© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Oklahoma State freshman LaDarion Lockett is a rising star in the college wrestling world, and less than one full season into his collegiate career, he may have already wrestled the strangest match he’ll ever see.
Lockett, one of the top recruits in the class of 2025, is 16-1 this season and holds an impressive victory over returning national finalist Michael Caliendo of Iowa. As such, he entered this weekend’s Big 12 Wrestling Tournament as the top seed at 165 pounds.
In the semifinals on Friday evening, Lockett faced off with fifth-seeded Connor Euton of Iowa State, whom he had defeated 12-3 earlier in the season.
Tornado Warning Leads To 72-Minute Big 12 Tournament Wrestling Match
However, early in the match on Friday, Lockett took a blow to the head, and the match had to be stopped while he was evaluated for a concussion.
Thankfully, Lockett was cleared, and the match eventually restarted. But not long after it did, an alert went off in the arena, and wrestlers were asked to clear the mats. As it turns out, a tornado warning in the area meant everyone in the BOK Center in Tulsa needed to retreat to the safety of the tunnels.
Behind the scenes of Dee’s 72-minute match after a tornado warning halted the tournament. The bout was delayed for concussion protocol, a video review, and a tornado shelter-in-place. In total, it lasted 72 minutes and 52 seconds. Very Oklahoma. 🤠#stillyboys pic.twitter.com/kk1cEqEgFJ
— stillyboys (@stillyboys_) March 7, 2026
Eventually, both fans and competitors were allowed to return to the arena, and Lockett went on to claim an 11-2 victory, advancing to Saturday’s finals against Nicco Ruiz of Oklahoma State.
“It was crazy,” Lockett said of the long delays. “My coaches just told me to stay focused, so that’s what I did, and I got two more takedowns. I really relied on my training. During the delay, we talked, told jokes, played games, and just messed around to stay loose. Everything in that match was crazy. All we know is chaos, so we just laughed it off.”
We’re not exactly sure of what the record is for the longest college wrestling match from start to finish. But something tells us this has to be in the running.