EVANSTON, Ill. — After a slate of consolation matches, five Hawkeyes will continue their quest for individual titles in Session II of the Big Ten men’s wrestling championships inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, on Saturday.
Despite shaky starts to their debuts after byes, top-ranked duo 133-pounder Drake Ayala and 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan both advanced to the semifinals in Session II at 7 p.m. But Arizona State transfer No. 4 Jacori Teemer, ranked in the top three nationally this season, hit a disappointing end to his Big Ten career. He lost to Minnesota’s No. 5 Tommy Askey, who he beat earlier this season, in a 4-1 overtime decision and will thus lead five more Hawkeyes in consolation matches at 5 p.m.
The Hawkeyes sit fourth in team points for that second session this afternoon with 54 — behind Illinois with 58.5, Nebraska with 60.5, and Penn State in first with 88.
Consolations Round Two
125 pounds — Michigan State’s No. 11 Caleb Weiand def. Iowa’s No. 5 Joey Cruz, 10-5
Weiand’s push at the very edge of the mat pressured Cruz down into a takedown and 3-0 Hawkeye deficit although the latter escaped with plenty of time thereafter to work back out. Tangled up with Weiand at center mat, Cruz worked his control around into a three-point takedown of his own for a 4-3 lead after one. A 7-5 flip back in favor of Weiand put Cruz on the offensive with just over a minute left, and a double-leg takedown ended Cruz’s high weekend hopes.
141 pounds — Michigan’s No. 5 Sergio Lemley def. Iowa’s No. 11 Cullan Schriever, 8-3
Lemley hitched a leg and worked it down into a three-point takedown for the 3-0 lead over Schriever, totaling over a minute of riding time to the end of the period. And while Schriever started the second period on top, he pushed Lemley’s riding time down to just 45 seconds yet made things interesting with a leg trip into a three-point takedown to shrink Lemley’s lead to 4-3. Needing a last-second shot to stay alive, Schriever fell instead, 8-3, in a takedown that ended his postseason hopes.
157 pounds — Iowa’s No. 4 Jacori Teemer def. Illinois’ No. 11 Jason Kraisser, 20-9
Teemer worked Kraisser a bit more than he’s known to early in matches, finding a three-point takedown as he firmly secured Kraisser’s torso, a second takedown coming similarly shortly after for a 6-2 Teemer lead after one. Tripping Kraisser to the mat in a third takedown, Teemer held a comfortable 9-4 lead and focused on defense, leaping out of Kraisser’s leg attacks. His fourth takedown came with under 20 seconds left in the second — although Kraisser picked one up on an ankle pick to open the third and erase Teemer’s advantage time — and his final takedown of the match made the 20-9 win to survive.
184 pounds — Iowa’s No. 4 Gabe Arnold def. Northwestern’s No. 11 Jon Halvorsen, 10-1
Arnold’s strength made a powerful three-point takedown to the mat with slamming mat returns keeping his control over Halvorsen at a 3-0 lead after the first period. Arnold kept that advantage over Halvorsen throughout almost the entire second period, amassing two-and-a-half minutes of riding time and hustling back to center mat with each push-out. While frustrated with Halvorsen’s aggressive hand-play, Arnold kept his compsure into a final takedown and 10-1 win.
285 pounds — Iowa’s No. 7 Ben Kueter def. Indiana’s No. 8 Jacob Bullock, 5-1
Dragging Bullock back to center mat with his leg locked up high, Kueter failed to finish and kept the first period scoreless until his three-point takedown on the edge with half of a minute left. After an escape, Bullock otherwise failed to score as he let up a Kueter escape and, by the end, win by a 5-1 split.
Consolation Quarterfinals
157 pounds — Maryland’s No. 1 Ethen Miller def. Iowa’s No. 4 Jacori Teemer, 2-1
Teemer returned to his more conservative approach with Miller, who wrestled much of the match’s opening on one knee, to a scoreless end to the first period. Back neutral in a tie at one with an exchange of escapes, Teemer and Miller went to sudden victory. But with Miller’s escape, he waved Teemer goodbye, literally, to the seventh-place bout.
184 pounds — Iowa’s No. 4 Gabe Arnold def. Indiana’s No. 9 Donnell Washington, medical forfeit
285 pounds — Iowa’s No. 7 Ben Kueter def. Michigan State’s No. 12 Max Vanadia, 8-2
A collapsing Kueter takedown gave the Hawkeye the 3-0 lead, made 3-1 by an escape, pushing Vanadia to opt for starting the second period down. Kueter only ran the riding clock way up, Vanadia unable to escape, and finished the 8-2 win to close with a takedown and advance.
Semifinals
133 pounds — Iowa’s No 1 Drake Ayala def. Rutgers’ No. 5 Dylan Shawver, 8-2
Ayala got to work early on the leg attacks, finishing one for a three-point takedown and 3-0 lead but missing the next one. Holding a 3-1 lead and starting on top, Ayala kept Shawver close as he totaled two-and-a-half minutes of riding time for the final period. A quick escape to make it 4-1 put Ayala down to wrestling on one knee in defense against leg attacks, defending them well and countering one into a three-point takedown for the 8-2 win to punch his ticket to the championship.
149 pounds — Nebraska’s No. 3 Ridge Lovett def. Iowa’s No. 2 Kyle Parco, 14-2
In a rematch of their highly anticipated dual meet matchup earlier this season, Lovett made things interesting with 10 quick points to start — two takedowns and a four-point near-fall for a 10-1 lead in just three minutes. Lovett twisted around into a third takedown, quickly dashing Parco’s hopes for a Big Ten title and sending him to the other side of the bracket.
165 pounds — Iowa’s No. 2 Michael Caliendo def. Illinois’ No. 6 Braeden Scoles, 23-7
Caliendo showed just how stratified the 165-pound division is as he caught two takedowns in the first period to a 6-2 lead over Scoles, an escape and chasing ankle pick making it 10-2 after two. With a riding point in his favor, Caliendo closed the deal with a trio of takedowns, narrow duck of a reversal and pin from Scoles, and ultimately a 23-7 technical fall win — to become Iowa’s second Hawkeye in the championship round tomorrow.
174 pounds — Penn State’s No. 1 Levi Haines def. Iowa’s No. 4 Patrick Kennedy, 10-3
Haines’ quicker offense matched up better than anyone has with Kennedy thus far, picking up a 3-1 advantage with his takedown into the second period. There, Kennedy’s offense slowed as Haines pushed through into a second takedown and 7-2 lead for the final period, keeping Kennedy’s speed at bay and sending Kennedy to the consolation bracket.
197 pounds — Iowa’s No. 1 Stephen Buchanan def. Illinois’ No. 5 Zac Braunagel, 4-0
Rounding the Hawkeyes out in Session II, Buchanan felt positioning out against Braunagel as neither found scoring opportunities, the former unable to finish a leg shot for a 0-0 tie after one. Likewise, Buchanan’s quick escape was the only point scored in the second period too, Braunagel playing with his hans but never seriously shooting. So Buchanan maintained advantage positioning, and he worked the mat return into a two-point near-fall that sealed his win — the third and final Hawkeye in the finals tomorrow.