TULSA, Okla. – Cameron Hunsaker and Danny Snediker both earned seventh-place finishes, while Ty Smith and Koy Wilkinson each finished eighth for Utah Valley University during Sunday morning's third session of action at the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championships. Two more UVU grapplers will be in action this afternoon, as Taylor LaMont and Demetrius Romero will both compete in the championship finals live on ESPN2. 
 
The seventh-seeded sophomore Hunsaker earned the seventh-place Big 12 Championship finish for the second straight season at 149 pounds, while the seventh-seeded freshman Snediker (157 pounds) earned his first podium finish at the Big 12s after picking up a trio of wins on the weekend. 
 
"Ty, Cameron, Danny and Koy all wrestled tough matches this morning. They each put it all out there for seven minutes (and Koy for 11 minutes)," head UVU coach Greg Williams said. "We are really proud of their efforts."
 
After going 1-2 on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over South Dakota State's Hunter Marko to reach the seventh-place bout, Hunsaker then took on the No. 8 seed and Jaden Van Maanen of North Dakota State for seventh place on Sunday. After a scoreless first period and with the two foes in the neutral position in the second, Hunsaker picked up the only points of the match with a takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Again, in the neutral position in the third, Hunsaker managed to hang on to his lead and defeat Van Maanen, 2-0, to earn the seventh-place finish and post a 2-2 record at the 2021 Big 12s.
 
After going 2-2 on Saturday with wins over Cayd Lara of Northern Iowa (12-7) and Christopher Gaxiola of Fresno State (7-4), the seventh-seeded Snediker too reached the seventh-place bout in his weight class. Matched up again against Lara of UNI, Snediker looked strong in the seventh-place match by jumping out to a 4-2 lead midway through the second period. Lara responded with a takedown to tie it, but Snediker quickly picked up an escape to lead 5-4 at the end of two. Lara then again tied it early in the third with an escape, but Snediker picked up what proved to be the winning takedown moments later, as he went on to defeat Lara by a score of 7-6. With the victory, Snediker finished his first Big 12 Championship run with a 3-2 record and the podium finish. 
 
After going 1-2 on Saturday to advance to the seventh-place match at 133 pounds, the eighth-seeded redshirt freshman Smith then found himself in a battle against Kellyn March of North Dakota State for seventh place on Sunday morning. After a scoreless first period, the two then traded takedowns and escapes to make it a 3-3 score after two periods of action. Then in the third, March recorded a pair of reversals to take a 7-5 lead midway through the final stanza. Smith then gained an escape to pull within a point at 7-6, and later with the clock ticking down he went for a throw but March countered and was credited with a takedown a nearfall points as time expired to defeat Smith, 13-6. Smith, who is ranked as high as 15th nationally, finished his first Big 12 Championship run with the eighth-place finish and a 1-3 record. 
 
The senior 165-pounder Koy Wilkinson too reached the seventh-place match after going 1-2 on Saturday with a 7-3 decision over the No. 8 seed Colten Carlson of South Dakota State. In the seventh-place bout against the No. 6 seed Jordan Robison of Northern Colorado, Wilkinson and Robison put everything out on the mat in an overtime thriller. With the match deadlocked at 1-1 and headed to overtime, the two then posted a scoreless first sudden victory period to head to the tiebreakers. Both Robison and Wilkinson then traded escapes in the first set of tiebreakers to send it to the second sudden victory stanza. After another scoreless sudden victory period, Wilkinson and Robison went back to the tiebreakers. Robison then managed to record a last-second escape at the end of the second set of tiebreakers to record a 3-2 victory. 
 
With the eighth-place finish, Wilkinson reaches the Big 12 Championship podium for the first time in his career after going 1-3 this weekend.
 
The top-seeded 174-pound senior Romero and the second-seeded 125-pound junior LaMont will both wrestle in the championship finals on Sunday afternoon. It will mark the first time that the Wolverines have had two finalists in program history. Both Romero and LaMont went 3-0 on Saturday to advance to the finals. After becoming UVU's inaugural Big 12 champion in 2019, Romero will be wrestling for his second Big 12 title while LaMont will be going for his first (his first Big 12 title appearance). The two also have already qualified for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by reaching the Big 12 finals. It is the third time that Romero and LaMont have qualified for nationals.
 
Romero, who is undefeated on the season with a 15-0 record and ranked as high as third nationally (by InterMat), will face the No. 6 Jackson Hemauer of Northern Colorado in the 174-pound final. LaMont who is also undefeated on the year with a 9-0 record and ranked as high as fourth nationally (by InterMat), will take on the No. 1 seed Brody Teske of Northern Iowa in the 125-pound title bout.  
 
UVU will enter Sunday's finals in 10th place out of 12 teams with 51 total points. Oklahoma leads with 120 points, while Oklahoma State is in second (112) and Iowa State is in third (109.5). 

At-large bids to the NCAA Championships will be announced on Wednesday, March 10. Smith and Hunsaker have the best shot to pick up wildcards for UVU, as they are both currently ranked in the latest NCAA Coaches Panel Ranking. 
 
The championship finals will be held on Sunday at 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPN2. 
 
UTAH VALLEY RESULTS 
125 - #2 Taylor LaMont (3-0)
#2 Taylor LaMont (UVU) DEC Jace Koelzer (NC), 11-5
#2 Taylor LaMont (UVU) DEC #7 Kysen Terukina (ISU), 7-5 (SV-1)
#2 Taylor LaMont (UVU) DEC #3 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, 5-3
In the finals against #1 Brody Teske (UNI) on Sunday afternoon
 
133 - #8 Ty Smith (1-3) – 8th Place
#1 Daton Fix (OK State) MD #8 Ty Smith (UVU), 16-4
#8 Ty Smith (UVU) MED FORFEIT #2 Ryan Sullivan (WVU)
#3 Zach Price (SDSU) DEC #8 Ty Smith (UVU), 5-3 (SV-1)
7th Place: Kellyn March (NDSU) DEC #8 Ty Smith (UVU), 13-6 
 
141 - Stockton O'Brien (0-2)
#7 Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) MD Stockton O'Brien (UVU), 15-2
#8 Chase Zollman (WYO) DEC Stockton O'Brien (UVU), 4-2
 
149 - #7 Cameron Hunsaker (2-2) – 7th Place
Jaren Jensen (WYO) DEC #7 Cameron Hunsaker (UVU), 3-2
#7 Cameron Hunsaker (UVU) DEC Hunter Marko (SDSU), 3-2
#5 Jarrett Degen (ISU) DEC #7 Cameron Hunsaker (UVU), 1-0 
7th Place: #7 Cameron Hunsaker (UVU) DEC #8 Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 2-0
 
157 - #7 Danny Snediker (3-2) – 7th Place
#7 Danny Snediker (UVU) DEC Cayd Lara (UNI), 12-7
#2 Justin Thomas (OU) DEC #7 Danny Snediker (UVU), 5-1
#7 Danny Snediker (UVU) DEC Christopher Gaxiola (FS), 7-4
Alex Hornfeck (WVU) TF #7 Danny Snediker (UVU), 18-0 (5:40)
7th Place: #7 Danny Snediker (UVU) DEC Cayd Lara (UNI), 7-6
 
165 - Koy Wilkinson (1-3) – 8th Place
#2 Peyton Hall (WVU) DEC Koy Wilkinson (UVU), 7-6
Koy Wilkinson (UVU) DEC #8 Colten Carlson (SDSU), 7-3
Troy Mantanona (OU) FALL Koy Wilkinson (UVU), 3:33
7th Place: #6 Jordan Robison (NC) DEC Koy Wilkinon (UVU), 3-2 (TB-2)
 
174 - #1 Demetrius Romero (3-0)
#1 Demetrius Romero (UVU) MD Zack Gonzalez (FS), 12-2
#1 Demetrius Romero (UVU) DEC #8 Anthony Mantanona (OU), 11-6
#1 Demetrius Romero (UVU) MD #5 Cody Surratt (AF), 12-3
In the finals against #6 Jackson Hemauer (NC) on Sunday afternoon
 
184 - Jacob Armstrong (0-2)
#1 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) DEC Jacob Armstrong (UVU), 5-3
#7 Darrien Roberts (OU) DEC Jacob Armstrong (UVU), 9-2
 
197 - Hunter Morse (0-2)
#8 Kayne Hutchinson (AF) TF Hunter Morse (UVU), 16-1 (3:35)
#7 Owen Pentz (NDSU) MD Hunter Morse (UVU), 12-0
 
285 - Chase Trussell (0-2)
#1 Gannon Gremmel (ISU) DEC Chase Trussell (UVU), 6-2
#2 Carter Isley (UNI) MD Chase Trussell (UVU), 9-0
 
*Big 12 Championships seeds listed and not national rankings.
 
UTAH VALLEY'S AUTOMATIC NCAA QUALIFIERS
125 - Taylor LaMont
174 - Demetrius Romero