Live results | Four Iowa men’s wrestlers compete in Session V of 2023 NCAA Championships
Iowa’s 149-pound Max Murin, 174-pound Nelson Brands, 197-pound Jacob Warner, and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi will be vying for a third-place finish in their respective weight classes.
Iowa head coach Tom Brands and Iowa associate head coach signal for points as No. 11 seeded 174-pound Iowa’s Nelson Brands wrestles No. 7 seeded 174-pound Mizzou’s Peyton Mocco during session four of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. on Friday, March 17, 2023. Brands defeated Mocco by decision, 6-1.
March 18, 2023
TULSA — Four Iowa men’s wrestlers will compete in Session V of the 2023 NCAA Championships on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Hawkeye three-time national champion and 125-pound Spencer Lee medically forfeited from the medal round after falling in the semifinals to Purdue’s Matt Ramos via pin in the final second of the match.
Iowa’s 149-pound Max Murin, 174-pound Nelson Brands, 197-pound Jacob Warner, and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi will be vying for a third-place finish in their respective weight classes. Murin, Brands, and Warner combined for six consecutive wins in the wrestlebacks on Friday to advance to the medal round. Cassioppi was dropped to the consolation bracket after falling to Michigan’s’ No. 1 seed Mason Parris via tech fall, 16-1, in the semifinals.
Winners of the consolation semifinals will head to the third-place match, while losers will fall to the fifth-place bout. The bouts will be televised live on ESPNU.
Hawkeye 141-pound Real Woods defeated Nebraska’s No. 3 seed Brock Hardy, 11-1, in the semifinals and will battle for his first-ever national title on Saturday night in Session VI.
Follow the live blog below for updates throughout the morning:
Penn State has clinched the 2023 NCAA team title. Iowa is currently in second with 77 points.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
125 POUNDS: No. 10 Brandon Courtney (ASU) over No. 1 Spencer Lee (IA) via medical forfeit
Lee finishes his Hawkeye career 98-6 with a sixth-place finish at 125 pounds.
149 POUNDS: No. 3 Kyle Parco (ASU) over No. 9 Max Murin (IA) via decision
Period 1: Parco with a takedown about two minutes in. They go back to the center and Murin is on bottom. Parco rides Murin the remainder of the period.
Period 2: Parco starts on bottom and escapes in the first 15 seconds. Murin was in on a shot but couldn’t finish before the pair went out of bounds. Murin trails, 3-0.
Period 3: Murin starts down and escapes within 10 seconds. Murin drives through Parco and scores a takedown near the edge to tie it at three. They go back to the center, and Parco escapes. Locked hands called with 28 seconds left, they go to neutral. Parco runs around the mat to avoid a last second takedown. Murin falls, 4-3, and moves to the fifth-place bout.
174 POUNDS: No. 4 Chris Foca (COR) over No. 11 Nelson Brands (IA) via decision
Period 1: Brands strikes first with a takedown. Brands with a few big mat returns to stay on top. Foca gets a reversal in the final seconds. Brands has 1:47 of riding time. It’s tied 2-2.
Period 2: Brands starts down. Foca turns him for a four-point near fall to take a 6-2 advantage. Foca now has 11 seconds of riding time.
Period 3: Foca starts down and escapes. Brands can’t score a takedown and falls, 7-2, to move to the fifth-place bout.
197 POUNDS: No. 3 Rocky Elam (MIZZ) over No. 14 Jacob Warner (IA) via decision
Period 1: Elam gets a takedown on the edge for the only score of the first three minutes.
Period 2: Warner starts down and escapes with a minute left.
Period 3: Elam starts down and escapes to take a 3-1 lead. Warner can’t muster a takedown and falls, 3-1.
285 POUNDS: No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (IA) over No. 10 Zach Elam (MIZZ) via decision
Period 1: Cassioppi opens the scoring with a takedown. Elam called for stalling on the bottom. Cassioppi leads, 2-0, with 2:12 of riding time.
Period 2: They start neutral. Lots of hand fighting but no points scored.
Period 3: Cassioppi starts down and escapes in 40 seconds. Cassioppi fights off Elam for a 4-0 victory with 1:33 of riding time. Cassioppi moves on to the third-place bout.
FIFTH-PLACE MATCHES
149 POUNDS: No. 4 Caleb Henson (VT) over No. 9 Murin (IA) via major decision
Period 1: Henson scores a takedown. They go out of bounds, Murin on bottom. Murin escapes with 40 seconds left. Henson has 1:06 of riding time.
Period 2: Henson starts on bottom and escapes in 30 seconds. Murin earns another takedown. Murin escapes in final seconds and trails, 5-2.
Period 3: Murin starts bottom and escapes within 30 seconds. Henson with another takedown. Murin put in a cradle but avoids the pin. Henson prevails, 12-3, with 2:45 of riding time. Murin finishes sixth.
174 POUNDS: No. 11 Brands (IA) over No. 5 Dustin Plott (OKST) via OT decision
Period 1: Scoreless after three minutes.
Period 2: Plott starts on bottom and escapes for the only score of the period.
Period 3: Brands starts on bottom. Brands knots the score at two with a reversal. They head to sudden victory.
OT: Brands with the takedown in sudden victory to win, 4-2, and place fifth at 174 pounds.
197 POUNDS: No. 14 Warner (IA) over No. 4 Ethan Laird (RIDER) via decision
Period 2: Warner has 1:35 of riding time and leads, 6-2.
Period 3: Laird starts on bottom and escapes. Warner holds on to win, 6-3, with 1:09 of riding time. Warner places fifth. Warner joins Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer as a five-time All-American
THIRD-PLACE MATCH
285 POUNDS: No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (IA) vs. No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (AF)
Period 1: Hendrickson strikes first with a takedown, Cassioppi escapes. Iowa coaches challenge Hendrickson’s two-point near fall and are unsuccessful. Cassioppi back on bottom and escapes. Cassioppi trails, 4-2.
Period 2: Cassioppi starts down. Cassioppi gets the reversal to tie it, but Hendrickson flips him back over and pins him with 1:33 left in the period.
Cassioppi places fourth.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.