18-12
Finished the season with a 10-5 conference record and a third-place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Realbuto is a returning one-time NCAA qualifier. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 2-2 getting knocked out by decision (4-0) to No. 6 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) in the third-round consolation.
Josh Edmond (So.) - Missouri - NCAA Championship Seed: 26 - Record: 17-11
Finished the season with a 12-5 conference record and a fifth-place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Edmond is a one-time NCAA qualifier and is a potential redshirt candidate for the upcoming season. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 0-2 getting knocked out by decision (9-3) to No. 23 Jaden Abas in the first-round consolation.
Dylan Martinez (Sr.) - Air Force - Record: 13-17
Finished the season with a 3-11 conference record and a sixth-place conference finish in the 21-22 season.
Gaven Sax (So.) - North Dakota State - Record: 17-12
Finished the season with a 6-9 conference record and a seventh-place conference finish in the 21-22 season.
Jeffrey Boyd (So.) - West Virginia - Record: 16-16
Finished the season with a 5-11 conference record and an eighth-place conference finish in the 21-22 season.
Daniel Kimball (So.) - South Dakota State - Record: 20-20
Finished the season with an 8-11 conference record and did not place at the conference tournament in the 21-22 season.
Cameron Hunsaker (Jr.) - Utah Valley - Record: 0-3
Finished the season with a 0-3 conference record and did not place at the conference tournament in the 21-22 season.
Other Potential Starters:
Victor Voinovich (Fr.) - Oklahoma State
- #12 Overall Recruit in 2021 (FloWrestling)
- Returning from Redshirt
- Projected starter at 149lbs
Travis Mastrogiovanni (Fr.) - Oklahoma State
- #39 Overall Recruit in 2021 (FloWrestling)
- Will compete with Voinovich for starting spot
Brock Mauller (Jr.) - Missouri
- Returning from Redshirt
- 3x NCAA Qualifier
- 2x All-American (5th in 2021, 6th in 2019)
- Projected starter at 149lbs
Mitch Moore (Sr.) - Oklahoma
- Returning from Medical Redshirt
- Project starter at 149lbs
- 3x NCAA Qualifier
- Transferred out of Virginia Tech in 2021
Cameron Robinson (Fr.) - Iowa State
- Returning from Redshirt
- Projected starter at 149lbs
Warren Carr (So.) - Wyoming
- Projected starter at 149lbs
Benjamin Alanis (Fr.) - Northern Colorado
- #31 Overall Recruit in 2021 (FloWrestling)
- Returning from Redshirt
- Projected starter at 149lbs
Alek Martin (Fr.) - South Dakota State
- #24 Overall Recruit in 2021 (FloWrestling)
- Returning from Redshirt
Departures:
Kaden Gfeller - Oklahoma State
Jarrett Degen - Iowa State
Jaron Jenson - Wyoming
Chris Sandoval - Northern Colorado
Notable Recruits: (FloWrestling, MatScouts)
Cameron Steed - Missouri
- #107 Overall Recruit (MatScout)
- 4x High School State Champion (Oklahoma)
Early Big 12 Tournament Prediction:
- Brock Mauller (MIZ)
- Mitch Moore (OU)
- Colin Realbuto (UNI)
- Victor Voinovich (OKST)
- Benjamin Alanis (UNC)
- Cameron Robinson (ISU)
- Gaven Sax (NDSU)
- Alek Martin (SDSU)
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