No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners enters the 2026 Championship with six pre-seeds, momentum from top-15 upsets, and a hunger to end a four-year individual title drought
TULSA, Okla. - The No. 23-ranked Oklahoma Sooners wrestling team is set to compete in the 2026 Big 12 Championship, taking place March 6–7 at the BOK Center. This marks the 10th time the neutral-site event has been held in Tulsa and the 11th neutral-site conference championship overall for the sport.
Fans can catch all the action live, with every session streaming on ESPN+, including individual mat streams and a wraparound feed for the earlier sessions. Tickets remain available for all-session passes as well as single-session options through Ticketmaster, offering wrestling enthusiasts a chance to witness high-stakes collegiate competition in person.
Under third-year head coach Roger Kish, the Sooners enter the tournament with momentum from a solid 10-6 overall record (3-5 in Big 12 duals) during the 2025-2026 regular season. Oklahoma closed out the year strongly, securing two notable victories over top-15 opponents. The most recent came on January 31 with a thrilling 23-18 home win against No. 13 Northern Iowa.
Earlier, on December 13, the Sooners staged an impressive comeback from a 14-6 deficit to edge No. 12 Rutgers 19-14 on the road at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. That triumph stands as the program's highest-ranked dual victory since 2015.
Overall, OU tallied nine dual wins against Division I competition this season—the highest total under Coach Kish's leadership—demonstrating steady progress for the program.
The Sooners aim to build on their recent conference performances, where they finished seventh in both 2024 and 2025, each time qualifying five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. A key goal this weekend is to end a drought by crowning their first Big 12 individual champion since Dom Demas captured the 141-pound title in 2021.
Historically, Oklahoma boasts a proud legacy in the conference, with 24 overall conference championships (including three Big 12 titles in 1999, 2002, and 2021) and 186 individual conference champions. The program's three Big 12 team titles tie for third-most in league history.
In recent years, four individual champions have emerged in the past decade, with Demas being the latest. Five Sooners have earned Big 12 Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the championships, including Demas (2019), Jarrod Patterson (2010), Sam Hazewinkel (2007), Teyon Ware (2003), and Shane Valdez (1999). Coach Kish's staff also features experienced voices: assistant coaches Austin Marsden (three-time Big 12 champion at heavyweight for Oklahoma State) and Cam Sykora (Big 12 champion for North Dakota State in 2021 under Kish).
Six Oklahoma wrestlers earned pre-seeds in the tournament field: No. 5 Conrad Hendriksen at 125 pounds, No. 6 Tyler Wells at 141, No. 2 Carter Schubert at 174, No. 6 Brian Soldano at 184, No. 5 DJ Parker at 197, and No. 5 Juan Mora at 285. Hendriksen and Soldano received first-round byes, positioning them favorably for deep runs.
The full opening-round matchups for the Sooners include:
- 125: No. 5 Conrad Hendriksen (bye)
- 133: Carter Schmidt vs. No. 5 Gunner Andrick (West Virginia)
- 141: No. 6 Tyler Wells vs. Joel Aguilar-Guerrero (Northern Colorado)
- 149: Hunter Hollingsworth vs. No. 4 Maxwell Petersen (North Dakota State)
- 157: Layton Schneider vs. No. 1 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State)
- 165: Peyten Kellar vs. No. 3 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State)
- 174: No. 2 Carter Schubert vs. Mason Espinoza (California Baptist)
- 184: No. 6 Brian Soldano (bye)
- 197: No. 5 DJ Parker vs. John Gunderson (Northern Iowa)
- 285: No. 5 Juan Mora vs. Tristan Kemp (California Baptist)
These matchups highlight tough draws in several weights, but seeded wrestlers like Schubert (No. 2 at 174) and the No. 5 trio give OU strong contenders for titles and high placements.The tournament spans four sessions across two days:Friday, March 6
- Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches – 10 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
- Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches – 5 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Saturday, March 7
- Session 3: Consolation Semifinals – Noon CT (ESPN+)
- Session 4: Finals – 7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Live stats will be available on FloWrestling throughout the event. The Big 12 received 63 automatic NCAA allocations for the 2026 national championships—the second-most behind the Big Ten—marking an increase from recent years. Allocations vary by weight: eight each at 133, 184, and 197; seven at 141 and 174; six at 285; five at 125, 149, and 157; and four at 165. These bids provide more pathways for Big 12 wrestlers to advance to nationals.
Qualifiers from this tournament will head to Cleveland for the NCAA Championships at Rocket Arena on March 19-21. For the Sooners, this weekend represents a prime opportunity to showcase their growth, secure NCAA berths, and potentially reclaim individual glory in one of college wrestling's most competitive conferences.