Soldano, Mora Reach Quarterfinals as Five Sooners Remain Alive After Day One of NCAA Championships

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Brian Soldano and Juan Mora advanced to the quarterfinals as Oklahoma moved five wrestlers into day two of the NCAA Championships on Thursday at Rocket Arena.

The Sooners went 8-7 overall in Sessions I and II, including a 6-5 mark in the championship bracket and 2-2 in consolation bouts. Soldano (184) and Mora (285) are two of six wrestlers seeded No. 20 or lower to reach the quarterfinals. Tyler Wells (141) and Carter Schubert (174) earned opening-round wins, while Conrad Hendriksen (125) remained alive in the consolation bracket. Carter Schmidt (133) and DJ Parker (197) were eliminated after dropping two matches.

Oklahoma sits in 20th place in the team standings with 8.5 points after day one. Four-time defending champion Penn State leads the field with 40.5 points.

Wells was the first Sooner to advance in the championship bracket, defeating North Carolina's No. 12 seed Luke Simcox, 3-2, in the opening round. He later fell to Lehigh's undefeated EIWA champion and No. 5 seed Luke Stanich by 11-2 major decision, moving to the wrestlebacks.

Schubert also opened with a win, rallying from a 4-1 deficit after two periods with a takedown in the final minute to defeat Rutgers' No. 21 Lenny Pinto, 5-4. It marked Schubert's second win over Pinto this season and his 20th victory of the year. In the second round, Schubert dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Iowa's No. 5 Patrick Kennedy, with the match decided by a riding time point.

Making his third career NCAA appearance and first as a Sooner, Soldano opened against a familiar opponent in Iowa State's No. 13 Isaac Dean. The matchup marked the fourth meeting between the two, a rivalry that spans both their collegiate and high school careers. Soldano and Dean first met at the college level in 2024 while representing Rutgers and Rider, respectively, and faced off again earlier this season in Norman. Their history dates back even further, as Soldano pinned Dean in the 2021 New Jersey high school state tournament.

Thursday's bout followed a similar script. Tied 1-1 late in the third period, Dean shot in on a leg in the closing seconds, but Soldano countered, scrambling out of danger and securing a takedown with four seconds remaining to claim the win. The victory improved Soldano to 4-0 all-time against Dean and advanced him to the Round of 16.

Soldano delivered late once again in the Round of 16, scoring in the final seconds to defeat fourth-seeded James Conway of Franklin & Marshall, 4-1. The senior, who missed February due to injury and earned an at-large bid, will face Michigan's No. 5 seed Brock Mantanona in Friday's quarterfinals.

Mora earned a pair of wins to reach the quarterfinals, opening with a 4-3 decision over Wisconsin's No. 12 Braxton Amos in his NCAA debut. The redshirt senior followed with a 4-2 win over Ohio State's No. 5 Nick Feldman, using a second-period takedown as the difference to secure his team-high 21st win of the season. Mora will face Nebraska's No. 4 AJ Ferrari in the quarterfinals.

Hendriksen stayed alive in the consolation bracket, earning his first career NCAA tournament victory with a 2-1 decision over Navy's No. 28 Andrew Binni at 125 pounds.

UP NEXT

Session III of the NCAA Championships begins Friday at 11 a.m. CT, featuring championship quarterfinals and two consolation rounds. All matches will stream live on ESPN+, with wraparound coverage on ESPNU.

DAY 1 RESULTS

125: Camp. Round 1 – No. 12 Vincent Robinson (NCST) def. No. 21 Conrad Hendriksen (OU), Dec. 5-1
125: Cons. Round 1 – No. 21 Conrad Hendriksen (OU) def. No. 28 Andrew Binni (NAVY), Dec. 2-1

133: Prelim – No. 33 Carter Schmidt (OU) def. No. 32 Andrew Austin (CMU), MD 11-3
133: Champ. R1 – No. 1 Jax Forrest (OSU) def. No. 33 Carter Schmidt (OU), Fall (2:00)
133: Cons. R1 – No. 16 Zan Fugitt (WIS) def. No. 33 Carter Schmidt (OU), Dec. 5-4

141: Champ. R1 – No. 21 Tyler Wells (OU) def. No. 12 Luke Wilcox (UNC), Dec. 3-2
141: Champ. R2 – No. 5 Luke Stanich (LEH) def. No. 21 Tyler Wells (OU), MD 11-2

174: Champ. R1 – No. 12 Carter Schubert (OU) def. No. 21 Lenny Pinto (RUT), Dec. 5-4
174: Champ. R2 – No. 5 Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) def. No. 12 Carter Schubert (OU), Dec. 2-1

184: Champ. R1 – No. 20 Brian Soldano (OU) def. No. 13 Isaac Dean (ISU), Dec. 4-1
184: Champ. R2 – No. 20 Brian Soldano (OU) def. No. 4 James Conway (F&M), Dec. 4-1

197: Champ. R1 – No. 25 Evan Bates (MIZZOU) def. No. 8 DJ Parker (OU), Dec. 4-3
197: Cons. R1 – No. 24 Brock Zurawski (RID) def. No. 8 DJ Parker (OU), Dec. 12-5

285: Champ. R1 – No. 21 Juan Mora (OU) def. No. 12 Braxton Amos (WIS), Dec. 4-3
285: Champ. R2 – No. 21 Juan Mora (OU) def. No. 5 Nick Feldman (OHST), Dec. 4-2