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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.
174lbs Conference Overview:
The 174lbs weight class will be returning seven of its top eight Big 12 placer’s from the 2021-22 season. Only one of the returning starters has made it onto the podium at the NCAA Championships while the other six have only qualified. With eight of the twelve returning for the upcoming season: Utah Valley, Air Force, and Wyoming will be looking at new or returning faces to fill their lineups for the upcoming season.
The return of Utah Valley’s Romero adds an interesting wrinkle inside the 174lbs weight class for the upcoming season. The top wrestlers already made for thrilling matches but adding another former All-American to the mix makes it a weight to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Anticipated Big 12 Matchup:
Demetrius Romero (UTV) vs Anyone
- Romero will be stepping on the mat competitively for the first time since November of 2021. The competition levels have risen to new levels since his mast match and Romero will be looking to lead the 174lbs class once again. Romero has not lost a conference matchup since the early 2019 season.
174lbs Sleeper:
Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU)
- A sophomore transfer out of Purdue, Nijenhuis will be stepping in a filling the 174 spot for the Sooners after Anthony Mantanona has moved on from the program. He is coming off a season where he had quality wins over three-time All-American Michael Labriola (Nebraska) and three time NCAA qualifier Michael O’Malley (Drexel)
Returning 2021-22 Starters:
Dustin Plott (So.) - Oklahoma State - NCAA Championship Seed: 6 - Record: 21-6
Finished the season with an 11-2 conference record and a first place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Plott is a two-time NCAA qualifier and will be returning from his first All-American finish of his collegiate career. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 5-2 getting defeated by decision (5-1) to No. 3 Logan Massa (Michigan) in the fifth place match.
Peyton Mocco (Jr.) - Missouri - NCAA Championship Seed: 11 - Record: 18-7
Finished the season with an 8-3 conference record and a second place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Mocco is a three-time NCAA qualifier and has reached as far as the blood round one time at the NCAA tournament. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 3-2 getting knocked out by decision (6-3) to No. 10 Clay Lautt (North Carolina) in the fourth round consolation.
Cade DeVos (So.) - South Dakota State - NCAA Championship Seed: 12 - Record: 31-9
Finished the season with a 10-5 conference record and a fourth-place conference finish in the 21-22 season. DeVos is a two-time NCAA qualifier and ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 1-2 getting knocked out by decision (6-2) to No. 11 Peyton Mocco (Missouri) in the second-round consolation. He has now gone 1-2 in back-to-back seasons at the National Championships.
Hayden Hastings (Sr.) - Wyoming - NCAA Championship Seed: 20 - Record: 25-9
Finished the season with a 10-5 conference record and a fifth place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Hastings is a four-time NCAA qualifier and will be returning from his deepest finish at the Championships. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 3-2 getting knocked out by decision (5-3) to No. 9 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) in the fourth round consolation.
Lance Runyon (So.) - UNI - NCAA Championship Seed: 18 - Record: 11-5
Finished the season with an 8-4 conference record and a sixth place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Runyon is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 2-2 getting knocked out by fall to No. 8 Michael O’Malley (Drexel) in the third round consolation.
Joel Devine (Jr.) - Iowa State - NCAA Championship Seed: 24 - Record: 11-11
Finished the season with an 8-4 conference record and a seventh place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Devine is returning from his first NCAA appearance. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 0-2 getting knocked out by decision (4-1) to No. 8 Michael O’Malley (Drexel) in the first-round consolation.
Dennis Robin (So.) - West Virginia - NCAA Championship Seed: 31 - Record: 13-17
Finished the season with a 3-9 conference record and an eighth place conference finish in the 21-22 season. Robin is returning from his first NCAA appearance. He ended the 2022 NCAA Championship going 0-2 getting knocked out by decision (5-3) to No. 15 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) in the first-round consolation.
Riley Habisch (So.) - North Dakota State - Record: 12-12
Finished the season with a 5-7 conference record and did not place in the Big 12 Conference Championship in the 21-22 season.
Sam Wolf (Jr.) - Air Force - Record: 17-7
Finished the season with an 8-5 conference record and did not place in the Big 12 Conference Championship in the 21-22 season.
Kekana Fouret (So.) - Utah Valley - Record: 11-12
Finished the season with a 1-8 conference record and did not place in the Big 12 Conference Championship in the 21-22 season.
Other Potential Starters:
Julien Broderson (So.) - Iowa State
- Will compete with Devine for starting job
- 174lbs 2021 Big 12 Championship representative for ISU
Gerrit Nijenhuis (So.) - Oklahoma
- Transfer out of Purdue
- 2x NCAA Qualifier
- Went 1-2 at National Championship (2021-22)
Demetrius Romero (Sr.) - Utah Valley
- Returning from Medical Redshirt
- 3x NCAA Qualifier
- 1x All-American (6th in 2021)
- 2x Big 12 Champ
Andrew Berreyesa (Sr.) - Northern Colorado
- Transfer out of Cornell
- Finished with a 15-8 record last season
Departures:
Jackson Hemauer: Northern Colorado
Anthony Mantanona: Oklahoma
Notable Recruits:
Manuel Rojas- Iowa State
- #20 Overall Recruit (FloWrestling)
- #19 Overall Recruit (MatScout)
- 4x High School State Qualifier (1x Champ) (Michigan)
Brody Conley- West Virginia
- #19 Overall Recruit (FloWrestling)
- #27 Overall Recruit (MatScout)
Derek Matthews- Northern Colorado
- #83 Overall Recruit (MatScout)
- 4x High School State Champion (Idaho)
Early Big 12 Tournament Prediction:
- Demetrius Romero (UTV)
- Peyton Mocco (MIZ)
- Dustin Plott (OKST)
- Hayden Hastings (WYO)
- Cade DeVos (SDSU)
- Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU)
- Lance Runyon (UNI)
- Andrew Berreyesa (UNC)
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