Three South Dakota State wrestlers are seeded second to lead a group of seven Jackrabbits in the top eight of their respective weight classes as preparations continue for this weekend's Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
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Returning All-American Clay Carlson, a junior from Willmar, Minnesota, is seeded second for the Jackrabbits in the 141-pound class after compiling a 27-3 overall record so far this season. Iowa State's Ian Parker received the top seed in the weight class, which has seven automatic qualifying spots allocated for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in mid-March.
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Also seeded second from SDSU are 174-pounder Cade DeVos and 197-pounder Tanner Sloan. A sophomore from Altoona, Iowa, DeVos has posted a 26-5 record this season at 174 pounds after earning a trip to nationals at 157 pounds during the 2020-21 campaign. Oklahoma State's Dustin Plott is the No. 1 in the 174-pound division.
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Sloan, a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds, has won 12 matches in a row and enters the postseason with a 17-4 overall record. The junior from Alburnett, Iowa, is seeded behind Wyoming's Stephen Buchanan.
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Seeded third at 133 pounds is South Dakota State newcomer Gabriel Tagg. Since joining the lineup in January, Tagg has put together a 12-3 record. Oklahoma State's Daton Fix and Kyle Biscoglia of Northern Iowa are the top two seeds in the weight class.
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Entering the tournament with the No. 4 seed at heavyweight is junior A.J. Nevills. A native of Clovis, California, Nevills reached the Big 12 finals twice while wrestling for Fresno State and holds a 24-9 overall record in his first season at South Dakota State. Top billing at heavyweight went to Air Force's Wyatt Hendrickson.
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Rounding out the seedings for the Jackrabbits are Cade King, fifth at 184 pounds, and Tanner Cook, who is sixth in a competitive 165-pound bracket. King, a junior from Waseca, Minnesota, has posted a 14-7 record this season, while Cook, a sophomore from Ilion, New York, has compiled an 18-9 mark. Cook was an NCAA qualifier during the 2019-20 season after placing third at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
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Keegan O'Toole of Missouri holds the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds, with Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen taking the same honors in the 184-pound division.
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Unseeded wrestlers for the Jackrabbits include Tanner Jordan (125 pounds), Daniel Kimball (149 pounds) and Kenny O'Neil (157 pounds).
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Pairings for each of the 10 weight classes will be announced later in the week.
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Action at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The two-tournament concludes with the finals at 7 p.m. Sunday. Video coverage of the first three sessions will be available through the ESPN+ streaming platform, with Sunday's championship matches televised on ESPN2.
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