EVANSTON, Ill. — The Iowa men’s wrestling program has three chances at individual Big Ten titles after Session II of the conference championships in Evanston, Illinois, on Saturday.
Wrestling in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Northwestern’s campus, Iowa’s No. 1 133-pounder Drake Ayala, No. 2 165-pounder Michael Caliendo, and No. 1 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan each survived grueling rounds of top-ranked wrestling on Saturday. With that, they’ve earned spots in the championship rounds in search of first place on Sunday, those rounds beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“That’s where our focus is,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “Come off the mat with Buchanan, good things there. We’ve got work to do in other weights.”
The Hawkeyes are third in team standings, though, their 98 points behind Nebraska’s 118.5 in second and Penn State’s 145 in first.
Five more of Brands’ wrestlers are still alive in the main bracket although wrestling for third-place finishes at best, which still has implications for NCAA qualifications. Two Hawkeyes — 125-pounder Joey Cruz and 141-pounder Cullan Schriever — have been eliminated from the main bracket and will wrestle on Sunday for lower finishes.
125 pounds → Eliminated
Cruz fell victim to the upset bug, ending his high weekend hopes early. While the Spartans were the last-place team entering Session II, Cruz dropped his second-round wrestleback bout to Michigan State’s No. 11 Caleb Weiand in a 10-5 finish to take him out of consolation contention.
133 pounds → Championship
Ayala survived Rutgers’ No. 5 Dylan Shawver in the semifinals with an 8-2 decision win, the first Hawkeye to clinch a spot in the weight class’ main event on Sunday night. But his “cake walk” is over as Illinois’ No. 2 Lucas Byrd is now the last man in his way.
Ayala and Byrd went head-to-head earlier this season, Ayala’s win solidifying him as the top wrestler in the division. Yet, as they say, it’s hard to beat the same team twice.
141 pounds → Eliminated
Schriever — needing a top-seven finish for a qualifying spot into the NCAA championships — has likely seen the end of his season. He dropped his second-round consolation bout, 8-3, to No. 5 Sergio Lemley of Michigan. While at-large spots at 141 pounds remain, it’s safe to say Schriever won’t get one.
149 pounds → Consolation Semifinals
No. 2 Kyle Parco, in a rematch with Nebraska’s No. 3 Ridge Lovett, utterly collapsed. Lovett put himself through to the finals from the semis with a silencing first period alone, beating Parco in a 14-2 major decision. So Parco has one last match on the consolation side before a third-place bout, and he’ll need to go through Ohio State’s No. 4 Dylan D’Emilio to get there.
“Both sides of the bracket — that’s where we’re at,” Brands said. “We’re going to day two of the [NCAA] qualifier. We’ve got to be at our best.”
157 pounds → Consolation — Seventh Place
With some jarring between the Hawkeyes and Fighting Illini on the sideline, No. 4 Jacori Teemer showed his best offense in some time as he piled 20 points on Illinois’ No. 11 Jason Kraisser to advance to the consolation quarterfinals.
The 20-9 win moved Teemer to a matchup with Maryland’s No. 1 Ethen Miller who was riding the consolation side too after an upset loss to Ohio State’s No. 9 Brandon Cannon. But Miller handed Teemer his second overtime loss of the day, sending him to Michigan’s No. 9 Chase Saldate in a battle for seventh place.
165 pounds → Championship
Caliendo has been Brands’ old reliable, securing a spot in the championship round with a 23-7 technical fall finish over Illinois’ No. 6 Braeden Scoles. Like Ayala, though, his work is cut out for him now with yet another rematch with Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink. The difference is Caliendo has seen Mesenbrink four times in his career — and has lost each time.
“He lets it fly very well, and that’s what we want,” Brands said. “Score points.”
174 pounds → Consolation Semifinals
No. 4 Patrick Kennedy could not match up any better with Penn State’s No. 1 Levi Haines than he did earlier this season, falling in a 10-3 decision that sent him to the consolation side. There, still nothing is guaranteed. Kennedy has Ohio State’s No. 2 Carson Kharchla for a chance at third place.
184 pounds → Consolation Semifinals
No. 4 Gabe Arnold’s match with Northwestern’s No. 11 Jon Halvorsen got chippy, but Arnold kept his composure en route to a 10-1 win that made him the second Hawkeye still surviving in the consolation bracket.
He advanced for a quarterfinal contest with Indiana’s No. 9 Donnell Washington, which sent him through to the consolation semifinals as Washington lost via medical forfeit. So Arnold is prepping now for Illinois’ No. 6 Edmond Ruth, one win away from the third-place fight.
197 pounds → Championship
Buchanan has not been as score-heavy as he’s known to be, but he’s doing what matters — winning. He beat Illinois’ No. 5 Zac Braunagel in a 4-0 decision, and because Penn State’s No. 2 Josh Barr lost, he’ll see Michigan’s No. 3 Jacob Cardenas in the final.
“I don’t think I’m performing at my best yet,” Buchanan said after Session II. “Not a lot of shots, not a lot of offense — if I’m going to win tomorrow, I’m going to have to pick up my feet; I’m going to have to wrestle; I’m going to have to ride hard; I’m going to have to wrestle hard in all positions and be the best in all positions to win.”
Heavyweight → Consolation Semifinals
No. 7 Ben Kueter survived Indiana’s No. 8 Jacob Bullock in a 5-1 decision, the lone takedown of the match going to the Hawkeye and sending him through to the quarterfinals of the bracket’s backside — for the sneaky No. 12 Max Vanadia of Michigan State.
There, Kueter won a confident 8-2 decision and will now see Ohio State’s No. 4 Nick Feldman for a shot at the third-place match, loser going to the fifth-place bout instead.