COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Iowa men’s wrestling will compete in Session II of the Big Ten Championships beginning with consolations at 4 p.m. followed by the semifinals.
Six Hawkeye wrestlers — Brody Teske, Real Woods, Jared Franek, Michael Caliendo, Patrick Kennedy, and Zach Glazier — each won their first two matches to advance to the semifinals, automatically punching a ticket to nationals in two weeks.
Iowa’s Drake Ayala was upset in the first round after Michigan’s No. 7 Michael DeAugustino scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds. Caleb Rathjen won his first-round bout but dropped a 7-6 decision to Maryland’s Ethen Miller in the quarterfinals. Aiden Riggins fell in his first-round match at 184 pounds but won in consolations, 2-1, to stay alive for third place. Heavyweight Bradley Hill prevailed in the first round but then lost by injury default in the quarterfinals after hurting his left knee. All three wrestlers are still in the running for third place in their respective weight classes.
Iowa (57.5 points) currently sits third in the team race behind Michigan (70.5) and Penn State (83.5).
SEMIFINAL MATCHES
133 POUNDS: No. 2 Dylan Shawver (RU) over No. 14 Brody Teske (IOWA) via decision
Period 1: Shawver strikes first with a takedown. Teske escapes. Teske wins a scramble and earns a takedown to take a 4-3 lead.
Period 2: Teske starts down and escapes. He leads, 5-3.
Period 3: They start neutral. Shawver takes a 6-5 lead with a takedown near the edge. Teske escapes to tie it. Shawver with a three-point takedown and near fall points to win, 12-6. Teske is still in contention for third place.
141 POUNDS: No. 2 Jesse Mendez (OSU) over No. 3 Real Woods (IOWA) via decision
Period 1: No score.
Period 2: Woods starts down and escapes within 10 seconds. Mendez throws Woods to the mat for a takedown. Woods earns a two-point reversal to tie it up. Refs are reviewing how much riding time should be on the clock. After review, Mendez’s riding time is reduced from seven seconds to five. It’s tied, 3-3.
Period 3: Mendez takes a 6-3 lead with 30 seconds left and holds on to advance to the finals. Woods will battle for third place tomorrow.
157 POUNDS: Levi Haines (PSU) over No. 4 Jared Franek (IOWA) via decision
Period 1: No score.
Period 2: Hanes starts down and escapes. Hanes increases his lead to 4-0 with a takedown.
Period 3: Franek starts down. Hanes rides him the whole period to win, 6-0. Franek has a chance for third place tomorrow.
165 POUNDS: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) over No. 3 Michael Caliendo (IOWA) via technical fall
Period 1: Mesenbrink with two takedowns in the first two minutes. Blood time for Caliendo.
Period 2: Mesenbrink extends his lead to 12-4. Blood time again for Caliendo, who trails 16-5.
Period 3: Mesenbrink escapes to make it 17-6. He then tacks on another takedown, but after review, it’s taken off. Mesenbrink scores a takedown, this time it counts. Another takedown ends the match. Mesenbrink wins, 23-6.
174 POUNDS: No. 2 Shane Griffith (MICH) over No. 3 Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) via decision
Griffith wins, 4-3. Kennedy can still place third.
197 POUNDS: No. 3 Zach Glazier (IOWA) over No. 2 Jaxon Smith (MD) via decision
Period 1: No score.
Period 2: Glazier escapes for the only points of the period.
Period 3: Smith starts down and escapes to tie it. We’re headed to sudden victory.
SV: Glazier with a takedown on the edge to advance to the finals, the only Hawkeye to get to the title match.
NINTH-PLACE MATCH
184 POUNDS: No. 13 Aiden Riggins (IOWA) over No. 12 James Rowley (PUR) via major decision
Riggins wins, 10-2, to place ninth at 184 pounds. Only the top eight place finishers automatically qualify for nationals at 184, but Riggins could still get an at-large bid.
THIRD ROUND OF CONSOLATION MATCHES
125 POUNDS: No. 2 Drake Ayala (IOWA) over No. 3 Eric Barnett (WIS) via decision
Period 1: Ayala scores a takedown about two minutes in. Ayala with four near-fall points. He leads, 7-0.
Period 2: They start neutral. No points scored.
Period 3: Barnett starts down and escapes. Ayala wins, 8-1. He is still in contention for third place.
149 POUNDS: No. 3 Caleb Rathjen (IOWA) over No. 7 Joseph Zargo (WIS) via decision
Period 1: No score.
Period 2: Rathjen starts down and escapes for the only points of the period.
Period 3: Zargo starts down and escapes in nine seconds to tie it. Rathen scores a takedown to regain the lead. Zargo escapes to cut his deficit to two with about 40 seconds left. Rathjen clinches the match with another takedown near the edge, winning 7-2. Rathjen is still in contention for third place and qualified for nationals.
184 POUNDS: No. 6 Layne Malczewski (MSU) over No. 13 Aiden Riggins (IOWA) via decision
Period 1: Malczewski gets a takedown and then tacks on four near-fall points. Riggins trails, 7-0.
Period 2: Malczewski starts down and escapes. He leads 8-0.
Period 3: They start neutral. Riggins scores a takedown to cut his deficit to five. Malczewski escapes. Another takedown for Riggins, another escape for Malczewski. Riggins falls, 10-6. Riggins will head to the ninth-place match.
HEAVYWEIGHT: No. 7 Bradley Hill (IOWA) over No. 6 Nick Willham (IND) via decision
Period 1: No score.
Period 2: Willham starts down and escapes.
Period 3: Hill starts down and escapes to tie it. Hill scores a takedown to clinch the match, 4-2. He is in the running for third place.
SECOND ROUND OF CONSOLATION MATCHES
125 POUNDS: No. 1 Drake Ayala (IOWA) over No. 8 Brendan McCrone (OSU) via fall
Period 1: Ayala came out firing and scored a takedown — already more points than he had in the first round. He increases his lead to 9-2 before pinning McCrone with 1:15 left. Ayala will wrestle once more tonight.
149 POUNDS: No. 3 Caleb Rathjen (IOWA) over No. 12 Braden Stauffenberg (MSU) via decision
Period 1: Rathjen with a takedown about a minute in. Stauffenberg escapes. Another takedown for Rathjen in the final 10 seconds. He leads, 6-1.
Period 2: Stauffenberg starts down and escapes in about 30 seconds. Rathjen up, 6-2.
Period 3: Rathjen starts down and escapes quickly. The Hawkeye wins, 8-2, with 1:26 of riding time. Rathjen will wrestle one more time today.
184 POUNDS: No. 13 Aiden Riggins (IOWA) over No. 12 James Rowley (PUR) via 2-1 decision
HEAVYWEIGHT: No. 7 Bradley Hill (IOWA) over No. 9 Josh Terrill (MSU) via major decision
Hill injury defaulted out of the quarterfinals due to a left knee injury. Looks like he’ll try and wrestle this match with a wrap around his entire left leg.
Period 1: Hill scores a takedown. Hill rides out Terrill for the remainder of the period.
Period 2: Hill escapes and scores another takedown to go up, 7-0.
Period 3: Hill takedown, Terrill escapes. Hill wins, 11-1, with over two minutes of riding time. He will wrestle again tonight.
