By Pete Ruden | [email protected]

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana – Saturday at the Big Ten Championships was a roller coaster-like day of up and downs for the Iowa wrestling team. While four grapplers made it to the finals in their respective weight class, some bowed out a little earlier than fans and coaches would’ve liked.

Thomas Gilman, Cory Clark, Michael Kemerer, and Sammy Brooks have the chance to reach the pinnacle of the best conference in collegiate wrestling. But that’s nothing new for Clark and Brooks. They were in this position last year and were crowned champions.

It’s nothing new for Gilman, either. He was in this same spot two years ago, but couldn’t get the job done. He followed that up with a 3rd place performance last year. Now, he has the opportunity to finish what he started and become a Big Ten champion.

“Gotta get it done,” Gilman said. “Just another match. I was here two years ago, didn’t get it done, so looking to right the wrong there and just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

If he continue to do what he’s been doing, there is a good chance he’ll be delegated as the 2017 champion. With Saturday’s pin and major decision, Gilman moved to 26-0 on the season and will face Nebraska’s Tim Lambert in the finals, who he has never lost to.

Kemerer, on the other hand, is still young, which is why he hasn’t been on this stage before. He’s just a redshirt freshman, but has been wrestling like a seasoned veteran all season.

Now with a 27-1 record, Kemerer will face the only man who has beaten him all season in Penn State’s Jason Nolf.

Head coach Tom Brands was concerned with the end of Kemerer’s semifinal match, though, as there was a reversal by Michigan’s Brian Murphy, followed by a Kemerer escape right before the buzzer.

But overall, Brands trusts his star in the making.

“You don’t want to be in a pickle with 10 seconds to go when they end up getting a reversal and we get the escape, and they gotta look at it; that’s too close…,” head coach Tom Brands said. “Kemerer does it right though. There’s no complaints about his methods. All the way around, he’s the real deal.”

While the other four punched their ticket for the finals, Brandon Sorensen wasn’t so lucky. After winning to straight matches, the 149-pounder wasn’t able to pick up another one, losing to Ohio State’s Micah Jordan in the semifinals.

Before anyone even had the chance to qualify for the finals, Iowa was already off to a big start. Nine of 10 Hawkeyes made it to the quarterfinals, but that is where things went downhill for some.

Senior 141-pounder Topher Carton lost to Tommy Thorn of Minnesota to derail his time in the winner’s bracket. A few hours later, he was defeated again, this time by Ryan Diehl from Maryland. That loss sent him to a four-way battle for 9th place, in which he beat Cole Weaver for the second time on the day.

After eking out a 3-2 win in the first round, Gunther lost in the quarterfinals to Penn State’s Vincenzo Joseph. His chances of staying alive eventually went down the drain, as he was beaten in the consolation bracket not long after.

Alex Meyer, for one, had the epitome of a roller coaster day in wrestling. The senior from Pleasant Hill swiftly won his first round match over Michigan State’s Drew Barnes, 19-3. After that success, he lost to Michigan’s Myles Amine for the second time this year.

Meyer then battled back in the consolation bracket with two wins to ensure a top-6 finish, with the chance to place 3rd.

“We’ve got work to do,” Brands said. “Meyer, I think he’s given up about 10 first period takedowns in this tournament, and that’s concerning. We’ve got to iron that out. But I think he wrestled his way back into the top-6.”

Cash Wilcke lost his quarterfinal match by major decision, before winning a consolation match. That was all he could go for, though, as he lost to Wisconsin’s Ricky Robertson in the consolation quarterfinals. He has a match for 7th place tomorrow.

After two sessions, Ohio State is leading the tournament with 117 points, while Penn State and Iowa are behind with 98.5 and 95 points, respectively.

“There’s another day tomorrow and there’s work to do. We’re head to head with Ohio State in two matches, who’s leading the tournament, but there’s two other matches in the finals,” Brands said. “More work to do with Meyer and Wilcke and Topher Carton and Sorensen. A lot of work to do still.”