PISCATAWAY, NJ – Iowa sent seven athletes to the semifinals of the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships after an impressive performance in the first session. Three additional Hawkeyes will be competing in wrestlebacks in a fight for third place.

Here’s the results from the Hawkeyes in the second session:

Championship Bracket semifinals

125 – Spencer Lee defeats Jack Medley (Michigan), 19-3

As he typically does, Lee scored points quickly in his semifinal match. He scored four takedowns in the first period to take a commanding lead. From there, a pair of four-point near falls helped seal the technical fall and the match for Lee. He is headed to the 125 finals tomorrow.

133 – Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) defeats Austin DeSanto, 3-2

Bravo-Young secured a takedown early in the first to take the lead. DeSanto could not finish on his shots and now falls to the wrestlebacks.

149 – Pat Lugo defeats Brayton Lee (Minnesota), 4-1

Lugo rode Lee out in the second period and then picked up an escape point to start the third. He then struck a takedown in the final period to secure his trip to the finals.

165 – Alex Marinelli defeats Shayne Oster (Northwestern), pin

Make it three finalists for the Hawkeyes. Marinelli won by pin 2 minutes and 41 seconds into the first period to advance to the finals.

174 – Michael Kemerer defeats Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 22-9

Kemerer secured three takedowns in the first to get out to an early lead, but Skatzka did not quit. Skatzka had a takedown late in the second and reversal in the third. Kemerer responded with a pair of takedowns late to seal a berth in the finals tomorrow.

184 – Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) defeats Abe Assad, 5-3

Caffey hit Assad with two takedowns late in the second period to get an edge going into the third. Assad was close to a takedown on a cradle late in the third, but was not awarded the two points. Assad now falls to wrestlebacks.

285 – Gable Steveson (Minnesota) defeats Tony Cassioppi, 9-4

Steveson was just too much for Cassioppi. Steveson had four takedowns plus riding time to move into the finals. Cassioppi falls to the wrestlebacks.

Wrestlebacks Round 2 

141 – Max Murin defeats Matt Santos (Michigan State), 16-5

Murin responded after his loss in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket by opening his wrestleback bout with a takedown. After an escape by Sanots and another takedown by Murin, the match was 4-1 heading into the second period.

By the end of the match, Murin totaled seven takedowns, which led him to victory in a match that was never in much doubt.

157 – Eric Young (Illinois) defeats Kaleb Young, 3-1

Young did not respond in his wrestleback match and is now eliminated from the tournament. Young will need an at-large bid in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

197 – Jacob Warner defeats Ncik May (Michigan State), pin

Warner pinned May two minutes and 10 seconds into the first period. The victory for Warner pushes him into the top eight and the next round.

Wrestlebacks Quarterfinals

141 – Murin defeats Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 9-6

Murin continued to recover in the quarterfinals of the wrestlebacks. He recorded three takedowns against Duncan and used riding time to seal the match and advance into the top six of the wrestleback bracket.

197 – Warner defeats Hunter Ritter (Minnesota), 6-1

Warner, like Murin, responded in the wrestlebacks in the second session. Warner used a couple of takedowns and riding time to advance into the top six in the bracket.

What’s next

Iowa has four wrestlers in the finals and five alive in the wrestlebacks going for third place.

Here’s the matchups for the final matches:

125 – Lee vs. Devin Schroder (Purdue)

149 – Lugo vs. Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

165 – Marinelli vs. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)

174 – Kemerer vs. Mark Hall (Penn State)

Team standings

1. Iowa – 121.5
2. Nebraska – 102.5
3. Ohio State – 94
4. Penn State – 93.5
5. Purdue – 77.5
6. Michigan – 64.5
7. Northwestern – 63
8. Minnesota – 56
9. Michigan State – 52
10. Wisconsin – 48
11. Illinois – 38.5
12. Rutgers – 24.5
13. Indiana – 11.5
14. Maryland – 0