Dustin Plott, Daton Fix win as Oklahoma State takes second at Big 12 wrestling championships

TULSA — Dustin Plott found out about 3 p.m. Sunday that he’d be wrestling in the first of the 10 title matches at the Big 12 Championships.

Knowing the finals were set to start at 8 p.m., Oklahoma State’s 174-pound wrestler celebrated the news as soon as he heard. And a little more than five hours later, he was celebrating his second Big 12 championship.

“I kinda go to bed pretty early at night,” Plott joked as the clock neared his preferred bedtime Sunday night inside the BOK Center. “I was like, I’m gonna need some caffeine wrestling at 9 or 10 o’clock at night.”

With the 8 p.m. start, Plott was wide awake for his second Big 12 title in as many tries. The 5-3 decision was Plott’s third win in four matches against Missouri’s top-seeded Peyton Mocco, who was also the victim of his championship last year.

“Growing up coming to Big 12s here in Tulsa, the opportunity to compete here is something I’ll never take for granted,” said Plott, a Tuttle native. “To be able to win this tournament twice is pretty cool.”

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At 133 pounds, the script played out just as it had three previous times for Daton Fix, who claimed the title a fourth time with a 10-2 major decision over Iowa State’s Zach Redding.

Fix earned bonus points in all four victories this weekend, improving his record to 26-0 heading into the NCAA Championships, where he’s likely to be the No. 2 seed behind reigning champion Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State.

The BOK Center will host the NCAA Championships March 16-18, and that’s where Fix hopes his script finally changes.

The Sand Springs native has finished as NCAA runner-up each year he has competed. Though he has an extra year of eligibility remaining should he choose to use it — “Hopefully. We’ll see,” he said when asked about whether he plans to return next season — Fix would love to secure a title so close to his hometown.

“That’s what I work for all year,” he said. “I’ve really focused on my performance in each match this year, rather than the result. And I’ve done that so I can perform at the end. I really haven’t cared too much about results.

“A couple matches, I probably could’ve got major decisions, but I was focused on my performance and doing little things that I know I need to do to win in the end. If I continue to do that for the next 10 days, I’m gonna have good results.”

Fix’s victory helped the Cowboys hold off Iowa State for the runner-up finish behind repeat champion Missouri. The Tigers had 148 points, with OSU at 134 and Iowa State at 131. OU took fourth at 97.5.

OSU 157-pounder Kaden Gfeller came up short of a third Big 12 title, dropping a 5-3 decision to Jared Franek of North Dakota State.

“We ended up with 134 points. I think we’ve won this thing with less,” OSU coach John Smith said. “I was overall pleased with our effort. I thought we did a good job with where we’re at for the season.”

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Unseeded Reece Witcraft takes third

Oklahoma State wrestler Reece Witcraft was so focused on trying to score a takedown in his third place match that he didn’t even realize the match had gone to sudden-victory overtime.

Battling OU’s Joey Prata in the 125-pound bracket, Witcraft was nearly taken down and as the wrestlers moved to the center of the mat, he realized the situation.

“Wrestling in the moment,” Witcraft said. “I wasn’t thinking too far ahead. … Trying to win every position I was in, trying to score.”

Then Witcraft got the takedown he’d been looking for, sealing a 3-1 decision.

Unseeded in the tournament, Witcraft’s charge to third place not only boosted Oklahoma State’s team score, but also secured another NCAA Tournament bid at a weight that has been a challenge for the Cowboys this season.

Trevor Mastrogiovanni suffered an injury in January and was replaced by freshman Zach Blankenship. But OSU coach John Smith wanted to retain Blankenship’s redshirt status — he could wrestle five dates without burning his redshirt — and Witcraft began cutting weight to get down from 133.

When Witcraft entered the lineup on Feb. 3, he jumped straight into a stretch of six matches against ranked wrestlers, managing just one victory along the way. He lost a 7-2 decision to Prata on Feb. 16.

“You know, I just don’t like OU,” Witcraft said. “And that made it worse when he beat me. My intentions in this match were to go out there and fight. I knew he wasn’t ready to go toe-to-toe with me. He had one opportunity.”

Cutting weight, and now maintaining at that weight, wasn’t too much of a challenge for Witcraft. It just required a little tighter self-discipline.

“Can’t play video games all night,” he said. “I gotta get my rest.”

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Sooners finish strong

Led by third-place finishes from Wyatt Henson at 133 pounds and Mitch Moore at 149, Oklahoma turned in a solid final day at the Big 12 Championships.

The Sooners outperformed their seedings at several weights, but none more than Henson, who was not among the top eight seeds at 133. After losing to fourth-seeded Cody Phippen of Air Force to open action on Saturday, Henson won five straight matches, including three over seeded opponents.

His 9-3 decision over No. 2 Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa sealed the third-place finish.

A redshirt freshman, Henson went to high school in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and began his college career at Iowa, where he redshirted last year before transferring.

But Norman holds a special piece of his youth, growing up there while his father, Sammie, was an assistant coach at OU.

Henson was a third grader at Madison Elementary when the family moved.

But when he came on a visit to OU last year, Henson immediately felt the home vibes.

“I committed three hours into my visit,” he said. “I felt at home right when I landed there.”

After reaching the 149 quarterfinals, Moore needed four straight wins to secure third place, finishing with a 5-0 decision over fourth-seeded Kellyn March of North Dakota State.

“It feels good to see my hard work is paying off right before we head into NCAAs,” Moore said.

The Sooners locked up eight automatic NCAA bids with their performances this weekend, finishing seventh or better at nine weights.

Joey Prata took fourth at 125 and Tate Picklo was fifth at 174.

“It was good to leave on a good note,” OU coach Lou Rosselli said. “Obviously, we’re here to try to win the tournament. Fourth isn’t where you want to be. But getting eight guys through to nationals is important for us.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 wrestling championships: Day 2 results, scores at BOK Center