Tulsa to Welcome the 2023 Big 12 Westling Championships

The Big 12 wrestling championships are an annual event that brings together the best wrestlers from the member schools of the Big 12 Conference vying for individual and team titles. Top ranked Big 12 teams that will be attending the 2023 tournament include Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa, Iowa State and West Viriginia. The conference has a rich history in wrestling, with many memorable moments having occurred in the Big 12 Championships over the years.  This year will be not different with the likes of Daton Fix, Andrew Alirez, David Carr and Keegan O'Toole and vying for Big 12 titles at the BOK Center in Tulsa Oklahoa this March.

The Big 12 Conference was formed in 1994 and began sponsoring wrestling as a conference sport in 1996. Since then, the conference has produced many outstanding wrestlers who have gone on to achieve great success in the sport. The Big 12 Championships serve as a precursor to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and provide an opportunity for wrestlers to earn an automatic bid to the national tournament.

The first Big 12 wrestling championship was held in 1997, with Oklahoma State emerging as the inaugural champion. The Cowboys went on to dominate the early years of the tournament, winning the championship in nine of the first ten years. Other early champions included Nebraska, Iowa State, and Missouri.

In 2008, the tournament saw a major upset as Missouri overcame Oklahoma State to win its first-ever Big 12 wrestling championship. The Tigers went on to win the tournament again in 2010 and 2011, establishing themselves as a major force in the conference.

Oklahoma State regained its dominance in the mid-2010s, winning the championship four years in a row from 2012-2015. During this time, the Cowboys produced several legendary wrestlers, including Jordan Oliver, Chris Perry, and Alex Dieringer.

In recent years, the conference has seen a more competitive landscape, with several teams vying for the championship. Iowa State won the tournament in 2019, its first championship since 2007, while Oklahoma won in 2020. The 2021 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Missour Tigers won in 2022.

Throughout the history of the Big 12 wrestling championships, there have been many outstanding individual performers. Several wrestlers have won multiple championships, including Oklahoma State's Daton Fix, who won three straight titles from 2018-2020, and Iowa State's Cael Sanderson, who won four titles in the early 2000s.

Other notable champions include Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks, a two-time NCAA champion and former UFC welterweight champion, and Missouri's Ben Askren, a two-time NCAA champion and former ONE Welterweight Champion.

As the Big 12 Conference continues to produce top-notch wrestlers and host thrilling tournaments, the future looks bright for this storied wrestling conference. With new talents emerging each year, fans can look forward to exciting competitions and memorable moments for years to come.