EAST LANSING, Mich. — All eyes turn to East Lansing this weekend for the Big Ten Wrstling Championships. Session 1 saw 120 bouts. Iowa wrestling put four into the semifinals but dropped some close matches along the way.
Round 1
Spencer Lee — Bye
Paul Glynn vs. Dylan Duncan, Illinois
Illinois’ Dylan Duncan dominated Iowa’s 133-pounder throughout the match. After 2 takedowns in the first, Duncan earned an escape in the second to go up 5-1. He tagged on another takedown, and Glynn was called for stalling. He lost a 9-1 decision.
Vince Turk vs. Eli Stickley, Wisconsin
A Turk takedown started the match, and Iowa’s 141-pounder got a 4-point near-fall to add to his cause. Turk rode for 1:47 in the first period but lost his riding time in the second after he was ridden the entire period. To open the third, Turk got another takedown and won 6-0.
Brandon Sorensen — Bye
Michael Kemerer v. Jake Danishek
Kemerer got in on a shot early but strong defense from Danishek resulted in a stalemate. Kemerer got a takedown and earned a 4-point near-fall to go up 6-0. Kemerer started the second on the bottom, escaped, and added another takedown. He rolled Danishek to his back and locked in a pin in 3:47 to open his Big Ten Championships.
Alex Marinelli — Bye
Joey Gunther vs. Beau Breske, Nebraska
Gunther got in on a shot in the first but wasn’t able to finish, as the pair went scoreless through the first. Breske earned an escape point in the second but again, no signs of offense from the two wrestlers. Gunther kept pushing through the third and earned an escape, but overtime was needed to determine the winner. After a minute, the pair needed a round of tie-breakers.
Both wrestlers garnered escapes, and another extra period was needed. After one more set of tie-breakers, Gunther finally closed out the match with riding time. Hardly any offense from either wrestler marked the match.
Mitch Bowman vs. Dom Abounader, Michigan
Abounader earned a major decision over Bowman. Michigan’s 184-pounder had 3 takedowns and scored 4 back points in the third period to cement his 13-2 win.
Cash Wilcke vs. Andre Lee, Illinois
This one felt like another Gunther-Breske match. Each wrestler scored escapes, but little action occurred otherwise; the pair needed overtime to figure out a winner. Sudden victory did not decide a winner, so another period of overtime was necessary. Wilcke finally came out on top, just as Gunther did, with a victory from riding time.
Sam Stoll vs. Razohn Gross, Rutgers
Heavyweight Sam Stoll closed out Iowa’s first round with a 4-1 decision over Rutger’s Gross. Stoll scored on 2 takedowns, but there was little action otherwise.
Round Two
Lee vs. Rayvon Foley, Michigan State
In a rematch of his college début, Iowa’s electric true freshman forced a fall over Michigan State’s Foley. Before locking in the pin in 2:42, Lee was up 10-1 with 2 takedowns and 6 back points. This is an improvement for Michigan State, because the last time Foley met Lee, he was pinned in just 42 seconds.
Turk vs. Joey McKenna, Ohio State
Turk stumbled across first-seeded McKenna of Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Championships. Turk held McKenna to 2 takedowns, but the first-seed had plenty of riding time throughout the match and won a 4-0 decision over Turk. Turk will need one win in wrestle-backs to send him to Cleveland for nationals.
Sorensen vs. Alfred Bannister, Maryland
Iowa’s lone senior made his final Big Ten Championships apearance, although it wasn’t his prettiest. Sorensen was taken down in the second period. Entering the third trailing 2-1, Sorensen earned an escape point, then his offense finally kicked in after landing a shot and finishing for a takedown with 17 seconds left on the clock. He walked away with a 4-2 win.
Kemerer vs. John Van Brill, Rutgers
Iowa’s first-seeded Michael Kemerer won his second-round match over Rutgers’ Van Brill with 7 takedowns. Kemerer walked off the mat with a 15-5 major decision and a trip to the Big Ten semifinals.
Marinelli vs. Logan Massa, Michigan
In the most intense match of the morning, Michigan’s Logan Massa knocked off Iowa’s second-ranked 165-pounder in the quarterfinals. Massa put up 2 takedowns on Marinelli to go up 5-2. Marinelli scored on a reversal and a takedown in the final minute to force overtime. A Marinelli shot turned into a wild scramble in the sudden-victory period, and Massa came out on top.
“It doesn’t matter who you have in the first round, second round, third round,” Marinelli said on Tuesday this week. “They’re all going to be coming for the same thing,”
Massa is now going for the Big Ten title, while Marinelli can only reach third.
Gunther vs. Bo Jordan, Ohio State
Gunther dropped match against Ohio State’s second-seeded Bo Jordan. Jordan put on 3 takedowns to secure an 8-3 decision.
Wilcke v. Christian Brunner, Purdue
Iowa’s Cash Wilcke scored the first takedown of the match, but Brunner responded with one of his own. Brunner tagged on another takedown and forced a couple of stalling calls to come away with an 8-2 decision.
Stoll vs. Youssif Hemida, Maryland
Sam Stoll won a decision over Maryland’s fifth-seeded Youssif Hemida. Stoll put up 3 takedowns to win, 8-1.
Consolation Bracket
Glynn fell out of the tournament and will not compete in Cleveland after a loss to Indiana’s Garrett Pepple. Pepple scored a takedown in the first on Glynn and secured a 3-1 decision.
Bowman received a bye in the first round of consolations.
What’s to Come
Iowa put four wrestlers in the semifinals for today. Spencer Lee, Brandon Sorensen, Michael Kemerer, and Sam Stoll made the list of Hawkeyes who remain undefeated at the Big Ten Championships after Session 1.
Lee will have a rematch with Ohio State’s Nathan Tomasello in the semifinals this afternoon. In their last meeting, Lee upset the then-first-ranked lightweight in a 3-2 decision.
Sorensen will have Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin. The pair went into overtime earlier this season in their dual meeting. Sorensen came out on top, thanks to a technical violation called on Deakin.
Kemerer has Ohio State’s Micah Jordan between him and the finals. Jordan won his first match over Nebraska’s Tyler Berger, 4-3. In Kemerer and Jordan’s last meeting, Kemerer emerged on top with an 8-4 decision.
Stoll will face Michigan’s Adam Coon. Coon, who is ranked first at 285, topped Stoll, 3-2 in their last meeting. Coon won his first match of the day, 12-2.
The rest of Brands’ wrestlers, minus Glynn, will now compete for third place at the tournament.
Notables and Fun Facts
- Jason Nolf made his post-injury début for Penn State after tweaking his right knee against Rutgers’ Van Brill on Jan. 28. Tucker scored on a reversal early in the match, but Nolf didn’t falter. The returning national champion sported a knee brace but still earned a fall over Michigan State’s Jake Tucker in 2:34. In his next match, Nolf earned a 15-2 major decision over Jake Short of Minnesota.
- Ohio State and Penn State are both good at wrestling. The Buckeyes have placed nine wrestlers in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships, and the Nittany Lions have eight. Michigan also had a strong morning and has seven wrestlers in the semifinals.
- Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher is keeping it close through two rounds. In his opening match, the second-ranked 133-pounder won his first match, 5-4, narrowly avoiding overtime with a technical violation call as time expired on his opponent. In his next match, Pletcher won a 4-3 decision over Duncan of Illinois.
- Rutgers’ Richie Lewis has a Nike swoosh tattooed on his right calf while sporting an Adidas singlet. He won his first-round match, 20-7, over Maryland’s Brendan Burnham.
- Nick Suriano might be healthy. Suriano won his opening match with an 8-2 decision over Travis Piotrowski. The top-ranked lightweight missed duals dating back to Feb. 4. Now, almost a month later, Suriano is heading into the Big Ten semifinals with a win under his belt.
Current Team Standings
- Ohio State — 85.5
- Penn State — 81.5
- Michigan — 64.5
- Iowa — 39
- Illinois — 29
- Purdue — 23.5
- Minnesota — 23
- Northwestern — 23
- Rutgers — 22
- Nebraska — 16.5
- Wisconsin — 13.5
- Maryland — 6.5
- Michigan State — 5
- Indiana — 2.5