CLEVELAND — Session 1 at the NCAA Championships was essentially all Iowa could have hoped for, but Session 2 wasn’t quite so good on March 15.
Highlighted by an upset of No. 2 seed Brandon Sorensen at 149 pounds, the Hawkeyes had five wrestlers join Joey Gunther in the consolation bracket.
Michael Kemerer and Alex Marinelli bounced back for Iowa, recording back-to-back pins.
“I think Kemerer and I feed off each other,” Marinelli said. “If he gets a pin, I want a pin. We’re roommates right now, living together in the hotel. We’re shacking up, and we want to top each other right now.”
That leaves Kemerer, Marinelli, and Spencer Lee with a chance for gold.
Here’s what happened and what’s next:
125: Lee kept doing what he does best in Session 2: scoring bonus points. The true freshman won by tech fall in 3:59 after scoring a flurry of points in the first two periods. He’ll have the challenge of Oklahoma State’s Nicholas Piccininni in the quarterfinals.
141: Vince Turk took top seed Bryce Meredith of Wyoming to the end, but his effort wasn’t enough. Turk scored a late takedown to ignite a comeback effort, but Meredith fended off the Hawkeye. Turk’s loss drops him to the consolation bracket, where he will face Purdue’s Nate Limmex.
149: In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far, second-seeded Sorensen fell to No. 15 Ronald Perry of Lock Haven. After a scoreless first period, Perry escaped in the second and scored a takedown in the third to best the senior from Cedar Falls. Sorensen will now unexpectedly battle in the consolation bracket, where he has Eleazar Deluca of Rutgers waiting for him.
157: Kemerer continued his NCAA dominance on the night of March 15, earning his second pin of the tournament in as many matches. After leading 12-2, Kemerer stuck Stanford’s Paul Fox late in the second period to earn more bonus points for his squad. The win puts Kemerer in the quarterfinals, where he will have a match with rival Jason Nolf, Penn State’s No. 3 seed.
165: Just one weight class later, Marinelli followed in Kemerer’s footsteps by recording his second fall of the day. Leading 8-2 in the third period, Marinelli made his win a sure thing, sticking Nicholas Wanzek of Minnesota in 6:15. Marinelli is now in the quarterfinals, something he didn’t accomplish at Big Tens, and he will face Rider’s Chad Walsh, the tournament’s No. 4 seed.
174: Already suffering a loss and occupying space in the consolation bracket, Joey Gunther’s season is officially over. Harvard’s Josef Johnson used an escape and a takedown in the third period to defeat Gunther, 3-1.
184: Mitch Bowman’s stay in the winner’s bracket only lasted one match, as No. 2 seed Myles Martin from Ohio State bested the Hawkeye in a 17-5 major decision. Martin scored 2 takedowns and a 4-point near fall in the second period to help secure the victory. Bowman will compete in the wrestlebacks next.
197: Cash Wilcke, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, put up a good fight against No. 3 Jared Haught of Virginia Tech, but he couldn’t come out on top, as Haught picked up the victory, 5-3. Wilcke had 3 escapes, but Haught’s 2 takedowns and single escape were too much. Wilcke has Cal Poly’s Thomas Lane next in the consolation bracket.
285: Sam Stoll beat Maryland’s Youssif Hemida 8-1 at Big Tens, but he couldn’t do it again; the Terrapin got the best of him. Stoll led 2-0 in the third period, but a Hemida escape, followed by a takedown and 4-point near fall changed everything, giving him a 7-2 victory. After the 5-12 upset, Stoll will move to the wrestlebacks, where he will take on Andrew Dunn of Virginia Tech.
Updated Team Standings
- Ohio State — 36
- Penn State — 28.5
- Iowa — 27
- Michigan — 23
- North Carolina State — 20
- Missouri — 19
- Cornell — 15
- Oklahoma State — 15
- Lehigh — 14.5
- Virginia Tech — 14.5