MINNEAPOLIS – Iowa wrestling went 2-2 in the Big Ten Championships semifinals and will send Spencer Lee and Alex Marinelli to the championship match.

In the wrestleback bracket, Iowa has five Hawkeyes – Austin DeSanto, Pat Lugo, Kaleb Young, Cash Wilcke, and Jacob Warner – who could still possibly place third. Iowa has also secured seven automatic bids to the NCAA Championships with more possibly to come.

With two sessions down, here’s what happened and what’s next:

 Championship Bracket semifinals

125 pounds – Lee defeats Sean Russell (Minnesota), 8-0

Lee improved on his regular season 4-0 win over Russell to an 8-0 victory. Registering 2 takedowns, 2 penalty points, an escape, and a point for riding time, the All-American has found himself a rematch against Sebastian Rivera in the 125-pound final.

133 – Nick Suriano (Rutgers) defeats DeSanto, 6-3

The long-awaited DeSanto-Suriano rematch did not disappoint.

Suriano put up the first points of the match, scoring a takedown in the first. The Scarlet Knight increased his lead to 3-0 on an escape in the second.

To begin the third period, DeSanto put up the next 3 points – 2 on penalties and the third on an escape – to tie the match. Suriano finished the match with a takedown, winning 6-3 with a point for riding time.

Rutgers’ 133-pounder got revenge over DeSanto, but the Scarlet Knights also lost 2 team points after the match.

165 – Marinelli defeats Evan Wick (Wisconsin), 2-1

Marinelli faced Wick for the third time this season and came away with his third win. Marinelli’s first-period takedown would be enough to carry him to the finals, only giving up a penalty point for stalling.

197 – Kollin Moore (Ohio State) defeats Warner, 5-2

Neither Warner nor Moore scored in the first, and Moore would only score on an escape in the second. Warner leveled the match with an escape to start the third, but Moore would pull away with 2 takedowns, allowing Warner a single escape between the two.

Wrestlebacks Round 2

141 – Max Murin defeats Pete Lipari (Rutgers), 6-2

Murin got the Hawkeyes rolling in the wrestleback rounds with a 6-2 win over Lipari. A Murin takedown and a Lipari escape sent the two wrestlers into the second period with a score of 2-1. Lipari chose bottom which proved to be a bad decision as Murin racked up 2:23 of riding time. But Lipari was awarded the equalizer on a locked hands call. Murin dominated the third period, tallying an escape and a takedown.

149 – Lugo defeats Jaden Enriquez (Michigan State), 12-3

Although Lugo lost his eight-match win streak in the quarterfinals, he bounced back in his first Session 2 match. With 4 takedowns, a two-point near fall, an escape, and riding time, Lugo controlled his scrap against Enriquez.

157 – Young defeats Jake Danishek (Indiana), 8-0

The first period of the Young-Danishek matchup consisted of a takedown from Young and a Danishek bloody nose. Young would gather 3 more points in the second off an escape and another takedown. Iowa’s 157-pounder kept Denishek scoreless, finishing the final two minutes with a third takedown and a point for riding time.

174 – Drew Hughes (Michigan State) defeats Mitch Bowman, 20-5

This match began somewhat evenly with only 1 takedown from Hughes in the first period, but Hughes would take control in the next two minutes, scoring 14 points on 3 takedowns, 2 four-point near falls, and an escape.

In the third, Hughes gathered the final 4 points he needed to get a tech. Bowman. Going 0-2 in the tournament, Bowman was the first Hawkeye eliminated.

184 – Wilcke defeats Norman Conley (Indiana), 5-2

After giving up a penalty point in the first period, Wilcke would take the lead in the second with an escape and a penalty point of his own. Conley escaped to start the third and tie the match, but Wilcke came back with a takedown, winning 5-2 with a riding time point.

285 – Jacob Aven (Purdue) defeats Sam Stoll, 5-2

Following a scoreless first period, Aven scored the lone point in the second on an escape. The final two minutes began with an equalizer escape point for Stoll, but Aven tallied 2 takedowns over the All-American to win, 5-2. Although he still has a chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, Iowa’s heavyweight will hang up the singlet for the weekend.

Wrestlebacks Quarterfinals

141 – Mitch McKee (Minnesota) defeats Murin, 2-1

When McKee and Murin faced off during the regular season, McKee won 5-3. Although Murin decreased the gap, he still fell to the Gopher, 2-1.

After a scoreless first period, McKee would get on the board with an escape. Murin was awarded a penalty point 39 seconds into the third, but McKee’s riding point would give him the necessary boost to win.

149 – Lugo defeats Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 7-4

Lugo put himself on the board first with a takedown, heading into the second with a 2-0 advantage. The Wildcat would take the lead to start the second with an escape followed by a takedown. Lugo would only trail Oster for 12 seconds of the match before scoring the equalizer on an escape.

Iowa’s 149-pounder scored the next 3 points which would carry him to his second win in the wrestlebacks.

157 – Young defeats Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State), 11-1

Young scored 8 points on 2 takedowns and a four-point near fall in the first period while only allowing Hayes to score a single point on an escape. Young added 3 more points in the next two periods, tallying an escape of his own and a third takedown.

184 – Wilcke defeats Max Lyon (Purdue), 8-3

A strong third period helped Iowa’s 184-pounder top Lyon. Going into the third, the score was 2-1 in favor of Wilcke. Tallying an escape and 2 takedowns and a point for riding time.

What’s next

Lee will get his second shot at Rivera in the championship match. At the 2018 Midlands Championships earlier this season, Rivera defeated Lee, 7-3. In this tournament, Rivera has tallied a technical fall and a major decision.

Marinelli will face undefeated No. 1 seed Vincenzo Joseph. Joseph pinned Michigan’s Logan Massa in his semifinal matchup.

In the wrestleback bracket, DeSanto, Lugo, Young, Wilcke, and Warner will all have a shot for bronze.

Team standings

1. Penn State, 131.0
2. Ohio State, 111.5
3. Nebraska, 84.0
4. Iowa, 83.5
5. Minnesota, 76.5
6. Wisconsin, 63.5
7. Michigan, 62.5
8. Rutgers, 45.5
9. Northwestern, 43.5
10. Purdue, 38.0
11. Illinois, 30.0
12. Michigan State, 25.5
13. Indiana, 24.5
14. Maryland, 7.5