TULSA — All 10 Iowa men’s wrestlers will compete in Session III of the 2023 NCAA Championships on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. The Hawkeyes currently trail the first-place Penn State Nittany Lions in the team race, 26-21.5. Penn State sent seven grapplers to the quarterfinals, while Iowa advanced five.

Iowa’s 125-pound Spencer Lee, 141-pound Real Woods, 149-pound Max Murin, 174-pound Nelson Brands, and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi are still alive in the championship bracket and in contention for individual titles.

Lee has been on the mat a total of 3:06 in his two matches and will battle Lock Haven’s No. 8 seed Anthony Noto for a berth to the semifinals. Murin will face Cornell’s three-time national champion and No. 1 seed Yianni Diakomihalis in the quarterfinals. Murin fell to Diakomihalis, 6-3, in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Brands will try and keep it rolling against Virginia Tech’s No. 3 seed Mekhi Lewis in the quarterfinals. Brands did not place in his national tournament debut in 2020-21.

The Hawkeyes’ 133-pound Brody Teske, 157-pound Cobe Siebrecht, 165-pound Patrick Kennedy, 184-pound Abe Assad, and 197-pound Jacob Warner will battle in the second round of consolations and can still place as high as third on the podium.

Penn State’s reigning national champion Max Dean lost in the second round yesterday to Nebraska’s No. 8 seed Silas Allred at 197 pounds and will try and wrestle back for third.

Session III will be televised live on ESPNU.

Follow the live blog below for updates throughout Session III:

QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS

125 POUNDS: No. 1 Spencer Lee (IA) over No. 8 Anthony Noto (LH) via major decision

Period 1: Lee scores a takedown in the first 30 seconds. They go out of bounds and Lee’s on top.  Lee tilts Noto for two four-point near falls to lead 10-0.

Period 2: Lee starts on bottom. Noto gets Lee on his back for a near-fall. Locked hands brings them back to the middle. Lee escapes with 18 seconds left in period and leads 11-4.

Period 3: Noto chooses top. Lee escapes with a minute left. Lee scores a takedown in the final seconds to win, 14-4.

After the match, Lee was upset with his performance and said, “I have to score more points. It’s that simple.”

Lee secured his fifth All-American honor with the victory.

141 POUNDS: No. 1 Real Woods (IA) over No. 8 Allan Hart (MIZ) via major decision

Period 1: Woods gets the scoring started with a takedown about halfway through the period. Woods tilts Hart near the edge for a two-point near fall and rides him out the remainder of the period.

Period 2: Woods gets in on Hart’s right leg for a takedown.

Period 3: Woods tacks on to his lead about a minute in with another takedown. Woods rides Hart out the rest of the way for a 9-0 victory with 3:18 of riding time.

After the match, Woods was happy with the way he bounced back from a close win yesterday. Woods said that he “feels great and more like [himself].”

Woods secured All-American status with the victory.

149 POUNDS-  No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (COR) over No. 9 Max Murin (IA) via decision

Period 1: Diakomihalis shoots for Murin’s right leg for a takedown. Murin escapes. Another takedown for Diakomihalis followed by a quick escape from Murin. Murin trails, 4-2.

Period 2: Murin starts on bottom and escapes to cut his deficit to one. Diakomihalis earns a takedown and Murin escapes again. Murin trails 6-4.

Period 3: Murin on top and he gives up a reversal. Murin escapes. Murin scores his first takedown of the match with about 30 seconds left and tilts him, but not enough for any back points. Murin falls in a tough match to the three-time national champion, 8-7.

Murin heads to wrestlebacks and can still place as high as third.

174 POUNDS: No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (VT) over No. 11 Nelson Brands (IA) via decision 

Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes.

Period 2: Lewis escapes to start the scoring. Lots of hand fighting for the remainder of the period. Brands trails, 1-0.

Period 3: Brands on bottom. Brands can’t escape as Lewis musters 1:57 of riding time to win, 2-0.

Brands heads to the wrestlebacks and will battle for a third-place finish.

285 POUNDS: No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (IA) over No. 5 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) via OT decision 

Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes but Cassioppi is called for a stall warning.

Period 2: Cassioppi starts bottom and escapes in the first 10 seconds for the only score of the period. Lots of hand fighting.

Period 3: Schultz Starts bottom and escapes to tie it. No other scores and we’re headed to sudden victory.

OT: Cassioppi gets in on Schultz’s right leg and finishes for a takedown to win, 3-1.

He moves on to the semifinal round and secured All-American status. After the match, Cassioppi said his mindest going into overtime was to “just keep wrestling and not let [Schultz] sneak one out.”

SECOND ROUND CONSOLATION MATCHUPS

133 POUNDS: No. 9 Micky Phillippi (PITT) over No. 23 Brody Teske (IA) via decision 

Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes.

Period 2: Teske starts on bottom and is rode the entire period.

Period 3: Phillipi starts on bottom and escapes. Teske gives up a takedown but escapes. Teske can’t finish any shots and falls, 3-1. He is eliminated from the tournament.

157 POUNDS:  No. 13 Trevor Chumbley (NW) over No. 14 Cobe Siebrecht (IA) via fall 

Period 1: Siebrecht wins a scramble and earns a takedown. Chumbley escapes with 40 seconds left. Siebrecht leads, 2-1.

Period 2: Siebrecht starts on bottom and escapes within 20 seconds. He leads, 3-1.

Period 3: Chumbley escapes. Potentially dangerous called, back to neutral. Chumbley puts Siebrecht in a cradle and gets the fall. Siebrecht is eliminated from the tournament.

165 POUNDS: No. 6 Patrick Kennedy (IA) over No. 28 Andrew Sparks (MINN) via decision 

Period 1: Kennedy gets ahold of Sparks right leg and finishes for a takedown. Sparks escapes. Kennedy leads, 2-1.

Period 2: Kennedy starts on bottom and escapes in less than 10 seconds. After a scramble Kennedy puts Sparks flat on his stomach for a takedown. Sparks escapes in the final seconds. Kennedy leads, 5-2.

Period 3: Sparks on bottom. Sparks escapes with less than 10 seconds left, but Kennedy prevails, 6-3, with 2:36 of total riding time.

Kennedy moves to the next round of consolations.

184 POUNDS: No. 11 Gavin Kane (UNC) over No. 12 Abe Assad (IA) via decision 

Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes.

Period 2: Kane chooses bottom and earns a reversal. Assad escapes. Assad trails, 2-1.

Period 3: Assad starts on bottom and gets the escape as they go out of bounds. Kane scores a takedown in the final 30 seconds. Assad escapes but it’s not enough as he falls, 4-2. Assad is eliminated from the tournament.

197 POUNDS: No. 14 Jacob Warner (IA) over  No. 20 Evan Bockman (UVU) via fall

Period 1: Warner strikes first with a takedown and then puts Bickman on his back for a four-point near fall. He keeps pushing and gets the fall with 1:02 left in the first period.

Warner moves on in the consolation bracket and is still in contention for third place.

THIRD ROUND CONSOLATION MATCHUPS

165 POUNDS: No. 4 Julian Ramirez (COR) over No. 6 Patrick Kennedy via decision 

Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes.

Period 2: Kennedy escapes, Ramirez called for stalling.

Period 3: Ramirez escapes. Ramirez comes out of a scramble with a takedown and Kennedy escapes. Kennedy nearly had the match-winning takedown with the clock winding down, but Ramirez rolled through and took down Kennedy to win, 5-2.

Kennedy is eliminated from the tournament.

197 POUNDS: No. 14 Jacob Warner over Isaac Trumble (NCST) via decision

Period 1: Warner starts the scoring with a takedown.  Trumble escapes.

Period 2: Warner starts down and escapes. He extends his lead with another takedown. He’s up, 5-1.

Period 3: Warner keeps his foot on the gas and scores another takedown to claim victory, 9-3. He moves on to the quarterfinal round of consolations, which will start at 7 p.m. on Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates throughout the afternoon.