TULSA, Okla. – Demetrius Romero became Utah Valley University's first Big 12 Champion with a sudden-victory win in the 165-pound championship match on Sunday night at the BOK Center.
 
Romero came from behind, as he did all weekend, to stand atop the podium following an 8-6 (SV-1) win over North Dakota State's Andrew Fogarty.
 
"We're all so proud of him. He's earned this. He works so hard and has amazing, amazing heart," said UVU head coach Greg Williams. "Demetrius is a difficult guy to wrestle. He's so tenacious and he's such a competitor."
 
"I feel like we're overlooked as a school and that just shows that you can't overlook us because you can't count any of us out," Romero said. "It's good to be the first one to do it but there's going to be more to come. It's going to be fun to celebrate this achievement with my teammates, my coaches and my family."
 
The Wolverine junior trailed 5-1 late in the second period after Fogarty scored two takedowns in the first. Romero chipped away with a takedown with 26 seconds to go in the second and rode Fogarty to keep the match at 5-3 entering the final period.
 
An escape got Romero within a point and a takedown gave him a 6-5 lead with 38 seconds left, but Fogarty was able to escape to force overtime. It didn't take Romero long to earn the sudden victory, taking Fogarty down 13 seconds into the extra minute.
 
In earning the Big 12 Championship, Romero also moved Utah Valley into its best team placing since joining the Big 12, finishing in sixth place with 59 points. UVU was just one-half point behind Fresno State for fifth and were just in front of Wyoming (58 points) and North Dakota State (53.5 points). Oklahoma State captured its seventh straight team championship. 
 
Romero's route to the title also included a 12-8 decision over Joe Smith of Oklahoma State and a 3-2 victory over Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert in the semifinal.
 
Five Utah Valley wrestlers placed, with all five earning automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh in two weeks.
 
Tate Orndorff (285 lbs) finished in third place and will make his first NCAA Championship appearance as a redshirt-freshman while senior Will Sumner (184 lbs) will make his NCAA debut after a fourth-place finish. Kimball Bastian (174 lbs) also took fourth and will compete at his second NCAA Championship and Tanner Orndorff (197 lbs) placed sixth and rounds out the automatic berths for UVU. Orndorff will make his third straight trip to the NCAA Championships.
 
The five wrestlers to advance to the NCAA Championships matches a school record, set in 2018. Utah Valley could have a sixth competitor in Matt Findlay when the at-large wrestlers are announced on Tuesday.
 
UTAH VALLEY'S BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
125 – Mitch Brown (2-2)
Mitch Brown (UVU) DEC #26 Sidney Flores (AF), 4-2
#2 Nick Piccininni (OSU) TF Mitch Brown (UVU), 17-2
Mitch Brown (UVU) TF Greg Coapstick (SDSU), 16-0
#22 Alex Mackall (ISU) DEC Mitch Brown (UVU), 4-3
 
133 – Isaiah Delgado (0-2)
#33 Anthony Madrigal (OU) MD Isaiah Delgado (UVU), 10-0
#15 Cam Sykora (NDSU) TF Isaiah Delgado (UVU), 16-0
 
141 – #10 Matt Findlay (0-0)
#11 Kaid Brock (OSU) M FORFEIT #10 Matt Findlay (UVU)
Caleb Rea (WVU) M FORFEIT #10 Matt Findlay (UVU)
 
149 – Matthew Ontiveros (0-2)
#20 Davion Jeffries (OU) FALL Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), 2:04
#17 Christian Monserrat (WVU) MD Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), 9-1
 
157 – Grant LaMont (0-2)
Colten Carlson (SDSU) FALL Grant LaMont (UVU), 4:15
#28 Alex Mossing (AFA) TF Grant LaMont (UVU), 21-6
 
165 – #10 Demetrius Romero (3-0) - 1st Place
#10 Demetrius Romero (UVU) DEC Joe Smith (OSU), 12-8
#10 Demetrius Romero (UVU) DEC #12 Bryce Steiert (UNI), 3-2
#10 Demetrius Romero (UVU) DEC #17 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU), 8-6 (SV-1)
 
174 – #12 Kimball Bastian (2-2) - 4th Place
#12 Kimball Bastian (UVU) DEC #31 Anthony Mantanona (OU), 14-12
#7 Taylor Lujan (UNI) DEC #12 Kimball Bastian (UVU), 3-1
#12 Kimball Bastian (UVU) MD #23 Marcus Coleman (ISU), 13-4
#30 Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU) DEC #12 Kimball Bastian (UVU), 10-5
 
184 – #25 Will Sumner (4-2) - 4th Place
#25 Will Sumner (UVU) DEC Dalton Robertson (NC), 5-0
Dakota Geer (OSU) DEC #25 Will Sumner (UVU), 7-6
#25 Will Sumner (UVU) TF Tucker Nadeau (WVU), 15-0
#25 Will Sumner (UVU) DEC Zach Carlson (SDSU), 6-3
#25 Will Sumner (UVU) DEC #16 Tate Samuelson (WYO), 3-2
Dakota Geer (OSU) MD #25 Will Sumner (UVU), 16-3
 
197 – #15 Tanner Orndorff (3-3) - 6th Place
#15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) FALL Martin Mueller (SDSU), 6:23
#20 Jake Woodley (OU) DEC #15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU), 13-8
#15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) DEC Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 4-3
#15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) DEC #30 Anthony McLaughlin (AF), 3-2
#14 Josh Hokit (FS) FALL #15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU), 2:54
#26 Noah Adams (WVU) DEC #15 Tanner Orndorff (UVU), 10-7
 
285 – #20 Tate Orndorff (3-1) - 3rd Place
#20 Tate Orndorff (UVU) DEC #25 Brian Andrews (WYO), 4-1
#2 Derek White (OSU) MD #20 Tate Orndorff (UVU), 10-1
#20 Tate Orndorff (UVU) DEC #30 Brandon Ngati (WVU), 2-0
#20 Tate Orndorff (UVU) DEC #25 Brian Andrews (WYO), 5-4

Final Team Standings
1. Oklahoma State - 158
2. Iowa State - 114.5
3. Northern Iowa - 82
4. Oklahoma - 78
5. Fresno State - 59.5
6. Utah Valley - 59
7. Wyoming - 58
8. North Dakota State - 53.5
9. West Virginia - 46
10. South Dakota State - 18.5
11. Air Force - 18
12. Northern Colorado - 17.5