Rapid Recap | Four Iowa men’s wrestlers compete in medal round of 2022 NCAA Championships
Iowa 133-pounder Austin DeSanto, 165-pounder Alex Marinelli, 174-pounder Michael Kemerer, and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi placed third, fifth, fourth, and seventh, respectively.
Iowa head coach Tom Brands embraces Iowa’s No. 5 Austin DeSanto after his final collegiate match against Arizona State’s No. 3 Michael McGee in session five at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. DeSanto defeated McGee in a 133-pound match, 7-4. DeSanto finished his collegiate career as a four-time All-American. DeSanto is Iowa’s 23rd four-time All-American.
March 19, 2022
DETROIT —Four Iowa men’s wrestlers competed in the medal round of the 2022 NCAA Championships Saturday morning at Little Caesars Arena.
Hawkeye 133-pounder Austin DeSanto earned third place, 174-pounder Michael Kemerer finished fourth, 165-pounder Alex Marinelli was fifth, and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi placed seventh.
No. 5 DeSanto defeated No. 7 Lucas Byrd of Illinois, 10-6, in the consolation semifinals and No. 3 Michael McGee of Arizona State, 7-4, in the third-place match.
DeSanto finishes his collegiate career with four All-America honors and a 103-28 overall record.
No. 5 Kemerer won his consolation semifinal match against No. 3 Logan Massa of Michigan via 6-4 decision in sudden victory. Kemerer went 2-0 against Massa in college.
“KemDawg” lost his third-place bout to North Carolina State’s Hayden Hidlay by 12-4 major decision. Kemerer went 0-2 against Hidlay on the tournament.
“Grandpa Mike” ended his career as a five-time All-American, an NCAA runner-up in 2020-21, and a 2020-21 Big Ten Champion. Kemerer never finished outside of the top four at the NCAA Championships. He went 100-12 during his time in the Black and Gold.
No. 3 Marinelli lost his consolation semifinal matchup, 10-4, to Cal Poly’s Evan Wick. “The Bull” then finished the tournament in fifth on account of Wisconsin’s Dean Hamiti medically forfeiting during the medal round.
Marinelli, now a four-time All-American and four-time Big Ten Champion, finishes his college career with a dual record of 99-13.
No. 3 Cassioppi qualified for the seventh-place bout during IV on Friday night. Cassioppi defeated Nebraska’s Christian Lance via 2-0 decision Saturday afternoon.
Cassioppi is now a two-time All-American. He’ll be a redshirt senior in 2022-23.
Iowa is currently in third place in the NCAA team championship standings with 74 points. Penn State is in first with 111.5 points. The Nittany Lions clinched a 2022 NCAA team title at the end of Session V.
Below is an updated look at the NCAA Championship team standings after Session V:
1. Penn State, 111.5
2. Michigan, 91.0
3. Iowa, 74.0
4. Arizona State, 66.5
5. Nebraska, 59.5
6. Northwestern, 53.5
7. Virginia Tech, 52.5
8. Cornell, 50.5
9. NC State, 49.0
10. Missouri, 45.5