WVU Wrestling: Dylan Cottrell Wins First-Ever Big 12 Championship

The finals for the Big 12’s 165 lb. weight class lined up just the way the brackets predicted, the No. 1 seed versus the No. 2 seed. WVU wrestling’s Dylan Cottrell believed he was No. 1 though, and proved just that on Sunday.

Dylan Cottrell squared off against Oklahoma State sophomore Chandler Rogers for the championship. OK State’s a superior wrestling program, having won four consecutive team titles coming into this season. The senior from WVU had just enough experience to pull off the victory.

After Rogers took Cottrell down to kick off the scoring, Cottrell ecaped, trailing 2-1 with 1:45 to go in the first. An ensuing technical violation on Rogers earned Cottrell a point , tying things up with 1:20 left in the first.

Rogers elected to start the second on bottom and was awarded an escape with 1:45 to go. After an apparent take-down late in the period, officials took another look and decided it came too late.

Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Cottrell started on bottom. After an escape and a take-down, the experienced Cottrell had a 5-3 lead with 1:10 to go. Rogers was awarded an escape with 27 seconds left, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

A 5-3 victory for West Virginia’s Dylan Cottrell!

This Big 12 Title is not only his first, but the school’s as well. He’s no stranger to the success, though.

Last season, Cottrell wrestled at 157 lbs. and placed 3rd at the Big 12 Tournament after finishing 30-9 on the year; this earned him a bid to the NCAAs, his first as a Mountaineer. Before transferring to WVU though, Cottrell represented Appalachian State at the NCAAs at 149 lbs. With that type of resume coupled with the confidence he’s rolling with post-Big 12 Tournament, Cottrell could do something special at the Wrestling Championships.