Stoll secures advancement with upset
Iowa senior Sam Stoll continued Iowa’s perfect record with an upset of Michigan’s Mason Parris.
Iowa’s 285-pound Sam Stoll wrestles Michigan’s Mason Parris during the first session of the 2019 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships at PPG Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Stoll won by decision, 8-5.
March 21, 2019
PITTSBURGH – After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship meet, Sam Stoll proved why he deserved it.
With an unscathed record in the first round, Iowa’s final match of the early session featured the 28-seed, Stoll, against Michigan’s No. 5-seed, Mason Parris.
Much like DeSanto’s 133-match earlier in the afternoon, 285 was riddled with stalling calls and respective penalty points. Stoll went down 2-0 in the first period, but an escape and back-to-back penalty points from stallings called on Parris put him on top going into the second.
RELATED: What happened, what’s next: NCAA Wrestling Championships Session 1
Three more stalling calls would result in points through the final two periods, one point being awarded to Stoll and two to Parris. A takedown by Stoll proved to be the difference, and riding time gave him an 8-5 finish to advance in the final meet of his Hawkeye career.
“Very smart, very saavy match,” head coach Tom Brands said. “We stayed good in our positions. He was very smart in using his experience to his advantage, and that guy hadn’t felt us before. This next guy is going to feel us, and it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to be ready to go.”
Iowa finished the first session with 14.0 team points on two technical falls, six decisions, and a stalling disqualification. Stoll goes into the second round gearing up to face a very familiar Conan Jennings from Northwestern. Stoll is 5-0 against Jennings since 2016.
