On the second and final day of the Big 12 Tournament, nine Cyclones wrestlers found themselves among the top 10 competitors in their respective brackets. Four of them finished in the top five, led by sophomore Paniro Johnson’s second Big 12 Tournament title.

Tough days for Terukina, Evan Frost

At the conclusion of sessions three and four, only one Cyclone wrestler failed to crack the standings, that being senior Kysen Terukina. 

After an 0-2 start to day one, Terukina was bounced into the consolation round. Following a first-round bye, Terukina lost by a 10-3 decision to No. 7 Trever Anderson of Northern Iowa. 

“This was a tough weekend,” Iowa State assistant coach Brent Metcalf said. “Mental lapses, mistakes, they happen. We’ve got a lot to work on, and we have another week and a half to work.”

Like Terukina, sophomore Evan Frost struggled to find momentum through the first two sessions. In the seventh-place match against Oklahoma’s Cleveland Belton, Frost found himself winning on a medical forfeit. 

Jacob Frost prevails, Johnson flips the script

Similar to his twin brother, Jacob Frost rebounded after a semifinal major decision loss to No. 2 Cael Happel. Frost competed against top-ranked Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado, which he lost on an 8-2 decision and finished the tournament in fourth place.

The highlight of the day, however, came at 149. 

Having won out through the first two sessions, the stage was set for Johnson to run the table and flip the script. After a 7-3 decision win over Oklahoma State’s Travis Teague, a rematch with in-state rival Colin Realbuto of Northern Iowa ensued. 

Johnson, hungry for a win after losing to Realbuto in the team’s regular season dual, defeated Realbuto by a 5-4 decision to claim his second Big 12 Tournament title as a sophomore. 

“In the end, I want to know that I’m the best,” Johnson said. “I don’t want anybody getting away with a win if I don’t get one back.” 

Chittum, Riggins miss the podium 

Unable to generate any late momentum in the final two sessions, sophomore Cody Chittum recorded two lackluster results in the consolation bracket following his loss to No. 4 Cody Siebrecht in the semifinal round. 

Losing two decisions in a row by a single point, Chittum lost 7-6 to No. 3 Ryder Downey of Northern Iowa and No. 5 Jared Hill of Wyoming to claim sixth place. 

“There’s time to keep building,” Metcalf said. “Whether we’re up and winning or we can get a stall call, many different things go into it.”

Of the pair, sophomore Aiden Riggins fared better, finishing fourth at 165. Riggins recorded three straight victories in the consolation bracket before losing his final bout. 

A 10-7 decision over Cooper Voorhees of Wyoming, an 11-3 major decision over Northern Colorado’s Clayton Ulrey and a medical forfeit victory over No. 6 Nicco Ruiz of Arizona State set up a contest between Riggins and top-ranked Terrell Barraclough of Utah Valley. Riggins lost a 1-0 decision to claim fourth place. 

“You can’t get crazy with your thoughts and what goes on,” Metcalf said. “[Chittum] didn’t have good tactics at the end of his match, but when you keep things on track, you can do a lot of good things.”

Gaitan finds third, Bockman lands sixth

The second podium finish of the day for Iowa State came at 174 as MJ Gaitan defeated No. 3 Gavin Sax of Oklahoma by a 6-4 decision. 

Gaitan’s victory followed a 15-9 decision over Northern Colorado’s Aydin Rix-McElhinney and a win by fall over South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos. Additionally, Gaitan was the only Cyclone to win out in the consolation bracket.

“I knew I had a tough draw,” Gaitan said. “I never let that number determine how I wrestle. I’ve always been on the back side, and resetting, focusing and staying in isn’t anything new to me.”

Unlike Gaitan, things did not pan out for senior heavyweight Evan Bockman at 184. Following an injury in the semifinal matchup against top-ranked Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, Bockman would medically forfeit against No. 6 Eddie Neitenback of Wyoming. 

Bockman also medically forfeited against No. 5 Deanthony Parker Jr. of Oklahoma, ending the tournament in sixth place. 

“You talk about being savvy, and our guys answer the bell,” Metcalf said. “These guys get a lot of credit, and at the end of the day, it can be questionable calls and tough losses.”

Schon rebounds, Herrera falls to fifth

Sophomore Nate Schon and freshman Daniel Herrera missed the podium in the final heavyweight classes. Schon lost two consecutive bouts before rebounding against Utah Valley’s Kael Bennie, winning a 9-4 decision to secure a sixth-place finish. 

The momentum momentarily faded for Herrera as a 5-3 decision loss to No. 8 Sam Mitchell of Wyoming sent the heavyweight to a rematch with No. 5 Juan Mora of Oklahoma. Herrera found his momentum and won a 5-3 decision to close the tournament. 

“Everyone is 0-0 now,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “We went in last year thinking we were the big man on campus after this weekend, and we fell on our faces. It’s about staying humble and finding a way to humble ourselves.”