The South Dakota State Jackrabbits hop into the Big 12 Wrestling Championships this weekend.
Last year, the Jackrabbits finished third overall, recording three third-place finishers and a runner-up finish by sixth-year wrestler, 157-pounder Cobe Siebrecht.
Starting Friday, more than 80 ranked wrestlers from around the conference take to the mat for accolades and awards. SDSU’s preliminary round matches are set as they will face wrestlers from six schools, including three from Utah Valley University.
In the 125-pound class, No. 4 seed Brady Roark will face Sefton Douglass from the University of Wyoming. The Cowboys finished 8-5 and beat SDSU in their last meeting on Jan. 18. The team finished in 10th place in last year’s Big 12 Championships.
Cale Seaton in the 133-pound class faces No. 1 seed Jax Forrest from Oklahoma State University. OSU finished the regular season 15-1 with only one loss against the University of Iowa on Nov. 16, 2025. After finishing runner-up last year, the Cowboys enter this year’s championships with six top seeds, including the top seed overall held by 125-pounder Troy Spratley.
In the 141-pound class, Julian Tagg faces Easton Hilton from the University of Missouri. The Tigers finished their 2025-26 campaign with a 12-8 record, beating four ranked teams. Last year, Missouri placed eighth in the championships with Keegan O’Toole winning the 174-pound class title.
Alek Martin in the 149-pound class faces another Tiger wrestler, No. 5 seed Josh Edmond. The redshirt senior has 24 career dual wins and placed third in the conference for the 2023-24 season.
In the 157-pound class, No. 6 seed Cael Swensen faces Mark Takara from Utah Valley. The Wolverines ended their regular season at 5-8 overall, losing their last meeting with SDSU 19-16 on Jan. 16. Last year, Utah Valley saw two wrestlers finish inside the top 10, with 165-pounder Terrell Barraclough finishing third and 197-pounder Kael Bennie finishing eighth.
Marcus Espinoza-Owens, seeded eighth in the 165-pound class, faces another Wolverine in Zyon Trujillo. The freshman from Las Vegas recorded three dual wins this season, including two against Big 12 opponents.
In the 174-pound class, No. 6 seed Moses Espinoza-Owens earned SDSU’s only preliminary bye and will face either No. 3 seed Cam Steed from Missouri or Hudson Rogers from Utah Valley in the quarterfinals.
Brock Fettig in the 184-pound class faces No. 7 seed Issac Dean from Iowa State University. The Cyclones finished the regular season 12-2 and beat SDSU, 29-7, in their last meeting on Jan. 25. Iowa State placed fourth in last year’s Big 12 Championships as 149-pounder Paniro Johnson claimed his second conference title.
In the 197-pound class, No. 4 seed Bennett Berge faces Tyler Perry from the University of Northern Colorado. The Bears finished the regular season 3-10 with no wins against ranked opponents. Last year’s championships saw Northern Colorado finishing a school-best fifth with two class champions. Dominick Serrano took the 133-pound championship and Vincent Zerban won the 157-pound championship.
Luke Rasmussen faces No. 6 seed Jack Forbes from Utah Valley in the 285-pound class. Forbes recorded a 10-3 dual record with a 6-1 conference record.
Session one, featuring the preliminary and quarterfinal matches, begins on Friday at 10 a.m. Session two, featuring semifinal and consolation quarterfinal matches, starts at 5 p.m. Matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
