Four Wrestlers Claim Podium Spots At Big 12 Championships

TULSA, Okla. – Utah Valley claimed four spots on the podium, and three have clinched automatic berths in the NCAA Tournament. UVU's Isaiah Delgado became the third Utah Valley wrestler to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and will return to Tulsa in two weeks with a seventh-place finish at 149.

"We are excited for Isaiah, Demetrius, and Evan earning the opportunity to represent UVU at the NCAA Championships. Kase and Chase also had very good tournaments and put themselves in position to be considered for an at-large bid," said UVU head coach Greg Williams.

Demetrius Romero advanced to the third-place match after an injury forfeit to Sam Wolf (Air Force). In the third-place match, he took a medical forfeit and finished in fourth place. Romero is now a four-time NCAA qualifier and joins elite company with Jade Rauser (2015) and Taylor LaMont (2022) as the third four-time NCAA qualifier from UVU.

Evan Bockman lost in the consolation semifinals to Luke Surber of Oklahoma State and faced Iowa State's Yonger Bastida in the fifth-place match, avenging two earlier season losses to him. He took a 2-1 lead with a takedown and extended his lead to 3-1 on a second-period escape. In the final period, Bockman held off Bastida for a 3-2 victory.

Williams continued, "We are proud of our team and their efforts and approach this year. They have trained hard every workout this season. The teammates not going to nationals this year have a lot to do with the success of the guys who are."

Kase Mauger wrestled for seventh place and trailed Corey Cabanban in the first period 3-2 after scoring on a takedown. In the second period, Mauger tied the match with a takedown before gaining control to secure the pin. He now claims the seventh-place spot at the Big 12 Tournament and will wait and see about an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

In the ninth-place semifinals, 285-pounder Chase Trussell trailed CBU's Chris Island 1-0 after an escape in the second period, and he responded with an escape of his own to tie the bout at 1-1 in the third period. The match went to sudden death, where the UVU junior secured the victory with a takedown, advancing to the ninth-place match. In his final match, Trussell led Xavier Doolin (UNC) 1-0 in the second period after an escape. In the final period, two takedowns secured the match for him by a 9-3 decision.

The Wolverines who qualified will now wrestle at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa on Mar. 16-18. The brackets will be announced during the NCAA selection show set for Mar. 8 on ncaa.com.