4 Sooners claim individual titles at Reno Tournament of Champions

RENO, Nev. — Oklahoma wrestlers K.J. Evans, Jared Hill, Tate Picklo and Stephen Buchanan took home individual titles from the Reno Tournament of Champions, while the Sooners placed first as a team on Sunday.

The Sooners tallied 174.5 points in the 21-team tournament. Wyoming placed second with 150 points, while Grand View finished third with 130.5 points. Utah Valley took fourth with 76 points and No. 9 Oklahoma State rounded out the top five with 65.5 points.

Altogether, OU had four champions, four runners-up and four more individuals who placed in the top five of their respective brackets. The Sooners totaled a 65-15 record in individual matches throughout the tournament.

Evans, a freshman competing in his second tournament of the season, capped a perfect day with a go-ahead reversal in the final minute of the third period to win the 141-pound championship against Utah Valley’s Haiden Drury via 2-1 decision.

At 157, Hill narrowly defeated Oregon State’s Isaiah Crosby in the championship bout, winning by a 2-1 decision. Sunday marked the juniors first tournament title since winning the Journeymen Classic last season.

Picklo claimed the 174-pound crown, defeating teammate Gerrit Nijenhuis in the finals via 4-1 sudden victory. The junior is now 9-0 on the season in tournament play after winning a title at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 11.

Buchanan, the No. 1 seed, posted a 5-0 record at the tournament (with four falls and one decision) and moved to 14-0 overall this season. The senior matched up against Wyoming’s Joey Novak in the 197-pound championship, defeating a member of his former team via 11-4 decision.

Joining Nijenhuis with runner-up finishes were redshirt junior Willie McDougald (149), redshirt sophomore Mannix Morgan (165) and redshirt senior Josh Heindselman (285).

Finishing third for the Sooners with one loss throughout the tournament were freshman Conrad Hendriksen (125), along with redshirt seniors Cael Carlson (165) and Giuseppe Hoose (184).

Sophomore John Wiley posted a 3-2 mark at the event, taking home fourth place at 157 pounds.

At 133 pounds, redshirt senior Jace Koelzer finished the tournament 3-2 and did not place as the No. 1 seed.

Carter Schmidt saw his first collegiate action while competing in the 141-pound bracket. The freshman went 4-2, finishing the day in the consolation bracket. Moving up a weight class, Kaden Smith also wrestled at 141. The sophomore finished with a 3-2 record.

Another Sooner making his season debut, redshirt sophomore Juan Mora was knocked out of the championship bracket by Heindselman in a heavyweight quarterfinal match-up. Mora did not place after going 2-2.

OU will enjoy a holiday break before traveling to Chattanooga, Tenn., to participate in the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, in what is widely considered one of the toughest regular season tournaments in collegiate wrestling.