Pokes Entering Big 12 Tourney With ‘Good, Positive Vibes’
LARAMIE -- "Good, positive vibes."
That's what the Wyoming wrestling team is taking to the Big 12 Championships inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., this upcoming weekend, according to head coach Mark Branch.
All six sessions can be streamed on ESPN-Plus.
"You're not hanging onto any negativity," he added. "I've been there before when it's just been frustration after frustration and falling short. It's hard to really fake it. You get to this time of year and you're still trying to get excited about the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA's, but it's hard to mask it and to suppress the things you've been dealing with through the regular season."
About that.
Despite numerous injuries and illnesses, the Cowboys capped the conference season with a program record of 7-1, including two wins over Top-20 opponents for the first time since 2018-19, No. 10 South Dakota State and 16th-ranked Oklahoma.
All but three Wyoming wrestlers earned a seed in the tournament, led by No. 2 Joey Novak in the 197-pound weight class. Eddie Neitenback (184) and Christian Carroll (HWT) both slide in at No. 3.
"My body feels great," Novak said on Tuesday. "I think most of the guys can say the same. We're really training as hard as possible to get in the best shape. Most important, mentally, coaches are really getting us ready for that. Wrestling, you know, everyone says it's a mental sport and it really is. It's 99% mental."
How important is seeding?
“We are emphasizing to the entire team that seeds don’t matter at this point, whether they’re good or bad or nonexistent,” Branch said, pointing to Sam Mitchell, the team's current volunteer director of operations, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last March despite entering Tulsa eighth at the heavyweight spot. “The focus has been on preparation and getting these guys ready.
"It’s important right now that these guys believe in themselves and in their preparation.”
Branch and Co. are hopeful that their regular-season success translates to the postseason. They also hope to put last year’s Big 12 showing behind them. The Pokes finished 10th as a team and only three wrestlers outperformed their seed line – Mitchell, Neitenbach and Cole Brooks.
Wyoming flipped that script at the 2025 NCAA Championships, placing 22nd as a team. Novak spearheaded that effort with a fifth-place finish that featured four bonus-point wins.
Novak is seeded behind only Rocky Elam (Iowa State) whom Novak lost to at the 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite by decision, 7-3. There are eight NCAA allocations for the Big 12 at 197.
Neitenbach is behind No. 1-seeded Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) and No. 2 Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State). Neitenbach has yet to see either of those guys. There are eight allocations at 184, as well.
Carroll is behind No. 1-seeded, and No. 1 in the country, Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), and No. 2-seeded Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State). Carroll has seen Bastida, falling to him at Cliff Keen via decision, 5-3. There are six allocations at HWT.
Sloan Swan (165) is seeded No. 7, while Luke Willochell (133), Gabe Willochell (149) and Jared Hill (157) all garnered a No. 8 seed. There are four allocations at 165, eight at 133, five at 149 and 157.
Sefton Douglass (125), David Saenz (141) and Riley Davis (174) are all unseeded. There are five allocations at 125, seven at 141 and 174.
Session 1 of the 2026 Big 12 Championships get underway at 9 a.m. (MST) on Friday. Session 2 will begin at 4 p.m. that same day.
* A UW press release contributed to this report
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