EVANSTON, Ill. — It all comes down to this: Session IV of the Big Ten championships inside Welsh-Ryan Arena, dozens of rounds of wrestling leading to five Hawkeyes in finals and third-place consolations.

While a Big Ten team title is a lofty goal, the Hawkeyes in third behind Penn State’s significant first-place lead, three individual members of the Iowa men’s wrestling have earned spots in their weight classes’ championship matches:

• 133 pounds — No. 1 Drake Ayala vs. No. 2 Lucas Byrd of Illinois
• 165 pounds — No. 2 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State
• 197 pounds – No. 1 Stephen Buchanan vs. No. 3 Jacob Cardenas of Michigan

Around those matches will be two Hawkeyes in third-place finals: No. 2 Kyle Parco at 149 pounds against No. 1 Shayne Van Ness of Penn State and No. 7 Ben Kueter at 285 pounds against No. 3 Joshua Heindselman of Michigan.

Championships

133 pounds — Illinois’ No. 2 Lucas Byrd pins Iowa’s No. 1 Drake Ayala

Ayala returned to his method of wrestling on one knee to start the first period that kept Byrd at bay — even with a leg shot that got dangerous against Ayala but went out of bounds as well as a near double-leg before the bell saved him again. Ayala in control to start the second period, Byrd flipped over him quickly and wrapped him tight in a lock against the mat for a pin almost instantly once Ayala had his back on the mat.

165 pounds — Penn State’s No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink def. Iowa’s No. 2 Michael Caliendo, 4-1

Caliendo looked comfortable to start this next championship match, shooting and reacting well to Mesenbrink’s responses. But a Mesenbrink shot at the gut brought Caliendo to the mat, ultimately succumbing to the push for the latter’s 3-0 deficit after one. Mesenbrink defended so well across the match, blocking Caliendo’s attacks from anything relatively close to a takedown — again and again to Mesenbrink’s 3-1 lead for the final two minutes. Neutral at a 4-1 deficit, Caliendo lost a leg yet broke free from Mesenbrink’s grip, but nothing more came to fruition in Caliendo’s runner-up finish.

197 pounds — Michigan’s No. 3 Jacob Cardenas def. Iowa’s No. 1 Stephen Buchanan, 4-2

Buchanan calculated how to work Cardenas’ one-knee posture, the latter shooting on the legs but blocked and then out of bounds, so the first period of Iowa’s last shot at a champion ended scoreless. So Buchanan started down and escaped within the minute although Cardenas’ next leg attack succeeded, a three-point takedown putting Buchanan on the offensive as the Hawkeye trailed, 3-2, after two. The riding time strategy failed for Buchanan as Cardenas escaped to open the third with a 4-2 lead, and Buchanan’s efforts fell short in the second-place finish.

Third-Place Consolations

149 pounds — Penn State’s No. 1 Shayne Van Ness def. Iowa’s No. 2 Kyle Parco, 13-0

Van Ness shot first, defended by Parco’s grip on his torso, but Van Ness rolled over it into a three-point takedown. Locking Parco’s legs, Van Ness pushed Parco’s shoulders back to the mat — inches away from a pin but instead a four-point near-fall and 7-0 Penn State lead for the second period. Locking Parco’s shoulders in the neutral position, Van Ness then tripped him onto his head and over into a second three-point takedown that brought just under two minutes of riding time and an 11-0 lead after two. He did the same seconds into the third period to keep his advantage and rode out the win to Parco’s loss and fourth-place finish.

285 pounds — Iowa’s No. 7 Ben Kueter def. Michigan’s No. 3 Joshua Heindselman, 2-1

A scramble to start saw Kueter roll off of a Heindselman slam, and the Hawkeye kept the Wolverine spaced away and the match tied scoreless after one. Kueter started the second on top and stayed there for all two minutes of riding time, which Heindselman opted not to erase in the third period as the two returned to neutral. Despite sacrificing a stalling point, Kueter defended to the win.

Fifth-Place Consolations

174 pounds — Iowa’s No. 4 Patrick Kennedy pins Maryland’s No. 12 Branson John

184 pounds — Iowa’s No. 4 Gabe Arnold def. Nebraska’s No. 3 Silas Allred, 4-3