Keckeisen, Downey claim Big 12 individual crowns

Saturday, March 9

Tulsa, Okla.

10 a.m. / 5 p.m. / 12 p.m. / 7:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Big 12 Championships

Photo by: Allyson Schwab

Keckeisen, Downey claim Big 12 individual crowns

3/10/2024 11:44:00 PM | Wrestling

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Keckeisen becomes UNI’s first four-time Big 12 champion as Downey wins first conference title.

TULSA, Okla. --- Ryder Downey brought the BOK Center to its feet on Sunday night while Parker Keckeisen continued to re-write Panther wrestling history as UNI closed out the Big 12 Championships by crowning a pair of conference title winners.

Keckeisen, who has been ranked first in the nation at 184 pounds all season long and secured his fourth consecutive NCAA Championship berth on Saturday, became the first Northern Iowa wrestler to win four Big 12 individual titles while also being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Downey, who entered the UNI lineup this season at 157 pounds as a redshirt freshman, gave the crowd the match of the night to capture his first conference crown. Cael Happel also competed in the 141-pound finals, but came up just short.

As a team, UNI finished in fifth-place with 100 points, up two spots from 2023. Iowa State, meanwhile, captured its first Big 12 team title since 2009.

DAY TWO RECAP
Gunning for his 100th career victory, Keckeisen dominated second-seeded and second-ranked Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) from start to finish with a 14-5 major decision, his 23rd bonus point win of the year. Having beat Plott back in Stillwater during dual competition in January, the win was also his 26th consecutive victory this season. Northern Iowa has now won the 184-pound championship at the Big 12 Championships every year since joining the conference in 2018.

Downey's title bout against fourth-seeded and No. 14 Cody Chittum (Iowa State) came down to the wire and extended into sudden victory as Downey battled and rode his opponent for much of the match. In the second sudden victory period, Chittum was hit with a caution, allowing Downey to take a one-point lead and secure riding time for a 5-3 win. Downey's victory marks the first Big 12 title for the Panthers at 157 pounds and first conference champion in the weight class since David Bonin's 2013 Mid-American Conference (MAC) title.

Looking to avenge a 9-6 loss to top-seeded and No. 8 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) earlier this season, Happel would score just two escapes in the 141-pound title bout, giving up a takedown and escape in a 4-2 loss. Happel's runner-up finish is his highest placement at the Big 12 Championships as he also recorded his career-high 19th win of the year.

Securing his first NCAA berth on Saturday, Wyatt Voelker (197 pounds) pulled off a strong finish to his Big 12 Championship debut, pinning No. 16 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) in six minutes, 32 seconds to claim fifth place. Jack Thomsen also made the podium in sixth place at 165 pounds, dropping his fifth-place bout to Giano Petrucelli (Air Force).

At 174 pounds, Jared Simma finished in seventh place in his Big 12 Championship debut, closing the day with a 17-5 major decision over No. 31 Tate Picklo (Oklahoma), while Julian Farber (133 pounds) also took seventh wrapping up his first Big 12 Championship tournament with a 10-7 decision over Kase Mauger (Utah Valley).

At-large selections for the NCAA Championships will be announced on Tuesday, March 12 with the full slate of seeds and brackets being released at 7 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS