ST. LOUIS — After a three-session day of wrestling Friday, three Hawkeyes moved on to Saturday’s 2021 NCAA Division I Championship finals.

Among them is two-time national champion Spencer Lee. The Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native will wrestle Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney, who is the No. 3 overall seed at 125-pounds.

The top-seeded Lee has earned bonus points for the Hawkeyes in all four of his tournament matches.

Lee’s teammate and fellow Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native Michael Kemerer also made his way to Saturday’s finals with an 8-1 win over No. 12 Bernie Truax of Cal-Poly.

Kemerer will face Penn State’s Carter Starocci in the NCAA Championships’ 174-pound finale. Kemerer has already defeated Starocci once this season. The sixth-year senior won an individual title at the 2021 Big Ten Championships March 7 after he downed Starocci, 7-2, in the conference finals.

“[Starocci is] a tough opponent, a lot of respect there,” Kemerer said Friday night. “Just gotta be confident in my stuff, do what I do, and go out and wrestle hard. I mean, it doesn’t really change. The goal is the same every time I step on the mat. [I’m] just looking forward to that opportunity.”

Prior to this week, Kemerer had not competed at an NCAA Championship since the 2017-18 season. Knee and shoulder injuries prohibited Kemerer from competing for a national championship in 2018-19, and COVID-19 prevented him from making a run at an NCAA title in 2019-20.

The last time Kemerer competed in the NCAA Championships, he was an All-American at 157-pounds, as opposed to his 174-pound current weight.

“It feels awesome [to compete in an NCAA Championship],” Kemerer said. “It’s something I’ve dreamt and thought about for a long time. It’s super exciting. [I’m] taking it all in. These are awesome days of my life right now, putting on this singlet, going out and competing. I’m cherishing every moment of it and I’m excited to do it again tomorrow.”

Rounding out the Hawkeyes’ group of finalists is newcomer Jaydin Eierman.

Eierman transferred to Iowa from Missouri and took an Olympic redshirt in 2019-20. So, the Columbia, Missouri, native had not competed at the NCAA Championships since 2018-19.

In his three previous appearances in the tournament, Eierman has earned All-America honors. Most recently, at the 2019 NCAA Championships, Eierman finished third overall at 141-pounds.

“The Riddler” has already clinched All-American status for the 2020-21 season. With the NCAA’s decision to grant all of its winter sports athletes an extra year of eligibility, Eierman could return to Iowa next season and become a five-time All-American.

“I am [intrigued by the possibility of being a five-time All-American],” Eierman said. “I’m taking it one match at a time. I’m gonna go out there tomorrow night and just do my thing. You know, if I decide [to come back to Iowa], I decide to. There’s nothing set in stone. I’m going to talk with my coaches and do what’s best for me and my future … It’s just really emotional and I’m just excited. I love wrestling, and I’m happy.”

After a semifinal pin of North Carolina State’s Tariq Wilson, Eierman will wrestle Penn State’s Nick Lee for a national title at 141-pounds tomorrow.

Eierman and Lee’s match could prove pivotal with a team championship on the line for both squads. The Lee-Eierman and Kemerer-Starocci bouts pit wrestlers from first-place Iowa against second-place Penn State head-to-head.

The Hawkeyes lead the Nittany Lions in the team standings by 14.5 points. Iowa has not won a national title as a team since 2010.

Oklahoma State is also in contention, as the Cowboys currently sit in third place with 86.5 points.

In addition to their three finalists, four other Hawkeyes will wrestle on Saturday: 197-pound Jacob Warner, 157-pound Kaleb Young, 133-pound Austin DeSanto, and 285-pound Tony Cassioppi.

Warner, DeSanto, and Cassioppi could all finish as high as third via the consolation bracket, while Young will wrestle Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Sheets for seventh.

Notably absent from Iowa’s Saturday lineup is 165-pound, No. 1 seed Alex Marinelli. “The Bull” lost to Stanford’s eighth-seeded Shane Griffith in upset fashion in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals Friday morning. Marinelli surrendered a takedown early into the pair’s sudden victory period to lose, 3-1.

Marinelli then medically forfeited his first consolation bout.

Griffith went on to win his semifinal match and will wrestle Pittsburgh’s Jake Wentzel for a national championship tomorrow.

Friday night, Iowa head coach Tom Brands would not speak on Marinelli’s medical forfeit, but he did comment on the wrestling that lies ahead for his team.

“We have a lot more wrestling to go and that’s where our priority is,” Brands said. “These guys want to get ready to wrestle tough matches and that’s what they do best. That’s where I am at and that’s my message.”