Will Jax Forrest, Oklahoma State win Big 12 wrestling titles? Weight-by-weight predictions

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TULSA — Oklahoma State enters the Big 12 wrestling championships with six No. 1 seeds across the 10 weight classes as the Cowboys chase a second conference title in as many years under coach David Taylor.

OSU spent much of the season ranked behind Iowa State before leapfrogging the Cyclones with their early February dual at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Now, the Cowboys enter as the favorites for the title in the two-day event running Friday and Saturday at the BOK Center.

Iowa State’s roster took a hit Thursday with the announcement that Evan Frost, ranked fourth at 133 pounds, will not compete for what was reported as a “coach’s decision” of Kevin Dresser.

That takes a potential road block out of the way for OSU’s Jax Forrest, who is seeking a conference title in his freshman season.

How will the title matches play out? Here are The Oklahoman’s predictions for who will stand atop the podium Saturday night.

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Big 12 wrestling championship predictions​

125 pounds: No. 1 Troy Spratley, OSU, over No. 3 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia​

Spratley has been on the edge of a very impressive season all year, and it seems like he’s primed to make a run to the title. His side of the bracket isn’t as scary as what Strickenberger has to face, particularly with second-seeded Steve Poulin of Iowa State.

133 pounds: No. 1 Jax Forrest, OSU, over No. 3 Kyler Larkin, Arizona State​

It’s hard to doubt Forrest after the way his first semester of college has gone. With Frost out of the bracket, Larkin is the clear top contender on the opposite side of the bracket, entering the weekend with a 16-1 record.

141 pounds: No. 2 Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State, over No. 1 Sergio Vega, OSU​

Vega pulled out a 4-2 decision when the two met at OSU just over a month ago. It feels like Echemendia could steal the rematch. What’s really fun is that this could very well be setting the stage for a semifinal matchup of these two at the NCAA Championships in a couple weeks.

149 pounds: No. 3 David Evans, Utah Valley, over No. 4 Maxwell Peterson, North Dakota State​

There’s always a bracket set up for sweeping upsets, and 149 is as good a candidate as any. Six Big 12 wrestlers are ranked between No. 9 and No. 21 entering the tournament.

157 pounds: No. 2 Landon Robideau, OSU, over No. 4 Ty Watters, West Virginia​

The No. 2 vs. No. 3 semifinal between Robideau and Iowa State’s Vinny Zerban could be quite the show. Like his fellow OSU freshmen, Robideau has the confidence to not be bothered by the big stage of the conference tournament.

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165 pounds: No. 1 Dee Lockett, OSU, over No. 2 Ryder Downey, Northern Iowa​

Lockett has been on a mission all season, and now, he’s coming off his first loss of the season. Look out, anyone who takes the mat with him this weekend.

174 pounds: No. 1 Alex Facundo, OSU, over No. 2 Carter Schubert, OU​

The weekend’s best chance for a Bedlam title bout, but Facundo is more battle-tested than just about any wrestler in the country. It has prepared him for this.

184 pounds: No. 1 Aeoden Sinclair, Missouri, over No. 2 Zack Ryder, OSU​

LIke the 149-pound bracket, this one could be ripe for upsets with five competitors in the top 12 nationally. But let’s stick with the top seeds.

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197 pounds: No. 1 Rocky Elam, Iowa State, over No. 3 Cody Merrill, OSU​

After their thriller at GIA last month, this could be one of the tournament’s most exciting matches.

Heavyweight: No. 1 Yonger Bastida, Iowa State, over No. 2 Konner Doucet, OSU​

Bastida looks like the national title favorite. Equally exciting is the potential semifinal matchup between Doucet and former OSU wrestler Christian Carroll of Wyoming.

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who will win Big 12 wrestling titles? Our weight-by-weight predictions

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