WVU Wrestling in Big 12 Tournament: Jett Strickenberger Captures Bronze to Top Mountaineers in Session 3

Newcomer to the WVU wrestling team Jett Strickenberger earned a third place finish in the 125-pound bracket to lead six Mountaineers during Session 3 of the Big 12 Tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The former junior college national champion advanced through the consolation semifinals due to a medical forfeit from Missouri’s top-seeded Noah Surtin. Strickenberger then pinned No. 6 seed Kysen Terukina of Iowa State to grab the bronze medal.

He’s like that!

Jett Strickenberger pinned Kysen Terukina to finish 3rd at the Big 12 Championships! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/irPKIW2unL

— WVU Wrestling (@WVUWrestling) March 10, 2024

Senior Peyton Hall finished fourth in the 165-pound bracket in his fourth appearance in the event. Hall defeated Air Force’s Giano Petrucelli by a 19-2 technical fall to earn a spot in the third place match before falling to Oklahoma State’s Izzak Olejnik 5-1.

Brody Conley was dropped by No. 3 seed Brayden Thompson of Oklahoma State by a 4-2 decision in his opening match. He bounced back by scoring a 12-6 major decision over Missouri’s Peyton Mocco to take fifth place in his Big 12 Tournament debut.

Jordan Titus (141 pounds) and Michael Wolfgram (285) both finished in sixth place. Wolfgram was defeated by Oklahoma’s Josh Heindselman 4-2 to open the day and dropped a 5-2 decision to Oklahoma’s Konner Doucet in the fifth place match. Titus suffered an injury in his first bout, resulting in his withdrawal from the tournament.

WVU’s Dennis Robin captured seventh place at 184 pounds after pinning Wyoming’s Ethan Ducca.

Strickenberger, Hall and Conley have all earned automatic berths into the NCAA Championships that begin March 23 in Kansas City, which will be Strickenberger and Conley’s first appearances at the event. Hall will look to capture his second All-American honor after reaching the podium as a sophomore in 2022.

Titus, Wolfgram and Robin still have the opportunity to earn a spot in the national tournament. After all conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12.

Keep following WVU Wrestling in the Big 12 Tournament, as Session 4 will resume at 8:30 p.m. ET, where West Virginia freshman Ty Watters will compete in the 149-pound final.