California Baptist University
Big 12 Championships
Leake and Griffin Shine on a Historic Day One from Tulsa
3/9/2024 11:03:00 PM | Wrestling
TULSA--- The California Baptist University wrestling competed in its second-ever BIG 12 Championships on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Lancers earned the program's first-ever NCAA qualifier and had multiple winners on a historic day for the program.
The day began bright and early at 10 AM at the BOK Center with preliminary and quarterfinal matches. Elijah Griffin started the day with a 5-2 decision win over Trever Anderson in the preliminary round. The Tulsa native avenged a dual loss to Anderson earlier in the season and picked up his first career BIG 12 Tournament win after missing it last season due to injury. Griffin continued a strong day by pushing top-seeded Noah Surtin from Missouri into overtime in the quarterfinals.
Griffin picked up his second win in the consolation bracket with an overtime takedown against Tucker Owens of Air Force. Griffin would eventually fall to Tanner Jordan via decision but will set up a chance at placement on day two in the seventh-place match.
Hunter Leake was the talk of day one for the Lancers, entering the tournament as the lone seeded wrestler for CBU. Leake earned a first-round bye before facing off against #2 Evan Frost from Iowa State. Frost got the better of Leake in the match, winning by major decision, but Leake's day was far from over. Leake rattled off a pair of impressive wins in the consolation wins, including a 6-2 decision over Fernando Barreto of North Dakota State and an 8-0 domination of Kase Mauger from Utah Valley.
The wins made Leake an NCAA qualifier, giving CBU its first-ever in their second season in the BIG 12. Leake will also be able to add more to his resume, with a guaranteed shot at placement in the 133lb bracket. Leake will take on Derrick Cardinal of South Dakota State in session three.
The Lancers picked up two more wins in the consolation round via Nathan Haas and Peter Acciardi, who each picked up decisions. Hass would defeat Jacob Armstrong, as he did in Orem two weeks prior, by decision 4-2 before being pinned by #14 Will Feldkamp of Iowa State. Acciardi would best Aydin Rix-McElhinney of Northern Colorado in his consolation match 7-2.
The Lancers picked up six match victories on the day and have a shot at two NCAA qualifiers. CBU picked up 16 team points on the day and will have two wrestlers competing for placement on day two.
TOMORROW: Griffin and Leake will compete in session three with a shot at placement. Griffin will face off against familiar foe Stevo Poulin in the seventh-place match, while Leake will be matched up against Derrick Cardinal in the consolation semifinals.
Players Mentioned
