2010-11 Big 12 Wrestling Preview

Well the season is just around the corner and we have already posted our preseason rankings. We now start our conference by conference preview. We are hoping to get them all out prior to the dual season starting. This is part of our expanded coverage we are hoping to provide all of you this year. Also, look for more live blogs from TOM from some of the best duals this year. As the season looms closer check out the calendar on TOM s news page for a complete schedule of the live blogs that will be offered.

Now we move on to the Big 12. Much like the Big Ten we are seeing a changing of the guard. Most the teams will have numerous new faces in their line-ups. This may be the last year of this classic tournament with Nebraska moving to the Big Ten next year. Although a small conference based in numbers, we all know the power that is with in it. This years tournament should be a fun event.

Lets get started; first we will look at the numbers, then the individuals and wrap it up with the team overviews.

The Numbers

• Returning National Champs: 1
• Returning All-Americans: 6
• Number of weights with zero All-Americans: 4
• Number of first year starters: 19
• Number of freshman starters: 9

* We point out the first year starters and freshman here just to give you and idea of how many changes has occurred.

Returning Big 12 Champions (2010) *weight listed is the one the won it at

• 125 – Jarrod Patterson (OK)
• 133 – Jordan Oliver (OSU)
• 141 – Jamal Parks (OSU)
• 157 – Jordan Burroughs (NE)
• 184 – Clayton Foster (OSU)

125

1	Jarrod Patterson	Oklahoma
2	Ladd Rupp	OSU
3	David Klingsheim	Nebraska
4	Patrick Hunter	Iowa State
5	Eric Wilson	Missouri

We have a clear favorite here in Patterson the defending conference champion. Look for him to be even better this year as he has another year under his belt working with Henson. OSU is projecting one of three red-shirt freshman starting. We are predicting when the dust settles that Rupp will get the nod. In reality the race for second is wide open in our opinion. We are interested to see if Hunter can turn his JUCO success into success on the DI level.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jarrod Patterson, OK
2. Ladd Rupp, OSU
3. Patrick Hunter, ISU
4. David Klingsheim, NE

133

1	Jordan Oliver	Oklahoma State
2	Jordan Keller	Oklahoma
3	Nathan McCormick	Missouri
4	C.J. Napier	Nebraska
5	Ben Cash	Iowa State

Much like the previous weight we see a clear favorite here as well. Oliver is coming off a very strong true freshman campaign, not only did he win the Conference Title he also managed a 4^th place finish at the NCAA Championships. If he has better control of his weight this year he should be very dangerous. Keller transfers from Cleveland State and will look to make some noise in the Big 12. Keller had a lot of accolades coming out of High School and hopes a fresh start makes a difference. Do not count out McCormick who pulled off a few nice wins last year.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jordan Oliver, OSU
2. Nathan McCormick, MU
3. Jordan Keller, OU
4. C.J. Napier, NE

141

1	Zack Bailey	Oklahoma
2	Chris Drouin	Iowa State
3	Todd Schavrien	Missouri
4	Luke Silver	OSU
5	Mike Koehnlein	Nebraska

On paper one of the toughest weights in the conference. Look for a battle between two returning AA. Bailey looked very good last spring earning a 4^th place finish at the NCAA Championships. He will be pushed by Drouin who comes to Iowa State via Arizona State. Drouin is a past AA and looks to improve upon last year. Not to be left out of the conversation is Todd Schavrien of Missouri. He has qualified for two straight NCAA tournaments and should be improved. Silver moves down from 149 and could also be in the mix come this spring. This should be one of the more exciting weights this year in the Big 12.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Zack Bailey, OK
2. Chris Drouin, ISU
3. Todd Schavrien, MU
4. Luke Silver, OSU

149

1	Albert White / Jamal Parks	OSU
2	Seth Vernon	Oklahoma
3	Kyle Bradley	Missouri
4	Nate Carr	Iowa State
5	Chris Hacker	Nebraska

This could prove to be a tough weight also, even though there are a bunch of new names and faces. We start off with the tandem from OSU. One thing that has baffled most wrestling pundits and fans is that these two guys (Parks & White) will battle it out for one spot. Most would think one would make a move up or down. But for now it is what it is and no matter which one gets the spot we see them being the early favorite here. Vernon of Oklahoma was solid in limited action last year and should prove to be in the mix at the end of year. Bradley is coming off a productive red-shirt year where he notched a win over Filip Novachkov of Cal Poly. Iowa State’s Carr has been around and will try and make some noise down at 149.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. White/Parks, OSU
2. Seth Vernon, OU
3. Kyle Bradley, MU
4. Nate Carr, ISU

157

1	Neil Erisman	OSU
2	Danny Gonsor	Missouri
3	Trent Weatherman	Iowa State
4	Kyle Detmer	Oklahoma
5	Michael Klinginsmith	Nebraska

Another wide open weight class and we see Erisman being the early favorite to start the season. He has beaten several AA in his career and seems to be knocking on the door. This may be the year that he gets over the hump. He will be a key component to the Cowboys National Title hopes. Look for Virginia transfer Gonsor to make a run to the top of the conference. Let’s see if the change in location helps him improve upon last year. After that it is anyone’s game. Weatherman starts his college career and the folks in Ames have high expectations for him. We would not count him out of the championship discussions.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Neil Erisman, OSU
2. Danny Gonsor, MU
3. Trent Weatherman, ISU
4. Kyle Detmer, OU

165

1	Jordan Burroughs	Nebraska
2	Andrew Sorenson	Iowa State
3	Zach Toal	Missouri
4	Dallas Bailey	OSU
5	Chase Nelson	Oklahoma

Another weight class with a clear favorite is 165. The Cornhuskers welcome back National Champ Burroughs. I think we are all glad to see him back and we do not see anyone pushing him to hard this year in the Conference tournament. After that things get interesting. Sorenson looks to continue his improvement and improve upon last years NCAA tournament. One guy we are very excited to see take the mat is Missouri’s Zach Toal. He is very talented and should be in contention to put himself in the finals here. Another young guy to keep an eye on is Dallas Bailey of OSU. Bailey is young and talented as well and had some nice matches last year. He did battle through some injures last year but if he is healthy he should be able to make some noise this season. Rounding out the weight is Nelson who was a JUCO National Champion and will look to carry that success over to the next level.  The top spot may have a heavy favorite, but this weight will be a ton of fun come tournament time.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jordan Burroughs,NE
2. Zach Toal, MU
3. Dallas Bailey, OSU
4. Andrew Sorenson, ISU

174

1	Jon Reader	Iowa State
2	Tyler Caldwell	Oklahoma
3	Dorian Henderson	Missouri
4	Chris McNeil	OSU
5	Caleb Kolb	Nebraska

This weight has all the makings of a battle. Iowa State’s Reader is one tough customer and looks to make his own run. Already a two-time AA he looks to add his third this year. Moving up a weight is Caldwell who but together a very solid campaign last season where he managed a 5^th place finish at the NCAA Championships. He should be right there at the end. Let’s now add two-time NCAA qualifier Henderson from Missouri. He seems to improve each year and should be right in the mix at the end of the year. This should be a fun weight to watch this year and we would not be surprised to see of the above do well.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Jon Reader. ISU
2. Tyler Caldwell, OK
3. Dorian Henderson, MU
4. Chris McNeil, OSU

184

1	Josh Ihnen	Nebraska
2	Chris Perry	OSU
3	Mike Larson	Missouri
4	Jeff James / Schmidtke	Oklahoma
5	Kyven Gadson	Iowa State

From top to bottom probably the toughest weight in the Big 12 from a balance perspective. Ihnen comes off a round of 12 appearance at the Nationals and will look to improve upon his 3^rd place finish at the conference tournament. Look for Chris Perry of OSU make a statement and put him in a position to win this weight as well. His only loss as a red-shirt came at the hands of teammate and AA Foster. Transferring in from Bakersfield is Mike Larson. Larson was a PAC 10 runner-up and NCAA qualifier last year. He makes this weight even deeper. James / Schmidtke of OK should also be in the mix and both are coming off a good year last year. Sounds like we will not know who holds the spot until we are closer to the end of the year. Throw a very tough freshman in Iowa State’s Gadson into this mix and you have what we see as the most balanced weight in the Big 12.  Gadson is the wildcard here and we would not be shocked to see him knock some people off.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Chris Perry, OSU
2. Josh Ihnen, NE
3. Mike Larson, MU
4. Kyven Gadson, ISU

197

1	Clayton Foster	OSU
2	Brent Haynes	Missouri
3	Jerome Ward	Iowa State
4	Keldrick Hall	Oklahoma
5	Cameron Browne	Nebraska

Clayton Foster is at the head of the class here. A returning AA who looked pretty good last season has his eyes not just on a Conference Title, but a National one as well. Haynes is only a sophomore but has already had some good wins. He qualified for the big show last year as a red-shirt freshman. If he improves upon last season, we do not see how you can not give the guy a decent look. Look for the other three to battle it out for a NCAA birth. Ward has the talent an is looking to put everything together this year, maybe the move up in weight will help that happen.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Clayton Foster, OSU
2. Brent Haynes, MU
3. Jerome Ward, ISU
4. Keldrick Hall, OU

285

1	Dom Bradley	Missouri
2	Alan Gelogaev	OSU
3	Tucker Lane	Nebraska
4	Nathan Fernandez	Oklahoma
5	Matt Gibson	Iowa State

This should be another fun one this year. Bradley has some big wins in his career and is now the man at Missouri with Ellis graduating. There are pretty high hopes for him and for good reason. He has some big wins in his career and should be the man to beat here. Looking to make sure that does not happen is Gelogaev of OSU who moves up from 197 where he was an AA last year. It will be interesting to see how he makes the adjustments with the big men. He has the talent and should make this one exciting match up. (Yes I said that about a Heavyweight match up). Tucker lane is no push over either and will look to knock off one of the guys above. Rounding it out is Fernandez. He lacked consistency last year, but did pull out some nice wins against top competition.

TOM’s conference tournament predictions

1. Dom Bradley, MU
2. Alan Gelogaev, OSU
3. Tucker Lane, NE
4. Nathan Fernandez, OU

Teams

Oklahoma State	38
Missouri	33
Oklahoma	30
Iowa State	26
Nebraska	23

Key Duals and Dates in the Big 12

• 11/06/10 – Iowa State @ Virgina Tech
• 11/21/10 – Nebraska @ Ohio State
• 12/3/ -12/4/10 – Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite
• 12/3/10 – Iowa @ Iowa State
• 12/12/10 – Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State
• 1/21/11 – Oklahoma @ Iowa State
• 12/5/10 – Oklahoma State @ Minnesota
• 12/29 – 12/30/10 – Midlands
• 1/8/ – 1/9/11 – National Duals
• 1/16/11 – Iowa @ Oklahoma State
• 2/11/11 – Boise State @ Oklahoma State
• 3/5 – Big 12 Championships @ Iowa State
• 3/17 – 3/19/11 – NCAA Championships @ Philadelphia

Team Overviews

Oklahoma State Cowboys

15-2-1 (Overall) and 3-1-1 (Big 12)

New Faces:

Ethan Driver	285	FR	CA
Julian Feikert	141	FR	IA
Josh Kindig	141	FR	PA
Nick Schenk	133	FR	DE
Matt White	149/157	FR	OK

Off Redshirt:

Dallas Bailey	165
Darnell Bortz	174
Tyler Dorrell	125/133
Cade Draper	157
J.J. Goblet	133
Jon Morrison	125
Chris Perry	184
Blake Rosholt	197/285
Ladd Rupp	125
Zach White	174/184

Projected Lineup for Oklahoma State

125	Ladd Rupp / Morrison/ Dorrell	Fr.
133	Jordan Oliver	So
141	Luke Silver / Kindig	Jr.
149	Jamal Parks / Albert White	Jr
157	Neil Erisman / Swan	Sr.
165	Dallas Bailey / Munoz	Fr.
174	Chris McNeil / Benefiel /  White	Jr
184	Chris Perry	Fr
197	Clayton Foster	Sr.
285	Alan Gelogaev	Jr.

Oklahoma State seems to be making its move back to the top. The Cowboys are balanced and return some good fire power. They have 3 returning All-Americans who will lead the way. Oliver, Foster and “Z” (Gelogaev) will anchor the team and try and lead them back to the top. All three give the Cowboys a chance to win National Titles. Now there are a lot of matches to be wrestled between now and then, but it is not out of the realm of possibility.

There are three guys who will be key to any run the Cowboys make. Parks and or White and Erisman will need to take a step forward for OSU to have any hopes of a National Title. What is odd is that it looks like either Parks or White will not be in the line-up. That puts even more pressure on two of these three that are in the line-up.

From there it comes down to the young guns. There are very high hopes for Perry coming into this year and he should be in the talk when it comes to AA discussions. Perry becoming an AA in his red-shirt freshman campaign will be another key factor to the success of this team. There will be a battle for the 125 spot and as we stated earlier we see Rupp coming out on top. Bailey should be able to make some noise and according to coach Smith McNeil seems to be on the right track. Will they pull High School Star Kindig out of red-shirt? Who knows at this point. He is talented and could be a difference maker. Also the questions remain on if Benefiel and Meade will make their way back into the mix. Getting both back would help their cause.

TOM’s Outlook: Well we see the Cowboys capturing 5 titles and that makes them pretty tough to beat. But as with any team they need to have their big guns step up and get the job done. This should win the conference tournament. They should get 8-9 guys into the nationals and possibly all 10. We will have to wait and see. We should know a lot more about them after December 5, 2010 after they face off against Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Oklahoma Sooners

16-3-1 (Overall) and 2-2-1 (Big 12)

New Faces:

Balfour, Ronnie	165	OK
Colling, Kyle	285	NY
Datte, Sean	165	CA
DeAngelis, Justin	149	OK
Durham, Joshua	133	OK
Fisher, Ian	141	OK
Geiges, Derek	133	SC
Gordon, Chase	141	FL
Karageorge, Kosta	285	OH
Madl, Parker	165	KS
Mondaine, Quincy	207	OK
Perrier, Dax	174	OK
Reed, Dustin	133	OK

Projected Lineup for Oklahoma

125	Jarrod Patterson	So.
133	Jordan Keller	Jr
141	Zack Bailey	Sr.
149	Seth Vernon	Jr.
157	Kyle Detmer	So.
165	Chase Nelson	Jr.
174	Tyler Caldwell	So.
184	Jeff James / Schmidtke	So.
197	Keldrick Hall	So.
285	Nathan Fernandez	Sr

The Sooners lost some heavy hitters but look to be right in the mix again this year. They hope to keep their upward trend rising from the ashes just a few years ago. Much like their in-state rivals they will be lead by three guys. AA’s Bailey and Caldwell lead the way with defending Big 12 Champ Patterson. All three of these guys are very solid and should be pushing to bring home at least 3 conference champs. Two/three guys who need to make some progress for the Sooners to have a shot are Fernandez and James / Schmidtke. The success of these two/three may be a big factor.

After those six we are left with some new faces who hope to make some impact. We see Keller winning some big matches this season with the change in scenery and working with Henson should benefit him. Vernon is another talented guy in this line up and should be in the mix at the tournament. In the end, the new faces need to have very good years for Oklahoma to repeat.

TOM’s Outlook: We see two champs for the Sooners with the possibility of a third. How their young guys (or rather new faces) do will depend on if they have a shot or not. We think this team surprised some people last year and we would not be surprised to see that happen again.

Missouri Tigers

8-9 (Overall) and 1-3 (Big 12)

New Faces:

Jake Cyr	141	MO
Joshua Cyr	157	MO
Johnny Eblen	184	MO
Drake Houdashelt	157	MO
Simon Kitzis	141	MA
Austin Lindsay	141	MO
Devin Mellon	HWT	MO
Phillip Perry	157/165	MO
Ty Prazma	165	IL
Mike Schmidt	133	MO
Alan Waters	125	MO
Trevor Wiest	149	MO
Dustin Williams	184	MO

Off Redshirt:

Kyle Bradley	149
Jordan Gagliano	165
Luke Greco	149
James Houchins	174
Weston Keleher	184
Ryan Robinson	197
Taylor Ronan	133
Zach Toal	165

Projected Lineup for Missouri

125	Eric Wilson	So
133	Nathan McCormick	So
141	Todd Schavrien	Sr
149	Kyle Bradley	Fr
157	Danny Gonsor	Jr
165	Zach Toal	Fr
174	Dorian Henderson	Jr
184	Mike Larson	So
197	Brent Haynes	So
285	Dom Bradley	Jr

Missouri brings a balanced line-up to the table. They will be led by Bradley, Henderson and Schavrien. Although they lack some of the AA power, they present a solid balanced line-up. If the three already mentioned guys can bring their game to the next level, they will see their team move up in the standings. Transfer Larson will be another key player for the Tigers. We see Haynes improving off his good season last year as well. He may surprise a bunch of people this season. The success of another transfer in Gonsor will also be important.

Keep a close eye on McCormick, K. Bradley and Toal. These three young guys have a wealth of talent. They could be the “X” factors for the Tigers this season.

TOM’s Outlook: We can see the Tigers getting upwards of five finalists and one Champion. Now if they pull that off there is no reason they could not make a run for the top spot in the Conference. With that said, we see them as a solid 2^nd or 3^rd most likely this year. There are no seniors projected in the starting line-up so they may still be a year away.

Iowa State Cyclones

13-2 (Overall) and 4-0 (Big 12)

New Faces:

Cozart, Joey	149	FL
England, Mikey	174	IA
Finch, Ryak	125	AZ
Gadson, Kyven	184	IA
Goettl, Luke	141	AZ
Hallman, RJ	125	MN
Jones, Brandon	125	IA
Moody, Scott	125	NE
Moreno, Michael	165	IA
Pappas, Nik	165	IA
Riley, Matt	184	IA
Tennant, Dakota	285	IA
Voelker, Trevor	197	IA
Wilson, Quinn	174	IA

Off Redshirt:

Weatherman, Trent	149
Cash, Ben	133
Christensen, Tyler	184
Shafer, Cole	184

Projected Lineup for Iowa State

125	Patrick Hunter/Dearden	Jr
133	Ben Cash	Fr
141	Chris Drouin	Sr
149	Nate Carr/Mayfield	Sr
157	Trent Weatherman	Fr
165	Andrew Sorenson	Jr
174	Jon Reader	Sr
184	Kyven Gadson/Shafer	Fr
197	Jerome Ward	Jr
285	Matt Gibson/Simonson	Jr

The Cyclones are in the process of rebuilding. They had a very good recruiting class, but it appears they will be red-shirting those guys and try to add another stellar class for next year as well. They will look to former AA Reader to lead the way this year. Reader is looking to end his career on a high note. We all know he is very capable now it comes down to putting it all together. The Cyclones added another AA in Chris Drouin from Arizona State. Look for Drouin to get back on track in his new environment.

There are high hopes for Weatherman and we would not be surprised to see him find success early and often. They also added a pair of JUCO National champs to their roster with Hunter and Hawes. A lot of people will need to step up for the Cyclones this year.

TOM’s Outlook: We could see them getting three finalists and one champion this season. There are just too many unknowns at this time to place them much higher then the 3-5 range. One never knows who may step up, but this may be a long season for the ISU faithful.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

9-11 (Overall) and 0-4 (Big 12)

New Faces:

Amos, Greg	149	MO
Bonner, Karl	125	NE
Dauterive, Michael	125	TX
DeAnda, Luis	141	SD
Dwyer, Matt	197	IL
Galloway, Skylar	149	NE
Harris, Ryne	125	IL
Johnson, Spencer	184	MN
Kokesh, Robert	165	SD
Magrew, Cody	165	MO
Meeks, Blake	141	IA
Nagel, Shawn	125	NE
Pittman, Joe	174	GA
Pohlman, Ryan	149	NE
Stroh, Chad	133	CO
Surber, Keith	133	IL
Svoboda, John	149	NE
Taylor, Alan	184	NE
Wilbourn, Brandon	157	MO

Off Redshirt:

Compton, Cody	157
Grande, Ross	149
Gubbels, Jerad	174
Klinginsmith, Michael	157
Colb, Kaleb	174
Legate, Colby	165

Projected Lineup for Nebraska

125	David Klingsheim	So
133	C.J. Napier	So
141	Mike Koehnlein	Sr.
149	Chris Hacker	So.
157	Tyler Koehn or Cody Compton	Fr
165	Jordan Burroughs	Sr
174	Caleb Kolb	Fr
184	Josh Ihnen	So
197	Cameron Browne	Sr
285	Tucker Lane	Jr

Nebraska is in much if the same boat as ISU. They are undergoing a little bit of a rebuilding period. They lost some big hitters this past year. They do get National Champion Jordan Burroughs back. Look for Burroughs to lead the way this year. Cornhuskers are very excited about his return. Trucker Lane will look to make the next step and become an AA. Ihnen is ranked pretty high coming into the season and will look to improve upon his round of 12 appearance from last year.

After that there are a lot of unknowns in this line-up. It will be interesting to see. Keep an eye on freshman Caleb Kolb. He is talented and could catch some people off guard.

TOM’s Outlook: We see two finalists and one Champ for the Cornhuskers this year. It may not be their best team, but they should provide their fans with some excitement this season. They are probably a year or two from being a solid contender.