Chance Marsteller takes a shot on Evan Wick in the third-place match at last year's NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The quarterfinals are one of the most compelling and best rounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The 40 matches, four in each of the 10 weight classes, provide some of the most exciting and intriguing wrestling action that you will see all season.
There is no question that Friday's quarterfinal round of the NCAAs is a session you don't want to miss.
That likely will happen again when the first whistle blows in the four 125-pound quarterfinal bouts on Friday morning at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
The quarterfinals are the round at NCAAs where most of the matchups feature highly seeded wrestlers for the first time in the tournament. The team race also starts to come much more sharply into focus as we move deeper into the three-day tournament.
The stakes are high in this round with the winners advancing to the semifinals and clinching a top-six finish in their respective weight classes.
The quarters are a challenging round where conditioning comes even more into play. Wrestlers are competing for the third time in the tournament after making weight for the second time in as many days.
Here are my picks for the best quarterfinal matchup in each weight class:
125: No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. No. 8 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
Rivera has had an outstanding season, including earning a pair of wins over returning national champion Spencer Lee of Iowa. Rivera will face a tough test in the quarterfinals against a talented freshman in Arujau, a Cadet world silver medalist. Rivera looked strong with a pair of wins on Day 1 while Arujau rolled to a pair of triumphs by major decision Thursday.
133: No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
There is no secret there is some bad blood between these two competitors. DeSanto beat Micic handily early last season while competing for Drexel before falling to him in a one-sided match in the national quarterfinals where DeSanto lost his cool in the closing seconds. This will be their first meeting this season. Micic rolled to a pair of major decisions Thursday and DeSanto earned a hard-fought 7-2 win over talented freshman Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State in the second round.
141: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 9 Dom Demas (Oklahoma)
This match could feature its share of fireworks in a battle of explosive wrestlers with big-move arsenals. Yianni, a two-time Cadet world champion, looked strong in a 7-3 second-round win over returning All-American Chad Red of Nebraska. Demas has made U.S. Cadet and Junior world teams and earned a gritty 3-1 win over No. 8 seed Kanen Storr of Michigan in Thursday night's second round.
149: No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 8 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
Ashnault passed his first two tests in impressive fashion as he looks to finish his All-American career in style. Degen has helped lead the revival at Iowa State and he earned an 11-8 second-round win over past All-American and No. 9 seed Justin Oliver of North Carolina State. Ashnault is an aggressive wrestler who will face a long, lanky opponent in Degen, who can create matchup problems. Degen made the round of 12 last year.
157: No. 4 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) vs. No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State)
This sets up to be a great battle between a pair of battle-tested and proven performers. Pantaleo is a senior who is a two-time All-American for the powerful Wolverines. Hidlay is a sophomore who placed second in this tournament last year for the strong Wolfpack program. Hidlay came out firing Thursday, winning both bouts by technical fall.
165: No. 4 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) vs. No. 5 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven)
Wick was one of the big surprises at the 2018 NCAA tournament, placing third as a freshman after being seeded 10th. Another wrestler who finished well above his seed last year was Marsteller, who placed fourth after being the 9 seed. Wick pinned Marsteller in the match for third. Wick is a tall, rangy wrestler who is lethal on top and with his cradle. Marsteller is a past age-group standout who has turned his career around the past two years at Lock Haven.
174: No. 2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs. No. 10 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
While many people are expecting a national finals rematch between 2017 champion Mark Hall of Penn State and 2018 champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State, Lewis continues his quest to prevent that from happening. His next test will come in the quarters against Nebraska freshman Mikey Labriola. Lewis won by a pair of falls Thursday. Labriola knocked off No. 7 seed Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State in the second round.
184: No. 10 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) vs. No. 15 Chip Ness (North Carolina)
Not many people were expecting this matchup, but Ness did place seventh at this tournament last year so his second-round upset of No. 2 Shakur Rasheed of Penn State isn't as big of a surprise as it may look like on paper. Colbray is a sophomore who has made huge improvement this year for the Cyclones. This will be an intriguing bout between two solid wrestlers with double-digit seeds.
197: No. 4 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 2 Tom Lane (Cal Poly)
We've never had a No. 21 seed make the quarters before, so we had to pick this matchup. Lane knocked off No. 5 Jacob Warner of Iowa in overtime in the second round. Lane will face another tough task against Brucki, who has just one loss this season. Brucki earned a pair of decisions on Thursday to reach the quarterfinal round.
285: No. 3 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 6 Amar Dhesi (Oregon State)
Steveson showed why he was ranked No. 1 for much of the season by overpowering his first two NCAA opponents Thursday. Steveson owns two Cadet world titles and a Junior world title. He is a tremendous talent who will be tough to beat if he stays on the attack. Dhesi is a returning third-place NCAA finisher who represented Canada at the 2018 World Championships on the Senior level. Dhesi, who is a past Junior world champion, also rolled to a pair of wins Thursday.
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