TULSA – The TV at the end of the southeast tunnel inside the BOK Center stole John Smith’s attention and validated his takeaway from the Big 12 Championships.
Smith, Oklahoma State’s coach, stopped to watch Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida upset Wyatt Hendrickson, Air force’s top-seeded and 24-0 heavyweight, in the finals. Bastida was undefeated himself, and the No. 2 seed, but Hendrickson was the reigning back-to-back champion. Smith was impressed.
“We, by no means, we didn’t lose the tournament,” Smith said. “Iowa State won it.”
The Cowboys wrestled well. Daton Fix won his fifth 133-pound title.