LARAMIE – Jared Hill's wrestling career will come full circle this Friday and Saturday at the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
 
The senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., which is about a 20-minute drive to the BOK Center where Hill will compete for No. 22 Wyoming at 157 pounds, is seeking his fourth trip to the NCAA Championships.
 
That won't be easy as the No. 8 seed. Hill finished fifth at the 2025 Big 12s as the No. 5 seed to advance to the national tournament.
 
"This is what I've trained for, this is the goal to wrestle well at the end of the year," Hill said. "In the past it hasn't gone as I wanted. Last year I had a good regular season but at the end of the year I wasn't peaking like I wanted to. This year I feel I'm ready to go and just need to trust in myself.
 
"I've done it before and wrestling at the NCAAs is not anything new to me. I just need to go out there and scrap and I think it will go well."
 
Hill already experienced a full-circle moment during the Cowboys' final home dual. The Oklahoma transfer set the tone for UW's 24-10 upset of the No. 16 Sooners with a 5-2 sudden victory over Layton Schnieder in the first match.
 
"It was kind of like a storybook ending," Hill said of his senior day in the UniWyo Sports Complex. "I just tried to take it as another match. It was my last time wrestling out there (at home) and I've had a lot of fun duals. I tried to give it my all and was thankful I was able to get the victory. …
 
"I think that was Oklahoma's choice (to start at 157). I think they thought they were going to beat me. In my head I was going to set the tone for the dual."
 
Hill spent three years at OU before deciding to enter the transfer portal. How did he end up in Laramie?
 
"I came on a visit here and it was a lot different than what I was used to," Hill said. "I'm from Tulsa and I remember it was my first time shooting a gun with (head coach) Mark Branch. It was fun. I really chose to come here because I saw the development of wrestlers that they had that weren't super big (recruits) out of high school. I was watching YouTube videos and saw the atmosphere and how the wrestlers were treated. I just wanted to come here."
 
Hill was 21-12 overall, 13-5 in duals and 7-9 against ranked opponents during his first season at UW. Despite going 10-9 overall, 6-6 in duals and 1-3 against ranked opponents this season, Branch believes Hill is in better position to make some noise this postseason.
 
"If you look back at this year and you compare it to where we were last year, Jared was our highest seeded wrestler going into the NCAA Tournament. This year he has to steal a spot to go to the NCAA Tournament," Branch said. "You look at just that factor alone and you go, wow, Jared had a down season. Maybe. You could look at it on paper like that.
 
"I think Jared has had a better season, I think Jared has learned some things about himself and I think he has changed some things and I think he is in a perfect position to go steal a spot."
 
Hill has five bonus-point wins this season, which is more than he had last season at UW or during his time at OU.
 
The Cowboys, who posted their best Big 12 regular season finish in program history with a 7-1 dual record, enter the conference championships with team wide confidence.
 
UW is led by All-American and second-seeded Joey Novak (197) and No. 3 seeds Eddie Neitenbach (184) and Christian Carroll (heavyweight). Sloan Swan (No. 7 at 165), Luke Willochell (No. 8 at 133) and Gabe Willochell (No. 8 at 149) are also seeded.
 
"I think this team right here might be the best Wyoming wrestling team of all time," Hill said. "We have the potential for multiple All-Americans, multiple champions and we've just got to believe that and recognize that. Looking back in five, 10 years from now they might be like, this team was special and one of those teams that doesn't come around that often."
 
Hill is determined to make the most of this homecoming and be among the Cowboys to advance out of the Big 12s to the NCAAs.
 
"I see the development as a person, the development as a wrestler, the development as a teammate, I see all those other factors that maybe aren't obvious on paper," Branch said of Hill. "It makes me appreciate Jared more because when you have a kid come in on the transfer portal it takes a while to get to know them. After the NCAA's last year, I asked him to give in and change. Those adjustments maybe factored into him not performing well but he's more prepared and capable now. Maybe instead of going 0-2 at NCAAs he gets hot here and goes on a big run because I do think those adjustments he has made are helpful in the long run.
 
"Some of it is just his mentality as a teammate and as a Wyoming Cowboy and him buying into this program and being a part of this program. I love that about him and I'm happy that we've had the opportunity to have him in our lives and vice versa."
 
All six sessions of the Big 12 Championships will be streamed on ESPN+ starting with the first session at 9 a.m. Friday.
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.