InterMat Staff

Michigan coaches Josh Chuerella and Sean Bormet in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Barry Davis has been a fixture in the Wisconsin corner for the past 25 years. Joe McFarland has excelled in the same role at Michigan for the past 19 years. But next season, the Badgers and Wolverines will have new coaches running their respective Big Ten Conference wrestling programs. Davis resigned prior to the NCAA Championships and McFarland retired after guiding the Wolverines to a fourth-place finish Saturday night in Cleveland. So now a pair of coveted Big Ten coaching positions are available for the first time in a couple of decades. Let's take a look at possible successors for the head coaching positions at Michigan and Wisconsin. Possible candidates at Michigan Sean Bormet Bormet looks to be the heir apparent at Michigan. He's a Michigan man, where he was a two-time All-American. He is the current associate head coach and he has made huge contributions since returning to the Michigan staff eight years ago. Bormet played a key role in helping the Wolverines to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA tournament. Bormet also is a top international freestyle coach, having mentored and coached some of the top American wrestlers at the world and Olympic level. He also ran a highly successful club in the Chicago area prior to returning to Ann Arbor. PSU coach Casey Cunningham (left) is a Michigan native (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Casey Cunningham During Penn State's remarkable run of winning seven national titles in the past eight years, the coaching staff in State College has remained virtually intact. Casey Cunningham has been there the entire time. He's been an outstanding assistant to Cael Sanderson during that time, helping turn Penn State into a college wrestling dynasty. Cunningham, if he's interested, would be an ideal candidate. He grew up in Michigan and competed and coached at Central Michigan. He's a superb coach with a magnetic personality who relates well to the athletes. He also is a great training partner who can get on the mat and work with the athletes he coaches. And he obviously knows the blueprint for what has worked so well with the Nittany Lion program. Josh Churella Another Michigan assistant with strong ties to the program, Churella was a three-time All-American for the Wolverines. His father, Mark, was a three-time national champion for Michigan. Churella is another top young coach who is involved with the freestyle program in Ann Arbor. Chris Bono Bono has done an outstanding job at South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits had a strong showing at NCAAs with three All-Americans, including national champion Seth Gross. SDSU placed a very respectable 12th in the team standings. Bono is an enthusiastic, high-energy, tough, hard-nosed coach who would bring a spark to whatever program he is working with. He has earned a shot at running a major D1 program. NC State coach Pat Popolizio celebrates after Michael Macchiavello picks up a semifinal win (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pat Popolizio He's one of the hottest young head coaches in the country right now after leading North Carolina State to a fourth-place tie with Michigan at the national tournament. Popolizio really has it rolling now with the Wolfpack. He's assembled an excellent coaching staff and has a number of superb young wrestlers in his lineup that return next season. Not sure if he would consider leaving right now unless Michigan offered him an opportunity worth his while. Other candidates Mark Branch has done a terrific job at Wyoming in a place he's very happy at. Branch was a top assistant at Oklahoma State, where he had an outstanding career as a wrestler as well. Missouri associate head coach Alex Clemsen is another guy who might be considered to be a good fit to lead a D1 program. Possible candidates at Wisconsin Donny Pritzlaff Pritzlaff had an outstanding career at Wisconsin, where won two NCAA titles before winning a world bronze medal in freestyle wrestling. He followed by becoming an outstanding coach, where he was the top assistant to Barry Davis in Madison. Pritzlaff has continued to be a top-level assistant, most recently at Rutgers where he has helped lead a revival of that program in the Big Ten. Pritzlaff reportedly didn't leave Wisconsin on the best terms, so that may have an impact on whether he will be strongly considered or not for the position. He certainly would be an excellent hire for a program he is very familiar with and has a strong affinity for. Pritzlaff also could be a candidate at Michigan, where he was an assistant coach alongside Bormet after leaving Wisconsin. Casey Cunningham See above on possible candidates at Michigan. Chris Bono See above on possible candidates at Michigan. Ben Askren If Wisconsin was looking to make a big splash and draw attention to its program, Askren would be a guy who could make that happen. The charismatic Askren was a two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner at Missouri before going on to make an Olympic team. He's had a highly successful career in mixed martial arts. Askren is a huge name in the sport who also has excelled as an assistant coach at the collegiate level. He also is a Wisconsin native who has the type of personality and pedigree that could attract recruits and fans to Madison. Other candidates Trevor Brandvold has served as the associate head coach under Davis at Wisconsin. He was a two-time Big Ten champion and two-time All-American for the Badgers. Kyle Ruschell has also been a long-time assistant coach for Wisconsin. He was a two-time All-American for the Badgers as well. Twins Terry and Troy Steiner served as assistant coaches under Davis at Wisconsin, but that was a number of years ago. Terry has been the long-time U.S. National women's freestyle coach and Troy just took over the reinstated program at Fresno State. St. Cloud State's Steve Costanzo has won three NCAA Division II titles after winning an NAIA title for Dana. He runs at outstanding program at St. Cloud State and has been successful recruiting kids from Minnesota and around the Midwest. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

LITTLE ROCK -- The University of Arkansas at Little Rock today unveiled a plan to add a major sport to its intercollegiate athletics program, a strategic decision that is expected to increase student enrollment. The final decision is conditional on approval from the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. Chancellor Andrew Rogerson said UA Little Rock plans to add wrestling as its 15th sport, becoming the only NCAA Division I wrestling program in the state. The news was announced at the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, March 17. Pending board approval, Little Rock wrestling will begin competition in fall 2019. "This is exciting news for the university as we continue to elevate and grow our athletics program and find opportunities for enrollment growth," said Rogerson. "Our student-athletes as a group have the highest Division I graduation success rate in the state, so we're confident this program will bring in additional students with high GPAs and success in the classroom." The addition of wrestling is a major milestone for both the athletics department and the sport. Arkansas has seen tremendous growth with about 200 high schools across the state supporting a wrestling program. "Little Rock Athletics is thrilled to announce the addition of Division I wrestling to our campus," said Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. "This serves as an exciting milestone for our department, adding a program that will complement and enhance the profile of our existing 14 sports." The idea came to fruition after a recent $1.4 million pledge from Greg Hatcher to secure funding to begin the program. The gift from Hatcher, a prominent Little Rock businessman and supporter of youth sports, will help UA Little Rock build a wrestling facility, purchase equipment, and fund operational expenditures. "Thanks to Chancellor Andrew Rogerson and Athletic Director Chasse Conque, Little Rock and the state of Arkansas will now be the home to Division I wrestling," Hatcher said. "This will now bring wrestling at the highest level to our city in the grandest way possible, and I couldn't be happier for our city and state." "Trojan Athletics is most grateful to Greg Hatcher for his generous commitment, helping take this from a concept to a reality," Conque said. "Greg's passion for wrestling has been felt across the entire state as interest in the sport has gained tremendous momentum in Arkansas over the last decade." Little Rock will begin the process of seeking the program's first head coach, who will then begin recruiting student-athletes. With the addition of wrestling, as well as increased scholarship opportunities in a number of female sports, the Trojans will bring the number of student-athletes competing for Little Rock to more than 250 in the next few years. Wrestling is not new to the Jack Stephens Center, which has served as the host venue for the Arkansas State Wrestling Championships since 2008. The Little Rock Trojans will host their home meets at the Jack Stephens Center with the first meet anticipated to take place in late 2019. Bringing a Division I wrestling program to Little Rock has been a conversation that has been ongoing for a number of years. The decision was reached independently of the ongoing feasibility study, which is expected to conclude in late spring 2018. The possibility of adding a football and marching band program remains viable.

Joe McFarland ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Head coach Joe McFarland announced that he is retiring after 19 seasons at the helm of the University of Michigan wrestling program. McFarland made his announcement Saturday night (March 17) following the conclusion of Michigan's involvement at the 2018 NCAA Championships in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. "My wife and I had been thinking about the right time for me to step away, and what better place to end my career than in the city where I grew up," said McFarland. "It has been such a wonderful opportunity for me to be a student-athlete at Michigan and then return to coach at my alma mater. It's been a great journey, and I look forward to the next chapter as a Wolverine fan and supporter. "I'm proud of the achievements we've had over the years, but I'm even prouder of all the young men who earned their Michigan degrees and went on to great success in their adult lives. I have been privileged to work with some outstanding student-athletes, fellow coaches and athletic directors throughout my career, and I can't thank them enough for making my experience so rewarding." Since taking over the reins in 1999, McFarland has helped mold Michigan into a highly-touted national contender, guiding the U-M wrestling squad to three Big Ten dual-meet championships (2004, '05, '06) and 11 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships (2001-08, '16-18) -- including an NCAA runner-up performance in 2005 and a fourth-place finish this weekend. He ranks third on Michigan's head coaching career wins list (214) behind legendary head coach Cliff Keen (274, 1926-42, '46-70) and his own collegiate coach, Dale Bahr (221, 1979-99). Michigan claimed a team trophy with its fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships this weekend -- its best finish in 13 seasons -- and boasted five NCAA All-Americans with a pair of finalists. The Wolverines also earned their best Big Ten Championships finish in nine seasons with a third-place showing and a pair of individual champions, and U-M went 11-3 in dual meets to finish fourth in the final NWCA national rankings. "Joe is one of the most respected wrestling coaches in this country, and I am thankful for his passion for and tireless dedication to our students," said Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. "Joe has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Michigan, first as a student-athlete, then as an assistant and head coach. Throughout his career, Joe has developed championship-caliber wrestlers as well as leaders within our community. We are thankful for his contributions and wish him well in retirement." McFarland led 31 different student-athletes to five NCAA individual titles, 60 All-America citations and 19 Big Ten individual crowns. Among McFarland's most decorated pupils were two-time NCAA champion and four-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell (2008-09, '11-12), two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Ryan Bertin (2002-05), NCAA champion and three-time All-American Steve Luke (2006-09), four-time All-American Eric Tannenbaum (2005-08) and three-time All-Americans Otto Olson (1997, '99-2002), Andy Hrovat (1999-2002), Ryan Churella (2003-06), Greg Wagner (2003-06), Josh Churella (2005-08), Tyrel Todd (2006-09) and Adam Coon (2014-18). With McFarland's emphasis on academics, Michigan wrestlers have also earned numerous academic honors, including 40 individual distinctions by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and 135 by the Big Ten Conference. As a Wolverine wrestler (1981-82, '84-85), McFarland compiled one of the most impressive careers in the program's history. His 166-24-4 career record ranks third only to John Fisher (183 wins) and Otto Olson (175), while his 48 wins during the 1983-84 season are the most recorded by a Michigan wrestler in a single season. He was a four-time NCAA All-American and a two-time NCAA finalist at 126 pounds (1984, '85). He finished fifth (1981) and sixth (1982) in his first two national championship appearances. Serving as team captain in each of his final two seasons, McFarland helped lead the Wolverines to a fifth-place finish at the 1985 NCAA Championships. McFarland is one of only six Michigan wrestlers to earn All-America honors in each of his four seasons. His 18-7 career record at the NCAA Championships is tied for fourth at U-M for most wins. McFarland won the Big Ten crown in 1984 and reached the conference final all four seasons. McFarland also won the prestigious Midlands Championship in 1982 and 1983. After earning his bachelor's degree in 1985, McFarland embarked on a successful international wrestling career. He was the silver medalist at the 1986 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. McFarland captured the 1987 Tblisi Tournament bronze medal before winning the 1988 World Cup Championship, where he defeated the Soviet Union's world champion Hazar Isiev in the gold-medal match. McFarland was also named the Outstanding Wrestler of the 1988 USA-USSR dual meet in Orlando, Florida. Prior to his coaching career at U-M, McFarland was head coach at Indiana University from 1990-92. He produced one of the most impressive first-year improvements in Big Ten history when he guided the Hoosiers to a perfect 14-0 dual meet record in 1989-90, the program's first undefeated season since 1946. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1990.

Penn State hoists the team trophy after winning the NCAA title in Cleveland (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CLEVELAND -- The nation's best wrestlers rocked Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with Penn State winning their third consecutive team title, clinched by a first-period pin in the 184-pound finals ... not to mention two freshmen winning individual championships ... and an epic heavyweight title bout that made history. If that weren't enough, the 2018 NCAAs broke three-day and finals attendance records, with a total of 113,743 fans -- about 700 more fans that at the 2015 NCAAs in St. Louis -- with 19,776 in attendance for the Saturday night finals. The Nittany Lions and Big Ten rival Ohio State had been back-and-forth on the team championship title race until the 184-pound match when Penn State's Bo Nickal pinned the Buckeyes' Myles Martin. Two freshmen claimed national titles -- Iowa's Spencer Lee at 125, and, at 141, Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell. And, it all ended with the 285-pound match, a much-anticipated third meeting between two big men of the Big Ten, with Ohio State's Kyle Snyder edging out Michigan's Adam Coon to become only the fifth three-time heavyweight champ in the 87-year history of the NCAA championships. True freshman Spencer Lee topped Nick Suriano in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The evening began with the 125-pound bout featuring two studs who had made names for themselves in high school wrestling: top-seeded Spencer Lee of Iowa, taking on No. 4 seeded sophomore Nick Suriano of Rutgers. Lee scored a crucial takedown towards the end of the first period, which propelled the Pennsylvania native to a 5-1 victory, making him the Hawkeyes' first true freshman national champ in 25 years, and helping his team to clinch third place in the team title battle. Suriano made history of his own, becoming the Scarlet Knights' first-ever wrestler to make the NCAA finals. In the post-finals press conference, Lee said of his opponent, "We haven't wrestled each other since I was a freshman in high school. He was a sophomore. So feeling each other out: What do we have? Is there really a big difference? I mean, there is. We both have improved a lot. Hopefully." At 133, No. 1 seed Seth Gross became South Dakota State's first national champion, scoring a 13-8 win over Michigan's second-seeded Stevan Micic. Gross got off to a great start in the first period, with a takedown and four nearfall points from a bar-arm tilt. Micic tried valiantly to make up the deficit, scoring four takedowns in the second and third periods. South Dakota State's Seth Gross celebrates with his coaches after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "It feels amazing," said Gross after winning the title. "Best feeling ever right here. And something I've been working for my whole life. Again getting it done finally after getting second last year, there's a chip on my shoulder this year, need to get it done." True freshman Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell -- the No. 3 seed -- topped top-seeded Bryce Meredith of Wyoming, 7-4, in the 141-pound finals. The match was full of action, with the lead changing hands throughout, until the Big Red wrestler locked up a cradle for four points in the third period. Diakomihalis became the first true freshman NCAA champ for Cornell since 2010. When asked about match-changing big move in the final period, Diakomihalis responded, "I can't believe I hit that on him. It's one of those moves that I've hit all through high school. And I kind of got away from it because guys were so aware of it. But at the same time, as soon as he saw it, it was, like, oh, it's going to be there ... "So it's just kind of what you're talking about staying composed, being able to recognize that you have a position that you could win or you could lose, and learning how to capitalize." The 149-pound match saw the first of five Penn State finalists ... with top-ranked Zain Retherford concluding his final collegiate match with a 6-2 win over No. 15 seed Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven. The "Zain Train" became only the second Nittany Lion to win three national individual titles (joining Ed Ruth) ... wrapping up a stellar college career with 94 consecutive wins, and tying a school record for most pins. "I felt a lot of emotions today for sure," Retherford said of his third title bout. "I know my heart was racing all last night and pretty much all today. So I took a walk in the sun and went and saw the lake a little bit, just to get my mind off of things. But definitely emotions are going and you gotta kind of relax. That's what makes this tournament different." At this point in the evening, Ohio State was holding a two-point lead in the team title race. Jason Nolf repeated as NCAA champion, defeating Hayden Hidlay in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) At 157, sort of the same outcome -- another Penn State win, by the same score, as No. 3 seed Jason Nolf got a 6-2 win over top-seeded -- and undefeated freshman -- Hayden Hilday of North Carolina State. Nolf used a pair of first-period takedowns to seal the victory. When asked how the thrill of a second title compared to the first, Nolf responded, "That one was a little bit closer match ... Hayden has really good defense. He stays in a really good position." Nolf addressed weeks of speculation regarding the health of his injured knee by saying, "The knee is feeling really good tonight." The 165-pound title bout was a rematch of last year's finals -- same wrestlers, same winner -- as No. 2 seed Vincenzo Joseph continued the Penn State win streak going with a 6-1 win over No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez of Illinois, 6-1. Imar had been a two-time NCAA champ at 157 before losing to Joseph twice at 165. Joseph addressed the issue of having lost to Martinez at the 2018 conference championships, saying, "Yeah, at Big Tens I felt like I was a little too relaxed. This match I kind of wanted to come out aggressive, push the pace a little bit, make it work a little bit in my favor. That's what I did." The championship match at 174 was yet another rematch -- this one, from the 2017 NCAA semifinals -- but with a different outcome, as Arizona State's top-seeded Zahid Valencia gained an 8-2 victory over Penn State's Mark Hall. The Sun Devil had nearly 90 seconds of riding time to top off a bout that ended with him icing the outcome with yet another takedown in the closing seconds. "It's an awesome feeling (to avenge last year's loss to Hall)," said Valencia. "Being out there and seeing all the fans just going crazy after that win, I mean most of them were probably Ohio State fans. But we know it was awesome just being able to get my revenge. Everyone says the exhibition match didn't count. And it really doesn't. Even an undefeated season doesn't really matter. You have to do 5-0 in this tournament. I'm just grateful and blessed to be here." The 184 pound finals match was one of those "blink and you'll miss it and kick yourself later" kind of moments. Ohio State's Myles Martin scored a blast double, then as InterMat's Josh Lowe described it in live coverage, "then, somehow in some way, Bo Nickal scooted out of it, created a reversal and near falls of his own" before scoring the fall at 2:29 ... sealing the team title for Penn State. "The most electric moment of these championships, and arguably of any," according to Lowe ... a point that's hard to argue. A reporter asked Nickal about a similar match with a similar outcome from two years earlier. Bo Nickal was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) "I think about that match every day almost," said Nickal. 'It's something that sticks in my mind. I feel that, one of my goals was to be a four-time national champion coming to Penn State. So not being able to accomplish that, it hurts ... But I think it's just part of the plan that God has for me. It's going to make me a better person. And in the end, I'm really happy with where I'm at and really happy to be able to help my team out a little bit with the pin." The finals at 197 proved to be just about as thrilling. A takedown in the last 15 seconds provided North Carolina State's Michael Macchiavello -- the No. 4 seed -- with a 3-1 victory over ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) rival Jared Haught of Virginia Tech, who was seeded third. With the win, Macchiavello not only got a win, but a bit of revenge after having lost to Haught twice during the season. When asked about this, Macchiavello said, "I don't have any words. It's a great feeling. I think I was thinking about if Haught wouldn't have made it to the finals, you could have potentially made the argument, oh, if I had won, which I did, thankfully, if I had won, oh, he won because the way the bracket played out, you know what I'm saying? Because he's the only guy who beat me twice in the year." The evening concluded with the much-hyped, highly anticipated heavyweight matchup between Snyder and Coon. The two Big Ten big men were 1-1 this year, with the Wolverine winning a dual-meet match, handing the 2016 Olympic gold medalist his first collegiate loss in three years ... only to have Snyder avenge that loss at the conference championships two weeks ago. Who would win the rubber match? In the weeks since Snyder's loss to Coon, social media was abuzz with discussion concerning the size differential between the two. Snyder gave up nearly a half-foot in height and considerable poundage; for the NCAA finals, ESPN reported that Snyder weighed in at 226, while Coon was just two pounds under the top limit of 285. An ESPN commentator used the phrase "chess match" to describe Snyder-Coon 3 ... and that seems very appropriate. There was no scoring in the first period; the only scoring in the second was the Buckeye getting a one-point escape. Coon started the third period with an escape of his own to knot the score ... only to have Snyder score a takedown with 20 seconds left. With a last escape near the end from Coon, the final score was 3-2 for Snyder ... making him one of just five NCAA Division I heavyweight champs to win three national titles in college. When asked about the takedown at the post-match press conference, Snyder said, "Coon is real big, real strong. He's a very good wrestler. He's had a great career. And he's a really good guy ... "It was a lot of me holding him off, trying to kind of pick and choose my shots and time 'em strategically throughout the match. And I was surprised that he shot at that point. I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting me to go underneath of him, and I was about to try to set a couple of things up because I knew there was only 30 seconds left. "But he took the shot when I had my underhook, and kind of extended himself. So I was able to throw him by and there wasn't much time after that. "And the team title, yeah, of course, you know, it was an amazing race. It would have been awesome to end my career at Ohio State with a team title. I still believe we have an amazing team." Instead, the team title went to Penn State for the third consecutive year. "I'm just happy and proud of these guys, man," said head coach Cael Sanderson. "They did a great job this weekend. "I think they remained calm and focused on their goals and that's important." The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Pittsburgh, the first time that city has hosted the event since 1957. 2018 NCAA Division I champions (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Finals Results 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) dec. Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 5-1 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Stevan Micic (Michigan), 13-8 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 7-4 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 6-2 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. Hayden Hidlay (NC State), 6-2 165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), 6-1 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Mark Hall (Penn State), 8-2 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) pinned Myles Martin (Ohio State), 2:29 197: Michael Macchiavello (NC State) dec. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 3-1 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-2 Final Team Standings 1. Penn State 141.5 2. Ohio State 133.5 3. Iowa 97 4. Michigan 80 4. NC State 80 6. Missouri 61.5 7. Cornell 48 8. Virginia Tech 47.5 9. Nebraska 47 10. Arizona State 43 11. Rutgers 42.5 12. South Dakota State 42 13. Illinois 37.5 13. Oklahoma State 37.5 15. Lehigh 36.5 16. Lock Haven 35 17. Minnesota 27.5 17. Wisconsin 27.5 17. Wyoming 27.5 20. North Carolina 27

Bo Nickal celebrates his NCAA title with his coach Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CLEVELAND -- Penn State went 4-for-5 in the NCAA finals to claim its third straight NCAA team title on Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nittany Lions finished with 141.5 points, 8 points ahead of runner-up Ohio State. Iowa finished third with 97 points. Michigan and NC State tied for fourth with 80 points. Ohio State's Kyle Snyder captured his third straight NCAA title with a 3-2 victory over Michigan's Adam Coon at heavyweight. Penn State's Bo Nickal, who pinned Ohio State's Myles Martin in the NCAA finals, was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Iowa's Sam Stoll picked up the the Gregorian Award. Nittany Lion coach Cael Sanderson was honored by the NWCA as Coach of the Year. Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Wyoming's Bryce Meredith in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two true freshman won NCAA titles: Iowa's Spencer Lee (125) and Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis (141). Check back later for a complete finals recap … Link: InterMat Running Notebook Finals Results 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) dec. Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 5-1 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Stevan Micic (Michigan), 13-8 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 7-4 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 6-2 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. Hayden Hidlay (NC State), 6-2 165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), 6-1 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Mark Hall (Penn State), 8-2 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) pinned Myles Martin (Ohio State), 2:29 197: Michael Macchiavello (NC State) dec. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 3-1 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-2 Final Team Standings 1. Penn State 141.5 2. Ohio State 133.5 3. Iowa 97 4. Michigan 80 4. NC State 80 6. Missouri 61.5 7. Cornell 48 8. Virginia Tech 47.5 9. Nebraska 47 10. Arizona State 43 11. Rutgers 42.5 12. South Dakota State 42 13. Illinois 37.5 13. Oklahoma State 37.5 15. Lehigh 36.5 16. Lock Haven 35 17. Minnesota 27.5 17. Wisconsin 27.5 17. Wyoming 27.5 20. North Carolina 27 21. Oregon State 26 22. Duke 21 22. Kent State 21 24. Northern Iowa 20 24. Northwestern 20

Nathan Tomasello finished his career as a four-time All-American (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Link: Team Scores & Brackets CLEVELAND -- Ohio State took over the team lead at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships during Session V. The Buckeyes lead Penn State by 6 points (130.5-124.5) heading into tonight's finals. Six Buckeyes capped their tournaments as All-Americans in the session, highlighted by Nathan Tomasello (125) and Joey McKenna (141) claiming third place. Penn State had three wrestlers competing in the session. Nick Lee (141) finished fifth, while Skakur Rasheed (197) and Nick Nevills (285) placed seventh. Penn State has five NCAA finalists, while Ohio State has two. Two unseeded wrestlers came back to place third after losing in the semifinals, Tariq Wilson of NC State (133) and Kyle Conel of Kent State (197). Team Standings 1. Ohio State 130.5 2. Penn State 124.5 3. Iowa 93 4. Michigan 80 5. NC State 76 6. Missouri 61.5 7. Virginia Tech 47.5 8. Nebraska 47 9. Cornell 44 10. Rutgers 42.5 11. Arizona State 39 12. South Dakota State 38 13. Illinois 37.5 13. Oklahoma State 37.5 15. Lehigh 36.5 16. Lock Haven 35 17. Minnesota 27.5 17. Wisconsin 27.5 17. Wyoming 27.5 20. North Carolina 27 21. Oregon State 26 22. Duke 21 22. Kent State 21 24. Northern Iowa 20 24. Northwestern 20 All-Americans 125: 1st: Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. Spencer Lee (Iowa) 3rd: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 8-6 SV 5th: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), 7-4 7th: Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) by medical forfeit over Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 133: 1st: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Stevan Micic (Michigan) 3rd: Tariq Wilson (NC State) maj. dec. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 17-8 5th: Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers), 10-1 7th: Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 5-2 141: 1st: Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 3rd: Joey Mckenna (Ohio State) dec. Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), 7-2 5th: Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. Kevin Jack (NC State), 9-7 SV 7th: Chad Red (Nebraska) pinned Sa'derian Perry (Eastern Mich.), 7:00 149: 1st: Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) 3rd: Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Troy Heilmann (North Carolina), 3-2 5th: Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Grant Leeth (Missouri), 4-0 7th: Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) dec. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), 2-1 157: 1st: Hayden Hidlay (NC State) vs. Jason Nolf (Penn State) 3rd: Tyler Berger (Nebraska) by injury default over Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 5th: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 6-3 7th: Joshua Shields (Arizona State) dec. Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State), 9-4 165: 1st: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 3rd: Evan Wick (Wisconsin) pinned Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), 3:20 5th: David Mcfadden (Virginia Tech) pinned Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 5:15 7th: Jonathon Chavez (Cornell) dec. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), 10-5 174: 1st: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. Mark Hall (Penn State) 3rd: Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 4-2 SV 5th: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) by medical forfeit over Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) 7th: David Kocer (South Dakota State) dec. Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 7-2 184: 1st: Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Myles Martin (Ohio State) 3rd: Emery Parker (Illinois) dec. Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 8-1 5th: Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 8-2 7th: Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. Maxwell Dean (Cornell), 6-3 197: 1st: Michael Macchiavello (NC State) vs. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 3rd: Kyle Conel (Kent State) dec. Kollin Moore (Ohio State), 5-3 5th: Jacob Holschlag (Uni) F Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 2:35 7th: Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) maj. dec. William Miklus (Missouri), 11-3 285: 1st: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan) 3rd: Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) pinned Jacob Kasper (Duke), 1:47 5th: Samuel Stoll (Iowa) pinned Mike Hughes (Hofstra), 2:04 7th: Nick Nevills (Penn State) dec. Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 7-5

125: 1st: Spencer Lee (Iowa) dec. Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 5-1 3rd: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 8-6 SV 5th: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), 7-4 7th: Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) by medical forfeit over Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 133: 1st: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Stevan Micic (Michigan), 13-8 3rd: Tariq Wilson (NC State) maj. dec. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 17-8 5th: Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers), 10-1 7th: Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 5-2 141: 1st: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 7-4 3rd: Joey Mckenna (Ohio State) dec. Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), 7-2 5th: Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. Kevin Jack (NC State), 9-7 SV 7th: Chad Red (Nebraska) pinned Sa'derian Perry (Eastern Mich.), 7:00 149: 1st: Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Ronald Perry (Lock Haven), 6-2 3rd: Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Troy Heilmann (North Carolina), 3-2 5th: Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Grant Leeth (Missouri), 4-0 7th: Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) dec. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), 2-1 157: 1st: Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. Hayden Hidlay (NC State), 6-2 3rd: Tyler Berger (Nebraska) by injury default over Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 5th: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 6-3 7th: Joshua Shields (Arizona State) dec. Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State), 9-4 165: 1st: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), 6-1 3rd: Evan Wick (Wisconsin) pinned Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), 3:20 5th: David Mcfadden (Virginia Tech) pinned Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 5:15 7th: Jonathon Chavez (Cornell) dec. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), 10-5 174: 1st: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Mark Hall (Penn State), 8-2 3rd: Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 4-2 SV 5th: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) by medical forfeit over Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) 7th: David Kocer (South Dakota State) dec. Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 7-2 184: 1st: Bo Nickal (Penn State) pinned Myles Martin (Ohio State), 2:29 3rd: Emery Parker (Illinois) dec. Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 8-1 5th: Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 8-2 7th: Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. Maxwell Dean (Cornell), 6-3 197: 1st: Michael Macchiavello (NC State) dec. Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 3-1 3rd: Kyle Conel (Kent State) dec. Kollin Moore (Ohio State), 5-3 5th: Jacob Holschlag (Uni) F Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 2:35 7th: Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) maj. dec. William Miklus (Missouri), 11-3 285: 1st: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 3-2 3rd: Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) pinned Jacob Kasper (Duke), 1:47 5th: Samuel Stoll (Iowa) pinned Mike Hughes (Hofstra), 2:04 7th: Nick Nevills (Penn State) dec. Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 7-5

It is the most exciting night of the year in wrestling. The 20 top athletes in collegiate wrestling will walk onto the elevated platform with one goal in mind. Being crowned an NCAA champion. The championship finals are now set for what is always a special night for the sport. Ten wrestlers will reach the pinnacle at the collegiate level by earning national titles on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Who are you picking? Let's take a closer look at the 10 NCAA championship matchups: 125 pounds: (3) Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. (4) Nick Suriano (Rutgers) Lee said that he and Suriano agreed that if they met in the finals they will put on a show. That matchup will happen now as the two NCAA tournament rookies have reached the championship bout. Lee, owner of three age-group world titles, has been a bonus-point scoring machine. He even pinned 2015 NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State to avenge a loss from Big Tens. Lee has been a force in the top position and he's wrestled with a fearless and relentless mentality in Cleveland. Who scores the opening takedown will be a huge key in the finals bout. Suriano, a sophomore who transferred to Rutgers from Penn State, has struggled with injuries and illness in his young career. But Suriano has put it together at the right time and knocked off No. 1 seed and returning champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh 2-0 in the semifinals. Suriano is a strong, physical wrestler who is very stingy and difficult to score on. Let's hope Lee and Suriano put more than two points on the board and that they put on the show that they talked about. It would be enjoyable for the fans to watch. It's a match you won't want to miss. 133 pounds: (1) Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. (2) Stevan Micic (Michigan) Gross showed an abundance of resolve, grit and moxie by outlasting unseeded Tariq Wilson of North Carolina State in a wild overtime bout in the semifinals. The match was tied 10-10 before Gross countered a shot to pin Wilson in a scramble in sudden victory. Micic has hit his peak at the right time. He's very good on his feet and that will be a big key against the lanky 5-foot-9 Gross, who excels in the top position. Micic can't get caught underneath. Gross, a junior, is eager for another shot to win a title after placing second last year. Micic, a past Junior world medalist in freestyle, was fourth at NCAAs last year. Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Bryce Meredith at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 141 pounds: (1) Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. (3) Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Meredith is back in the finals for the second time in the last three seasons. He was second in 2016. His escape was the difference in a 1-0 semifinal win over Ohio State's Joey McKenna. He will have his hands full against Diakomihalis in the finals. The Cornell freshman is a two-time Cadet world champion who pulled out a 6-4 overtime win over No. 2 Jaydin Eierman of Missouri in the semis. Diakomihalis handed Meredith his only loss of the season when he prevailed 4-2 in sudden victory in the semifinals of December's Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. Meredith will look to return the favor in the final match of his remarkable college career. 149 pounds: (1) Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. (15) Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) Raise your hand if you picked Ronnie Perry to make the NCAA finals this year. Chances are pretty good that you didn't. But that didn't matter to Perry, a senior who has snagged an unlikely spot in the finals. He knocked off No. 2 seed and past NCAA runner-up Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the second round and followed with two more wins to reach the finals. Perry's assignment in the finals will be even tougher. He earned a chance to battle two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford of Penn State. The top-seeded Retherford made a U.S. world team in freestyle in 2017. Perry obviously is a huge underdog with nothing to lose. But stopping the Zain Train will be very difficult. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Retherford is one of the best we've ever seen at the collegiate level. He's the total package who excels in every position. He's skilled and strong with a gas tank to match. 157 pounds: (1) Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. (3) Jason Nolf (Penn State) Prior to this season, not many people could have envisioned Hidlay landing a spot in the national finals. Not only is the freshman phenom one win from an NCAA title, he is still undefeated with a spotless 26-0 record. Hidlay will face a difficult challenge in battling Nolf, the defending national champion who was ranked No. 1 before suffering a knee injury in late January. The MVP for Penn State might be its trainer as Nolf has made a remarkable recovery after what looked initially to be a very serious injury. Nolf beat returning third-place finisher Michael Kemerer of Iowa in the quarterfinals before pounding Ohio State's Micah Jordan by technical fall in the semifinals. Nolf is the favorite here, but Hidlay is a powerful and physical wrestler who could pose his share of problems for the Penn State standout. 165 pounds: (1) Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. (3) Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) Martinez has waited for 365 days to avenge his stunning loss to Joseph in the 2017 NCAA finals. Martinez beat Joseph 4-1 in the Big Ten finals two weeks ago, but that doesn't matter now. What matters will be who wins on Saturday night. Martinez, a two-time NCAA champion, is in the finals for the fourth straight year. Joseph, a sophomore, is a physical, bruising wrestler you don't want to lock up with. Joseph's style is tough to match up against for anybody, including a talented and experienced wrestler like Martinez. Martinez is in the best shape of his career and his focus is razor sharp. If he keeps wrestling this way, he will have an excellent shot at becoming the first three-time NCAA champion in University of Illinois history. 174 pounds: (1) Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. (2) Mark Hall (Penn State) Hall has developed a penchant for winning big tournaments. And now the returning NCAA champion stands one win away from repeating. The Nittany Lion sophomore is already an established star on the international level, winning two Junior world titles and a Cadet world title. Hall will have a tough battle in the finals against another young standout in Valencia. Hall beat Valencia in the NCAA semifinals last year before Valencia edged Hall in the all-star dual at the start of this season. Valencia is also a top freestyle prospect, winning a Junior world silver medal for the U.S. in 2017. This could be one of the best matches of the entire finals with two young, hungry sophomore studs set to meet for the third time in their college careers. 184 pounds: (1) Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. (2) Myles Martin (Ohio State) Nickal won both matchups against Martin this season -- 10-2 in the dual and 7-4 in the Big Ten finals. But Martin can't be counted out in this match between wrestlers that obviously know each other very well. Martin beat Nickal in the 2016 NCAA finals at 174 pounds. They split matches last year before Nickal won his first NCAA title last season at 184 while Martin placed fifth in the same division. Nickal and Martin are two explosive and powerful wrestlers with big-move arsenals. Nickal has held Martin to a total of just six points in the 14 minutes they've wrestled this season. Look for more action and more points when they meet again with the national championship on the line. This match could also have a bearing on the race for the team title. 197 pounds: (3) Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) vs. (4) Michael Macchiavello (North Carolina State) This weight class was considered one of the most wide-open before the tournament and it proved to be true as the event played out this week in Cleveland. The finals feature two wrestlers who were seeded in the top four, but it still wasn't a matchup many wrestling observers expected to see. Both Haught and Macchiavello won by fall in their semifinal victories, so we may see plenty of fireworks in the finals. Haught scored a reversal to outlast Macchiavello 6-4 in overtime in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament finals. 285 pounds: (1) Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. (2) Adam Coon (Michigan) Round 3 is set now between the nation's two best collegiate heavyweights. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Coon won the first meeting 3-1 in the dual before the 5-foot-11, 225-pound Snyder won the rematch 4-2 in overtime at the Big Ten finals. Snyder is looking to finish his brilliant career with a third straight NCAA title. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion has excelled despite being undersized in the heavyweight division. He competes at 213 pounds on the international level. Coon, a past NCAA runner-up, is very mobile for his size and he is difficult to score on. He's also excelled internationally. He captured a Cadet world title and he is a Junior world medalist. This could be another classic battle between two schools that have a long, storied rivalry in athletics. Snyder has shown a penchant for earning dramatic victories. We will see what he has in store for his final collegiate match against a very strong opponent in Coon. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Mark Hall celebrates after his semifinal win (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CLEVELAND -- On the second day of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the focus was on two major elements: which wrestlers would make it to the finals Saturday night ... and which team would leave Quicken Loans Arena with the team title? For much of Session IV Friday evening, the team title lead bounced back and forth between Ohio State and Penn State. However, as the semifinals moved into the upper weights, the Nittany Lions took a hold of the lead ...and did not relinquish it. At the end of Day 2, Penn State had accumulated 120 points ... with Ohio State in second place in the team title race, with 109.5 points. Iowa was a distant third, with 86.5 points, followed by Michigan at 73.5 points, and North Carolina State with 69.5 points for fifth place. Penn State has five wrestlers in the finals, all in the upper-middle weight classes ranging from 149 pounds to 184: Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, and Bo Nickal. Ohio State has two finalists: Myles Martin at 184, and Kyle Snyder at heavyweight. The other two schools which each have two wrestlers in the finals are Michigan and N.C. State. A total of thirteen schools have at least one grappler on the mat Saturday night for the championship round, including a couple programs that are new -- or at least somewhat new -- to having finalists, including Rutgers, South Dakota State, and Lock Haven, which hasn't had a finalist in two decades. On Saturday, action will be begin with matches to determine All-American honors in the morning ... with the championship matches beginning at 8 p.m. ET that night, concluding with the "Clash of the Titans" between two-time defending champ -- and 2016 Olympic gold medalist -- Kyle Snyder facing the man who handed him a loss earlier this season, in Michigan's Adam Coon. Here is a brief recap of Friday night semifinals action ... along with quotes from a number of the finalists as they anticipate Saturday night's action. 125: No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) dec. No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh), 2-0 No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) pinned No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), 6:05 It was not a good night for past NCAA 125-pound champs, as the 2017 and 2015 titlewinners fell in the semifinals. Defending national champion and No. 1 seed Darian Cruz of Lehigh lost to No. 4 seed Nick Suriano of Rutgers, 2-0. Suriano escaped in the second period, while Cruz was called for stalls in the first and second periods. Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello, 2015 champ, was pinned at 6:04 by No. 3 seed Spencer Lee of Iowa, the Hawkeye freshman phenom's second fall of the championships. The Buckeye has lost three straight semifinals to three different Hawkeye opponents. Suriano is the first Rutgers wrestler to make it to the NCAA finals, having transferred to the New Jersey-based Big Ten school after starting his collegiate career at Penn State. When asked about his history-making role in the post-semis press conference, Suriano said, "It's awesome. I'm glad I'm the one to lead the way. I think there's going to be more to come. Hopefully Jersey's pumped. We're wrestling a competitor, world champ, all the accolades. I've faced him before. "It's another match. I really believe I'm the best and we're going to scrap tomorrow." Suriano and Lee have faced each other in high school, with a 1-1 record between them. Seth Gross gets nearfall points in his semifinal match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) pinned Tariq Wilson (NC State), 7:18 SV No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 8-4 South Dakota State's top-seeded Seth Gross did not score any takedowns in regulation in his semifinals match ... but then pinned unseeded Tariq Wilson of North Carolina State at 7:18. The No. 2 seed, Michigan's Stevan Micic, scored a four-point move from the neutral danger takedown in the last ten seconds of his semifinals match with Ohio State's Luke Pletcher to win 8-4 and find himself in the finals. Gross and Micic have wrestled each other before, at the All-Star Classic at the very beginning of the season ... an issue that Micic addressed after the semifinals, saying that he thought the two were a bit out-of-shape for that match, then adding, "Now that I'm prepared and it's the NCAA Tournament, the Finals, I'm feeling the best I've ever felt. So, you know, it's time to leave everything behind me. I'm looking forward from there." Gross was runner-up at the 2017 NCAA finals. "Last year's final, you know, I don't know what it was -- my warm-up wasn't good; I didn't eat right that day, or what," Gross said. "But I'll make sure I get my sleep tonight, eat right after weigh-ins and just do everything right. And as soon as I get out there, I'll block everything else out and focus on the match and what I need to do to win." 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State), 1-0 No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), 6-4 SV Top-seeded Bryce Meredith of the University of Wyoming will be making his second finals appearance in three years, defeating Ohio State's Joey McKenna -- the fourth seed -- 1-0, thanks to a second-period escape. His finals opponent, Yianni Diakomihalis, the No. 3 seed from Cornell, got a 6-4 overtime win over second-seeded Jaydin Eierman of Missouri. Meredith and Diakomihalis bring a bit of on-the-mat history to the 141 finals. "First time I was surprised by his ability, his flexibleness, his ability to wrestle in certain positions," Meredith said of their previous bout. "I remember I shot in in there and we got in a minute-and-a-half scramble that I probably wasn't mentally ready for it, my fourth match in December ... "He's a really unique wrestler. And I'm just looking forward to it. That's been my one loss of the year. And it really did break my heart a lot more than losses have in the past." Ronnie Perry reached the NCAA finals as the No. 15 seed at 149 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina), 10-4 No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 11 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-3 Top-seeded, two-time NCAA champ Zain Retherford hopes to become only the second Penn State wrestler to win three national titles (joining Ed Ruth) as he faces No. 15 seed Ronald Perry from Lock Haven, the first finalist from that Pennsylvania school since 1997. Asked how many people believed he would make it to the finals, Perry responded, "Maybe three, three or four. Me, my coaches, so that's three. Maybe my parents, my girlfriend, a couple friends ... "It's an amazing feeling, something I never thought I would feel to be honest ... I don't think it's going to get super real until tomorrow maybe. But I'm just trying to do my best to stay relaxed and stay focused and go one match at a time." When asked about his finals opponent, the wrestler known as "Zain Train" said, "This past summer, Lock Haven would come to our room and wrestle some freestyle with the club, the guys that were eligible through USA Wrestling. So I wrestled a few times with Ronnie when he came this summer. I know he's excited, so it'll be fun." "My thought is, 'Enjoy this last match, enjoy this time as a team. This is the last one.'" Freshman Hayden Hidlay topped Alex Pantaleo (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) maj. dec. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 10-2 No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) tech. fall No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 16-0 It'll be a battle of Pennsylvania natives for the second consecutive finals bout, as top-seeded Hayden Hilday of North Carolina State goes up against third-seeded Jason Nolf of Penn State. Hilday beat No. 5 seed Alec Pantaleo of Michigan, 10-2, in the semifinals ... while the Nittany Lion scored a 16-0 technical fall midway through the second period vs. Ohio State's Micah Jordan. When asked about his finals rival, Nolf said, "I wrestled him a couple times when we were younger. Not really familiar. I know he's a good wrestler, and he's strong ... so I just got to work on getting to what I do." In anticipating making it to the 157 championship match, Hilday said, "I think last year whenever I was sitting at home watching the Nationals, I was on a redshirt so I didn't come with the team. I was just sitting in my apartment visualizing myself being here, and I think once I beat Lavallee earlier this year who made it to the national finals, I'm going to go forward and go after the top guy." 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 5-2 No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech), 3-1 The one rematch of the 2017 NCAA finals will take place at 165 pounds between IMar and Joseph, which the Nittany Lion won last year. Martinez came out on top at the 2018 Big Ten conference championships. Top-seed Martinez scored takedowns in each of the first two periods to get the win over Iowa's Marinelli ... while Joseph got a takedown late in the second period to defeat No. 2 seed David McFadden of Virginia Tech, 3-1. "Of course, I wanted him again in the finals," said the Illini 165-pounder of the wrestler he'll face in a rematch of last year's title bout. "We did it at the Big Ten finals, now it's time to do it for real." "Whenever me and Isaiah wrestle, it's usually pretty exciting match, pretty offensive," said Joseph. "We're both looking forward to it. We know it's going to be a good one, and we're just ready to put on a show." 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan), 7-5 No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) pinned No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 6:22 It'll be a battle of the top two seeds at 174, as No. 1 seed Zahid Valencia of Arizona State rallied from 5-2 deficit to beat No. 5 seed Myles Amine of Michigan, 7-5 ... while No.2 seed Mark Hall of Penn State got the fall towards the end of his match with Missouri's Daniel Lewis. Valencia was asked about his on-the-mat history with Hall, and he responded, "We're still great friends. We've been wrestling each other since we were eight years old. I mean, we both know what happened, but it was a fun match. I know he did not want to win that way. But we get another rematch in the finals. I know I'm going to leave it all out there, and he usually always does, so I think it's going to be pretty exciting for the fans." 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), 6-3 No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 8-4 Yet another title bout featuring the top two seeds who have faced each other nine times ... and a rematch of the 2016 finals at 184 that Martin won by upset. "He's a really strong wrestler. He's really tough, so I'm excited to have that opportunity and to be able to go out there and compete for a national championship because that's what I trained for," Nickal said at the post-semifinals press conference. "It doesn't really matter who it's against, but this being our ninth time wrestling, we're really familiar with each other, and so I think that you can look at it a couple different ways. You can look at it as like, oh, we know a lot of what we're going to do. He knows what I'm going to do, I know what he's going to do. But in my mind, I don't even know what I'm going to do. So if he's trying to figure it out, then good luck." "I guess you can call it a rivalry," said Martin. "He's really tough. I'm really tough, and it's always fun watching us compete. But when I wrestle him tomorrow, I'm just going to throw all my attacks, get him on my offense. If I lose, I'll know he beat the best of me, not I wish I could have done this, I wish I could have done that. I just want to put it all out there and compete to the best of my ability with God on my side." Mike Macchiavello won by fall in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 197: No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) pinned Kyle Conel (Kent State), 4:19 No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) pinned No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 5:41 It's an all-ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) showdown at 197 between a Wolfpack wrestler and his Hokie rival. Macchiavello is the second N.C. State wrestler in this year's finals, which is believed to be a first for the program. Haught described a special exercise he and his teammates practiced to prepare for an NCAA finals appearance: "Last week at practice, we did a little simulation. We had the carpet out, we had some smoke, ran up some steps, wrestled a match. So I've had experience like wrestling in front of our guys." 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke), 10-5 No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State), 4-2 Arguably the most anticipated match of the evening, as these two Big Ten big men have faced each other twice this season, with Coon coming out on top during a regular-season dual (handing Snyder his first collegiate loss in nearly three years) ... and Snyder avenging that loss in the 2018 Big Ten finals. It will be the last college match for both wrestlers. If Snyder wins, he will be only the fifth wrestler to have won three NCAA Division I heavyweight titles, and the first in nearly three decades. When asked about facing Coon one last time in folkstyle competition, Snyder responded, "I'm excited about it, you know. I'm not going to lie. I was hoping somebody might be able to take him out on that other side so I didn't have to wrestle him. But now that it's here, I always embrace the challenge. It's going to be an epic match, round 3." Coon was very respectful of his college rival. "He's just a solid wrestler all around. That's why he's won multiple world championships and an Olympic championship, just because he's such a solid wrestler, and I've just got to sort of find any sort of chink in his armor, which there's very few, if any at all. So I've just got to find a way. That's the biggest challenge, just find a way."

Spencer Lee pinned Nathan Tomasello in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125: No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) dec. No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh), 2-0 No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) pinned No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), 6:05 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) pinned Tariq Wilson (NC State), 7:18 SV No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 8-4 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State), 1-0 No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), 6-4 SV 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina), 10-4 No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 11 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-3 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) maj. dec. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 10-2 No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) tech. fall No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 16-0 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 5-2 No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech), 3-1 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan), 7-5 No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) pinned No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 6:22 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), 6-3 No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 8-4 197: No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) pinned Kyle Conel (Kent State), 4:19 No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) pinned No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 5:41 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke), 10-5 No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State), 4-2

Jamarr Billman is out as head wrestling coach at Pennsylvania's Easton Area High School. The 39-year-old Billman, a three-time NCAA All-American at Penn State and at Lock Haven University, did not have his contract renewed after two years at the helm of his high school alma mater. His assistant coaches -- Jeremy Hartrum, Brandon Mihalko, and Phil Racciato -- were also let go. Billman confirmed his departure via text message Wednesday afternoon to local media. As head coach, Billman compiled an overall record of 24-13 overall, 13-5 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Easton crowned District 11 Class 3A champions this year in Jonathan Miers (132 pounds) and Jonathan Pineda (285), but went without a state medalist for the second straight season for the first time since 1967. Billman is one of the Red Rovers' most decorated wrestlers. The 1997 Easton graduate was a two-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state champ (1996, 1997), a three-time District 11 champion and two-time Northeast Regional titlist. Billman compiled a career record of 141-17 wrestling for legendary coach Steve Powell. Billman continued his academic and athletic career in Pennsylvania-based universities. For two years he attended Penn State, where he earned NCAA All-American honors by placing fifth at 142 pounds at the 1998 NCAAs. Billman then transferred to Lock Haven, where was a two-time All-American at 149 pounds, placing fifth in both 2001 and 2002. His combined collegiate career mark at both schools was 117-13. Immediately after college, Billman served as an assistant coach at Cornell University before coaching at the high school level at Wilson and Easton before becoming head coach at his prep alma mater upon the retirement of coach Powell. UPDATE 3/16/18: The Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call reported that a number of Easton Area High students placed their school jerseys at the entrance of school athletic director Jim Pokrivsak's office door Friday afternoon... and that wrestlers and parents are planning to stage a protest at the Easton Board of Education meeting Monday evening.

Cornell true freshman Yianni Diakomihalis will take on Missouri's Jaydin Eierman in the semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) vs. No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. Tariq Wilson (NC State) No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) vs. No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) No. 11 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan) No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) 197: No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) vs. Kyle Conel (Kent State) No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) vs. No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State)

Spencer Lee picked up a win in the quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. No. 9 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), 2-0 No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) maj. dec. No. 12 Louie Hayes (Virginia), 8-0 No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) pinned No. 6 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State), 3:58 No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley), 12-4 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 7-3 Tariq Wilson (NC State) maj. dec. No. 4 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State), 13-5 No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Scott Parker (Lehigh), 3-1 No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) maj. dec. No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel), 13-1 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) pinned Sa'Deria Perry (Eastern Michigan), 1:39 No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. No. 12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell), 8-3 No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 6-5 No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) pinned No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 2:04 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) tech. fall No. 8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), 20-2 No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) dec. No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State), 2-1 TB No. 11 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 3 Grant Leeth (Missouri), 4-3 No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State), 7-4 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) dec. No. 8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 3-2 No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. No. 13 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State), 8-5 No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 6-2 No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers), 17-5 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) maj. dec. No. 9 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), 10-1 No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider), 7-6 No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 4-2 SV No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 10 Evan Wick (Wisconsin), 3-1 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) pinned No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy), 0:38 No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. No. 4 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), 3-2 No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) dec. No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), 3-1 No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 6-2 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 9 Max Dean (Cornell), 13-7 No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. No. 4 Pete Renda (North Carolina State), 11-9 TB2 No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), 3-1 SV No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. Chip Ness (North Carolina), 10-6 197: Kyle Conel (Kent State) pinned No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), 1:30 No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) dec. No. 5 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State), 5-4 No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 6 Willie Miklus (Missouri), 3-1 No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) dec. Chris Weiler (Lehigh), 5-4 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 9 Derek White (Oklahoma State), 6-3 No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) dec. No. 12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 7-2 No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) dec. No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), 4-2 No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford), 7-0

Luke Pletcher (133) is one of nine quarterfinalists for Ohio State (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CLEVELAND -- The first day of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland started with 330 wrestlers, each with dreams of bringing home a national title. By the end of the day Thursday, 250 of those competitors had their championship dreams dashed. Some of these wrestlers now out of title contention were victims of major upsets. Heading up that list were two No. 2 seeds who fell on opening day. In Session I, Missouri 157-pounder Joey Lavallee was toppled by unseeded Kennedy Monday of North Carolina, 8-6 ... while, in a 149-pound bout in Session II, Iowa senior Brandon Sorensen lost to No. 15 seed Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven, 3-2. The second round saw additional upsets, as Arizona State's Josh Shields, the No. 4 seed at 157, lost to No. 13 Luke Zilverberg of South Dakota State, 9-6 ... while, at 165, Michigan's No. 7 seed, Logan Massa, fell to No. 10 Evan Wick of Wisconsin, 9-6. A trio of No. 5 seeds were knocked out of title contention: N.C. State 125-pounder Sean Fausz and Kevin Jack at 141 ... and Iowa's Sam Stoll at heavyweight. Penn State's team title aspirations took a hit in the first session, as unseeded Ryan Diehl of Maryland pinned No. 8 Nick Lee of the Nittany Lions at 2:13 of their match at 141 pounds. Nebraska's Jason Renteria got upsetting news before a single wrestler stepped onto the mat. The 133-pound freshman failed to make weight Thursday morning. Northwestern's Colin Valdivez, designated first alternate in that weight class, took Renteria's place in the bracket. At the end of the first day of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Ohio State was in first place in the team standings with 36 points ... followed by Penn State with 28.5 team points. Iowa placed third with 27 points, with Michigan in fourth place with 23 points, and, in fifth, N.C. State with 20 team points. The stats looked good for the host venue "the Q" and the city of Cleveland. Attendance at Session I was 18,660 ... while 18,860 fans were in attendance for Session II. Here are the matchups for the quarterfinals on Friday. Session III begins at 11 a.m. ET. 125: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) vs. No. 9 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 12 Louie Hayes (Virginia) No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) No. 4 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. Tariq Wilson (NC State) No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Scott Parker (Lehigh) No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Sa'Deria Perry (Eastern Michigan) No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 6 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) vs. No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) vs. No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) No. 3 Grant Leeth (Missouri) vs. No. 11 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) No. 10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) vs. No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. No. 8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) vs. No. 13 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 9 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider) vs. No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska) No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 10 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) No. 4 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) vs. No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan) No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs. No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 9 Max Dean (Cornell) No. 4 Pete Renda (North Carolina State) vs. No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) No. 3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) vs. No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. Chip Ness (North Carolina) 197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. Kyle Conel (Kent State) No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) vs. No. 5 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 6 Willie Miklus (Missouri) No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) vs. Chris Weiler (Lehigh) 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 9 Derek White (Oklahoma State) No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) vs. No. 12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford)

It is no secret that the quarterfinals are one of the can't-miss rounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. It happens every year. The 40 matches, four in each of the 10 weight classes, provide some of the best wrestling action that you will see all season. There is no question that the quarterfinal round of the NCAAs offers some of the most hard-fought, dramatic and best wrestling you will ever see at the collegiate level. That likely will happen again when the first whistle blows in the four 125-pound quarterfinal bouts on Friday morning at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The quarterfinals are the round at NCAAs where nearly all of the matchups feature 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. Stakes are sky-high in this round with winners punching their ticket into the semifinals and clinching a top-six finish in their respective weight classes. The quarters are also a grueling 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: Spencer Lee defefated Nick Piccininni 10-5 earlier this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 125 pounds: (3) Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. (6) Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) Piccininni, a sophomore, is no stranger to facing a wrestler from Iowa in the NCAAs. He lost to Iowa's Thomas Gilman twice at nationals last year, falling in the quarters and the third-place match. Lee, a standout freshman, beat Piccininni 10-5 in the dual meet this season. Lee rolled to a pair of technical fall wins in Thursday's first two rounds. Lee is lethal in the top position -- he can pile up back points in a hurry and end a match early. The key for Piccininni is to score the first takedown and choose top or neutral. And to also not give up too many early points early. Lee has won three age-group world titles and knows how to perform and deliver when the stakes are highest. Lee can't get caught looking ahead to a potential semifinal matchup with NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello, a wrestler he split two matches with this season. 133 pounds: (2) Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. (7) Austin DeSanto (Drexel) DeSanto scored a stunning and decisive 22-10 major decision over Micic, fourth in the nation last year and a past Junior world medalist, early this season in Las Vegas. DeSanto used a relentless attack to build a huge early lead, dominating on his feet in that match. He used a fireman's and barrel roll attack to put Micic on his back three times in that matchup. Micic has rebounded from that setback in a big way, earning a Big Ten title and a 2 seed at nationals. DeSanto was upset in the EIWAs, but the freshman bounced back with two impressive wins Thursday. He scored a 16-8 major decision over No. 10 Jack Mueller of Virginia, a wrestler he lost to three times early in the season. Expect Micic to make some adjustments. It will definitely be an exciting match to watch between two very dynamic wrestlers. DeSanto knows how to win on a big stage. He beat young phenom Spencer Lee in the Pennsylvania state finals last year. 141 pounds: (3) Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. (6) Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) This is one of the most intriguing matchups in this session with an exciting young freshman looking to make a big splash against a solid senior with impressive credentials. Heil has won the last two NCAA titles at this weight class, but he's had his share of struggles this season. He won a pair of low-scoring matches Thursday. Heil isn't overly flashy, but he obviously knows how to win on this stage. Diakomihalis, a two-time Cadet world champion, rolled to a pair of major decision wins in his first two career matches at NCAAs. It will be interesting to see if Heil can slow Diakomihalis down in a battle of veteran against newcomer. 149 pounds: No. 10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) vs. No. 15 Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) Perry sent shockwaves through the sellout crowd Thursday night in Cleveland, scoring a late takedown to stun past NCAA runner-up Brandon Sorensen of Iowa 3-2 in the second round. Perry advances to a quarterfinal against past NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis of Arizona State. Tsirtsis, a national champion for Northwestern before transferring to ASU, beat Northwestern's seventh-seeded Ryan Deakin in the second round. Tsirtsis is very skilled on his feet and has the potential to put a lot of points on the board, but he continues to win low-scoring bouts. If he opens up, he could find himself in the semifinals again. 157 pounds: (3) Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. (6) Michael Kemerer (Iowa) Early in the season, this was a match it looked like we might see on the elevated stage in the national finals. Nolf won NCAAs last year and Kemerer was third as a freshman. That all changed when Nolf went down with an injury late in the season and Kemerer was upset at Big Tens. Kemerer came out strong with two falls on Thursday. He and Nolf haven't met this season, but they know each other well. They grew up wrestling in the same club in Pennsylvania. This will be one of the most anticipated bouts of the quarters. And will be a test of how healthy Nolf is right now. It could determine who wins this weight class. 165 pounds: (1) Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. (9) Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) This is a match that many people are very curious and eager to see. It has the potential to be a classic. Martinez, of course, is the two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist. He appears to be on a mission this year after suffering a stunning finals lost to Penn State freshman Vincenzo Joseph. He's a senior who appears to be in the best shape of his remarkable career. Marsteller, once one of the brightest young prospects in America, has overcome off-the-mat issues to have an outstanding season. He's 42-2 after two wins Thursday. Both wrestlers are talented, skilled and dynamic wrestlers. Fans could be in for a real treat when these two studs clash on Friday. 174 pounds: (3) Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs. (6) Bo Jordan (Ohio State) This should be an entertaining battle between two veterans still looking to climb the top step of the medal podium. Lewis has stormed to an unbeaten season while Jordan is down to his final opportunity as a Buckeye senior. Jordan is eager to go out on top after reaching the finals last season. Lewis has placed fourth and sixth in the country. Jordan overcame a sluggish first match Thursday with a lopsided win. Lewis rolled to two wins on the opening day. This match could come down to Jordan's ability to slow down the dynamic Lewis. It is a match you won't want to miss. 184 pounds: (2) Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. (Unseeded) Chip Ness (North Carolina) Ness entered the tournament unseeded and with a 16-10 record, but none of that matters now. Ness is in the NCAA quarterfinals. Ness knocked off No. 10 Emory Parker of Illinois and No. 7 Taylor Venz of Nebraska. Next up is another Big Ten foe - 2016 NCAA champion Myles Martin of Ohio State. Martin scored bonus points in both of his wins Thursday and is a strong bet to make the finals again. Martin has had a superb season. Ness isn't expected to win Friday, but he wasn't supposed to win either match on Thursday. 197 pounds: (2) Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) vs. (Unseeded) Chris Weiler (Lehigh) Two EIWA freshmen - one highly ranked and one unseeded - will battle here for a spot in the semifinals. Darmstadt has had a sensational rookie campaign. He's 32-1 this season and has been a force in this division. Weiler is one of the lesser known names on the strong Lehigh roster. Weiler came into this tournament just 15-8, but he knocked off the 10 and 7 seeds on the first day. Weiler has excelled in the past on the national age-group level. Darmstadt is the favorite, but don't count out Weiler. It will definitely be interesting to see how these NCAA newcomers fare on the quarterfinal stage Friday. They are both talented young wrestlers with bright futures ahead of them. 285 pounds: (1) Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. (9) Derek White (Oklahoma State) Any time you can watch Snyder wrestle, you need to take advantage of it. He's already one of the best international wrestlers in American history. He doesn't like to wrestle heavyweight, as he's giving up 60 pounds to some opponents, but it's amazing to see him compete every time he steps on the mat. One of Snyder's most impressive feats is winning two NCAA titles as a vastly undersized heavyweight. If he wins his third in a row, give him the Hodge Trophy. It would be an award he definitely deserves if he wins it all Saturday night. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Penn State's Zain Retherford cruised to the quarterfinals at 149 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Drew Mattin (Michigan), 1-0 No. 9 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) dec. No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 4-2 SV No. 12 Louie Hayes (Virginia) dec. No. 5 Sean Fausz (North Carolina State), 10-4 No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) pinned No. 13 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia), 2:58 No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech. fall No. 14 Luke Welch (Purdue), 18-0 No. 6 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 11 Sean Russell (Edinboro), 6-3 No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) dec. No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), 6-5 No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) by injury default over No. 15 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) maj. dec. No. 16 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 13-5 No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) vs. No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech) Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec. Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado), 7-1 No. 4 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 13 Bryan Lantry (Buffalo), 10-3 No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. No. 14 Korbin Myers (Edinboro), 4-3 No. 6 Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. No. 11 Dom Forys (Pittsburgh), 7-5 No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) maj. dec. No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia), 16-8 No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) maj. dec. Anthony Tutolo (Ken State), 12-3 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) dec. Vince Turk (Iowa), 5-2 Sa'Deria Perry (Eastern Michigan) dec. Ryan Diehl (Maryland), 12-6 No. 12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) dec. No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State), 6-4 SV No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) tech. fall No. 13 Luke Karam (Lehigh), 15-0 No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 14 Nicholas Gil (Navy), 13-4 No. 6 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 11 Mike Carr (Illinois), 6-2 No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) dec. No. 10 Mason Smith (Central Michigan), 4-3 No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) pinned Eli Stickley (Wisconsin), 0:31 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) pinned No. 16 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), 2:29 No. 8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 9 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 10-6 No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) dec. No. 12 Ryan Blees (Virginia Tech), 12-6 No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) dec. Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 7-5 No. 3 Grant Leeth (Missouri) dec. No. 14 Beau Donahue (North Carolina State), 3-1 SV No. 11 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 6 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan), 3-2 No. 10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) dec. No. 7 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), 4-3 No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 3-2 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) dec. Taleb Rahmani (Pitt), 4-2 No. 8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. No. 9 Archie Colgan (Wyoming), 2-1 TB No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. No. 12 Mitch Finesilver (Duke), 3-2 No. 13 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) dec. No. 4 Josh Shields (Arizona State), 9-6 No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) dec. No. 14 Andrew Crone (Wisconsin), 6-1 No. 6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) pinned Paul Fox (Stanford), 4:52 No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) pinned No. 10 Markus Scheidel (Columbia), 3:10 No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) dec. Kennedy Monday (North Carolina), 10-7 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 16 Jon Jay Chavez (Cornell), 10-5 No. 9 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) dec. Jon Viruet (Brown), 5-3 No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) pinned No. 12 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), 6:15 No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider) maj. dec. No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State), 8-0 No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. No. 14 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-1 No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. No. 6 Richie Lewis (Rutgers), 3-1 SV No. 10 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) dec. No. 7 Logan Massa (Michigan), 9-6 No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. No. 15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), 14-3 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 16 C.J. Brucki (Central Michigan), 18-5 No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) dec. No. 9 Keaton Subjeck (Stanford), 12-10 SV No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan) tech. fall No. 12 Forrest Przybysz (Appalachian State), 18-3 No. 4 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. No. 13 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 4-2 No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) maj. dec. No. 14 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 8-0 No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 11 David Kocer (South Dakota State), 11-3 No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 10 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 16-12 No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) tech. fall No. 15 Dylan Lydy (Purdue), 21-3 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. No. 16 Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan), 10-4 No. 9 Max Dean (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa), 6-0 No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. Corey Hazel (Lock Haven), 11-0 No. 4 Pete Renda (North Carolina State) maj. dec. No. 13 Steven Schneider (Binghamton), 9-0 No. 3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) dec. No. 14 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers), 3-2 No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin), 9-6 Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. No. 7 Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 11-6 No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) maj. dec. Mitchell Bowman (Iowa), 17-5 197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) maj. dec. Patrick Brucki (Princeton), 14-4 Kyle Conel (Kent State) dec. No. 8 Nate Rotert (South Dakota State), 8-2 No. 5 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) maj. dec. Daniel Chaid (North Carolina), 14-3 No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) maj. dec. No. 13 Jeric Kasunic (American), 16-5 No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa), 5-3 No. 6 Willie Miklus (Missouri) dec. Nathan Traxler (Stanford), 2-0 Chris Weiler (Lehigh) dec. No. 7 Frank Mattiace (Penn), 6-4 No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 15 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield), 15-4 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) tech. fall Jere Heino (Campbell), 23-8 No. 9 Derek White (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 8 Tanner Hall (Arizona State), 6-4 TB No. 12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) dec. No. 5 Sam Stoll (Iowa), 7-2 No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) dec. Shawn Streck (Purdue), 4-2 SV No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State) dec. No. 14 Michael Boykin (North Carolina State), 5-4 TB2 No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) pinned No. 11 Mike Hughes (Hofstra), 3:37 No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford) dec. No. 10 Jordan Wood (Lehigh), 3-1 SV No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) pinned No. 15 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven), 1:47

Kennedy Monday of UNC knocked off No. 2 Joey Lavallee of Missouri (Photo/NCAA Wrestling) Updated Brackets & Team Scores | Watch ESPN CLEVELAND -- Kennedy Monday of North Carolina pulled the upset of the opening session at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. The Tar Heel freshman knocked off second-seeded Joey Lavallee of Missouri 8-6 at 157 pounds. Monday, the son of Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday, used a huge first-period to pace him to the victory, scoring three takedowns, along with a two-point nearfall. Lavallee was a runner-up at the NCAAs a year ago. No. 2 Penn State lost one of its seeded wrestlers in the championship bracket as Nick Lee was pinned by Maryland's Ryan Diehl at 141 pounds. Lee raced out to a 4-1 lead before Diehl scored a reversal and secured the fall. Nittany Lion 133-pounder Corey Keener also fell in the opening round. However, all seven of Penn State's wins came with bonus points. Top-ranked Ohio State went 10-for-10 in the opening session, but survived some scares. Fifth-seeded Buckeye 149-pounder Ke-Shawn won a close battle in tiebreaker over Big Ten rival Malik Amine of Michigan. NCAA runner-up Bo Jordan needed sudden victory to top Cornell's Brandon Womack 4-2 at 174 pounds. Top-seeded Kollin Moore was pushed in first match at 197 pounds, but claimed a 12-8 victory over Tanner Orndorff of Utah Valley. Five of Ohio State's 10 victories were decisions. Iowa leads the team race after the opening session with 18.5 points. The Hawkeyes went 9-1 on Thursday morning, with their only loss coming at 174 pounds. Brown's Jon Viruet upset Oklahoma State returning All-American Chandler Rogers, seeded No. 8, 6-5 at 165 pounds. Rogers was one of two single-digit seeds to fall for the Cowboys as No. 9 Preston Weigel was blanked 5-0 by Kent State's Kyle Conel at 197 pounds. Upsets in Session I 125: Drew Mattin (Michigan) pinned No. 16 Jacob Schwam (Northern Iowa), 3:50 133: Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec. No. 5 John Erneste (Missouri), 8-3 Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 12 Josh Terao (American), 10-5 Anthony Tutolo (Kent State) dec. No. 15 Ali Naser (Arizona State), 5-2 141: Ryan Diehl (Maryland) pinned No. 8 Nick Lee (Penn State), 2:13 Sa'Deria Perry (Eastern Michigan) dec. No. 9 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 11-5 Eli Stickley (Wisconsin) dec. No. 15 Nate Limmex (Purdue), 3-2 Vince Turk (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Cole Weaver (Indiana), 4-3 149: Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) dec. No. 13 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 9-5 157: Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) dec. No. 2 Joey LaVallee (Missouri), 8-6 Paul Fox (Stanford) dec. No. 11 Clayton Ream (North Dakota State), 4-2 Taleb Rahmani (Pitt) pinned No. 16 Mike D`Angelo (Princeton), 5:53 165: Jon Viruet (Brown) dec. No. 8 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), 6-5 174: All 16 seeded wrestlers advanced to the second round. 184: Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. No. 10 Emery Parker (Illinois), 4-3 Corey Hazel (Lock Haven) dec. No. 12 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga), 6-3 TB Mitchell Bowman (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 15 Canten Marriott (Missouri), 10-2 197: Kyle Conel (Kent State) dec. No. 9 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State), 5-0 Chris Weiler (Lehigh) dec. No. 10 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga), 4-1 Nathan Traxler (Stanford) dec. No. 11 Corey Griego (Oregon State), 9-3 Daniel Chaid (North Carolina) maj. dec. No. 12 Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), 12-4 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) dec. No. 16 Christian Brunner (Purdue), 8-6 285: Shawn Streck (Purdue) dec. No. 13 Billy Miller (Edinboro), 11-5 Jere Heino (Campbell) dec. No. 16 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 8-3 Round 2 Matchups 125: No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) vs. Drew Mattin (Michigan) No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) vs. No. 9 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) No. 5 Sean Fausz (North Carolina State) vs. No. 12 Louie Hayes (Virginia) No. 4 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 13 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Luke Welch (Purdue) No. 6 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Sean Russell (Edinboro) No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley) vs. No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. No. 15 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (South Dakota State) vs. No. 16 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) vs. No. 9 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech) Tariq Wilson (NC State) vs. Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) No. 4 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 13 Bryan Lantry (Buffalo) No. 3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. No. 14 Korbin Myers (Edinboro) No. 6 Scott Parker (Lehigh) vs. No. 11 Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) vs. No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia) No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. Anthony Tutolo (Ken State) 141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) vs. Vince Turk (Iowa) Ryan Diehl (Maryland) vs. Sa'Deria Perry (Eastern Michigan) No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) vs. No. 12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 13 Luke Karam (Lehigh) No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 14 Nicholas Gil (Navy) No. 6 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 11 Mike Carr (Illinois) No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) vs. No. 10 Mason Smith (Central Michigan) No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) vs. Eli Stickley (Wisconsin) 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 16 Alfred Bannister (Maryland) No. 8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 9 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) vs. No. 12 Ryan Blees (Virginia Tech) No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) vs. Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) No. 3 Grant Leeth (Missouri) vs. No. 14 Beau Donahue (North Carolina State) No. 6 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan) vs. No. 11 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) No. 7 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) vs. No. 10 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. Taleb Rahmani (Pitt) No. 8 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) vs. No. 9 Archie Colgan (Wyoming) No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) vs. No. 12 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) No. 4 Josh Shields (Arizona State) vs. No. 13 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) No. 6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. Paul Fox (Stanford) No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 10 Markus Scheidel (Columbia) No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) vs. Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) 165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 16 Jon Jay Chavez (Cornell) No. 9 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) vs. Jon Viruet (Brown) No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider) vs. No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) No. 6 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) vs. No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska) No. 7 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 10 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 16 C.J. Brucki (Central Michigan) No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) vs. No. 9 Keaton Subjeck (Stanford) No. 5 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 12 Forrest Przybysz (Appalachian State) No. 4 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) vs. No. 13 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs. No. 14 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma) No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 11 David Kocer (South Dakota State) No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 10 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 15 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 16 Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) No. 8 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 9 Max Dean (Cornell) No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) vs. Corey Hazel (Lock Haven) No. 4 Pete Renda (North Carolina State) vs. No. 13 Steven Schneider (Binghamton) No. 3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) vs. No. 14 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 11 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) No. 7 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. Chip Ness (North Carolina) No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. Mitchell Bowman (Iowa) 197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. Patrick Brucki (Princeton) No. 8 Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) vs. Kyle Conel (Kent State) No. 5 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) vs. Daniel Chaid (North Carolina) No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State) vs. No. 13 Jeric Kasunic (American) No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) No. 6 Willie Miklus (Missouri) vs. Nathan Traxler (Stanford) No. 7 Frank Mattiace (Penn) vs. Chris Weiler (Lehigh) No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) vs. No. 15 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield) 285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Jere Heino (Campbell) No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan) vs. No. 15 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Michael Boykin (North Carolina State) No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) vs. Shawn Streck (Purdue) No. 5 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) No. 6 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) vs. No. 11 Mike Hughes (Hofstra) No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford) vs. No. 10 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) No. 8 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) vs. No. 9 Derek White (Oklahoma State)

Kyle Snyder (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) InterMat is providing a running notebook throughout the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The latest updates will appear at the top. Refresh/reload the page to view the latest updates. Links: Updated Brackets & Team Scores | Watch ESPN 11:32 p.m. And that puts a wrap on the national tournament, and what an awesome event it was. Bo Nickal of Penn State was named the outstanding wrestler. 10:58 p.m. Ohio State finishes as national runners-up with 133.5 points. Penn State was your national champions for a third straight year, seven in eight, with 141.5 points. Iowa third, Michigan and North Carolina State in joint fourth. 10:56 p.m. To cap off the national finals program, Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) wins his third national title on a throw-by and shuck for the takedown with just over 20 seconds left in the bout. He beats Adam Coon (Michigan) 3-2 in the rubber match of this season. Snyder now a three-time national champion. 10:38 p.m. A takedown in the last 15 seconds gets Michael Macchiavello (Noth Carolina State) a 3-1 victory over ACC rival Jared Haught (Virginia Tech). Macchiavello mostly dominated the bout. North Carolina State now in joint fourth with Michigan. 10:22 p.m. Myles Martin had a blast double for two and backs, Ohio State was ecstatic. Then somehow in some way, Bo Nickal scooted out of it, created a reversal and near falls of his own for the deck at 2:29. Penn State are your national champions. The most electric moment of these championships, and arguably of any. 10:15 p.m. If Ohio State is to have hope at the national title as a team, they need this next bout, and it's a head-on. Myles Martin (Ohio State) has a 2-6 record against Bo Nickal (Penn State), though Martin won the 2016 national final; Nickal was the 2017 national champion. 10:10 p.m. A takedown in each period for a comprehensive display from Zahid Valencia (Arizona State). He knocks off returning national champion Mark Hall (Penn State) 8-2, which avenged last year's national semifinal loss. Valencia was the "first believer" for Zeke Jones at Arizona State, where only better things are coming. 9:58 p.m. Just received confirmation from tournament management that Cleveland has set a single session and all-session record for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Tonight's attendance was 19,776 with a six-session attendance mark of 113,743. 9:53 p.m. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) repeats as a national champion. It's a 6-1 final score getting the inside trip at the edge and then a turn for two points inside the last ten seconds of the first period. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) won titles as a freshman and sophomore, then was condemned to runner-up finishes the last two years. Death row now 8-0 in national finals these last two years. 9:30 p.m. Like in the match before, Jason Nolf (Penn State) uses a pair of first period takedowns to win 6-2. This time over the top seed, though not a favorite at all, Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State). Penn State one win from the national title. 9:15 p.m. Three-time national champion as Zain Retherford (Penn State) wins 6-2 over a very game Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), who entered the tournament as the 15th seed at 149 pounds. Retherford ends his career with 94 straight wins. 8:55 p.m. Unreal counter defense from true freshman Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) to lock up a cradle for four points. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) went on the attack leading 4-3, Diakomihalis locked up the cradle out of the flurry and crackdown. It was awesome stuff. The crowd was electric. 7-4 final score, the second true freshman national champion, first time in 71 years. They were the top two recruits last year. 8:40 p.m. Seth Gross becomes South Dakota State's first national champion, he wins 13-8 over Stevan Micic (Michigan). Gross won it in the first period when he scored a takedown and four near falls off a bar-arm tilt. Micic had four takedowns in the bout, but they were too little too late; Gross also gave up four takedowns in the semifinal. 8:22 p.m. A supreme wrestling display from the true freshman Spencer Lee (Iowa), and he beats Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 5-1. Takedown right at the end of the first period and then one midway through the third period after a great flurry. Fourteen months ago he was undergoing surgery, and now he's a national champion. 8:00 p.m. We are live on ESPN2, or will be as soon as women's basketball ends. First whistle at about quarter after the hour. 2:00 p.m. And that wraps up session five. Penn State trails by six, 130.5 to 124.5. HOWEVER, they have FIVE finalists and Ohio State has JUST two. 1:52 p.m. And Penn State with another boom for their team hopes. Shakur Rasheed wins by major for seventh, while Kollin Moore lost for Ohio State. Kyle Conel (Kent State) winning 5-3 keyed by the early third period near fall. 1:38 p.m. Emery Parker (Illinois), the No. 10 seed, finishes third with an 8-1 decision over No. 7 seed Taylor Venz (Nebraska). Parker won SEVEN straight bouts to finish third after losing the opener 4-3 to Chip Ness (North Carolina). Ness beat Venz the next round 11-6, but would end up finishing seventh. 1:28 p.m. With a takedown late in the third period and then a takedown right off the bat in sudden victory, Myles Amine (Michigan) got bronze by a 4-2 score over Daniel Lewis (Missouri) at 174. 1:20 p.m. Bo Jordan's last match won't be a match. He'll get a medical forfeit to finish in fifth. Four-time All-American, placements of 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, and 5th. Ohio State's lead is nine, but it won't be enough barring a massive miracle. Penn State has 197 and 285 for seventh, Ohio State has 197 for third. 1:15 p.m. Getting the bronze at 165 is Evan Wick (Wisconsin) via a pin at 3;18 with - you guess it - a cradle. Wick trailed Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) 4-1 at the point of the turn/fall. It was the last match for head coach Bary Davis in his 25-year reign, and he goes out a winner. 1:08 p.m. In the 157 pound weight class, Michael Kemerer (Iowa) had to default with what seemed like a shoulder issue, so Tyler Berger (Nebraska) took third. Ohio State suffered yet another loss to Michigan, as Micah Jordan fell 6-3 to Alec Pantaleo in the fifth place bout. 12:57 p.m. Four-time All-american Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) finishes his career in fifth. 2014 national champion Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) finishes seventh. Those coming at 149. 12:47 p.m. Ohio State and Penn State mirror each other in the 141 weight class. Joey McKenna won 6-2 over Jaydin Eierman (Missouir) for bronze. Nick Lee won 9-7 in overtime for fifth, beating Kevin Jack (North Carolina State); he was in a two second neutral danger defense, but was able to counter out and move for the winning takedown. 12:35 p.m. From unranked coming into the tournament, and not seeded, Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) took third, winning 17-8 over Luke Pletcher (Ohio State). Pletcher went for a couple of home runs but missed. 12:25 p.m. Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) finishes his career as a four-time All-American. He won 8-6 in overtime over Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) this time. Tomasello finished third three straight years after losing to three different Iowa wrestlers in the semifinal round; he was the 2015 national champion. 12:17 p.m. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) caps his career off with a 7-4 victory for fifth place. Cruz is a three-time All-American, and the 2017 national champion. All at 125 pounds. 12:05 p.m. Ohio State gets a fourth win this round, Kollin Moore does it at 197, 7-4 over Ben Darmstadt (Cornell). Those were the top two seeds of the tournament. Buckeyes lead Penn State by five, but it's likely not to be enough. 12:00 p.m. A pair of pins end the consolation semifinals on mat three, both in the first period. Kyle conel (Kent State) got the pin at 197 over Jacob Holschag (Northern Iowa). At 285, it was Jacob Kasper (Duke) getting the headlock on Sam Stoll (Iowa). The Hawkeyes were dinged a team point for post-match misconduct, I am almost sure. Both wrestlers winning by fall are Ohio natives. 11:55 a.m. Ohio State suffers a second consolation semifinal loss as Myles Amine (Michigan) dominates Bo Jordan 6-2 at 174 pounds. That win by Amine propels the Wolverines into fourth place by two points over the Wolfpack of N.C. State for the moment. 11:45 a.m. Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) continues his bounce back season/career, and he'll go for third later this session against Evan Wick (Wisconsin). Marsteller wins 5-3 over David McFadden (Virginia Tech) at 165. 11:35 a.m. The team title hopes for Ohio state took a significant hit. Micah Jordan lost 4-2 in overtime to Tyler Berger (Nebraska) at 157. Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan had some words on press row with the supervisor of officials about the call that decided the bout. That said, Jordan chose neutral to start the third in a tied bout. 11:25 a.m. Ohio State has retaken the lead in the team race. Joey McKenna won 4-3 over Kevin Jack (North Carolina State), while Penn State's lone wrestler in the consolation semifinals - Nick Lee - lost by major to Jaydin Eierman (Missouri). Those both at 141. 11:12 a.m. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) wins 12-8 over Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State). Ohio State cuts the deficit relative to Penn State down to two points. Also winning in consolation was Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), who avenged last year's championship final loss with a 5-2 win over Darian Cruz (Lehigh). 11:05 a.m. Nathan Tomasello (Oho State) on his second takedown locked up a cradle and got the pin at 1:14. Buckeyes trail by 5-1/2 points. 10:50 a.m. Twelve hours later, we are back about ten minutes from first whistles of the consolation semifinals. Wins in this round are 3-1/2 team points. 10:50 p.m. Friday night wrestling concludes. Penn State 120.5 to Ohio State 109.5 10:48 p.m. No. 1 seed Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) the 10-5 semifinal winner, and is a four-time national finalist. Last year, Jacob Kasper (Duke) lost 19-6, so this was a game effort. No. 2 seed Adam Coon (Michigan) wins 4-2 over No. 6 Ameer Dhesi (Oregon State) in his semi. They'll meet in a rubber match tomorrow night. 10:45 p.m. Penn State ends the night with two straight losses in consolation. Nick Nevills falling 5-1 in overtime to Sam Stoll (Iowa) in a five-over-three showdown. Nevills will seek seventh tomorrow morning. 10:35 p.m. No. 1 seed Kollin Moore (Ohio State) beats No. 5 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 7-4 in the consolation quarterfinal match at 197 pounds. Ohio State cuts the team point deficit to 18 points, as Penn State suffers their first loss of Friday night. 10:32 p.m. It's an all-ACC showdown in the 197 pound weight class, as No. 3 seed Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) beat the two seed Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), also by fall at the 5:40 mark. 10:30 p.m. Despite giving up the first takedown, the No. 4 seed Michael Macchiavello gets the pin as he planted unseeded Kyle Conel (Kent State) at the 4:18 mark. Conel's Cinderella run through the front side ends. 10:20 p.m. High school teammates and classmates met in the 157 pound consolation quarterfinals, as No. 6 seed Michael Kemerer (Iowa) beat No. 4 seed Josh Shields (Arizona State) 6-2. Both wrestlers graduated from Franklin Regional (Pa.) in 2015. 10;15 p.m. It'll be the top two seeds in the 184 pound final. Bo Nickal (Penn State) into his third straight final winning 6-3 over No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), while Myles Martin (Ohio State) wins 8-4 over No. 6 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech). This will be a rematch of the 2016 finals bout that Martin won by upset, though Nickal has something like a 6-2 series lead over three years. 10:10 p.m. Penn State remains perfect for Friday night and pushes the team race lead to 26 with Nick Lee's 12-4 major decision in the consolation quarterfinals at 141. The Nittany Lions started out tonight trailing by 13. 10:00 p.m. No. 1 seed Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) rallied from 5-2 down to beat No. 5 seed Myles Amine (Michigan) 7-5 in the other semifinal at 174. 9:56 p.m. What was a pro-Ohio State crowd for three sessions is turning into Happy Valley. Mark Hall with the deck at 6:22 to make the final for a second straight year. the lead is now 21-1/2 points. 9:50 p.m. Like with Ohio State, it'll be eight All-Americans for Penn State. They also extend the team race lead to 12-1/2 points. Nick Nevills winning 6-1. 9:42 p.m. A rematch of last year's NCAA final at 165 is on. No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) wins 5-2 over No. 5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) with takedowns in each of the first two periods. No. 3 seed Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) beats No. 2 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) 3-1 via takedown late in the second period. Martinez won two weeks ago at Big Ten, but Joseph won last year in the NCAA final. 9:38 p.m. It'll be an eighth All-American for Ohio State as No. 1 seed Kollin Moore scores the 6-2 win in consolation at 197 over No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa). Ohio State trails by two points again, 89 to 87. 9:35 p.m. Despite being ridden the entire third period, No. 5 seed Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) beats No. 7 Frank Mattiace (Penn) 6-5 to earn All-American honors. He's the seventh Nittany Lion to get on the podium with Nick Nevills still to go. 9:24 p.m. Ohio State finally gets a Friday night win as Bo Jordan wins 12-6 at 174 in consolation. The No. 6 seed beat the unseeded Ben Harvey (Army West Point) to temporarily shrink the deficit to two points on Penn State. 9:22 p.m. No. 1 seed Hayden Hilday (North Carolina State) makes it an all-Pennsylvania native final for the second straight weight. He beat No. 5 seed Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) 10-2 in his 157 semifinal, a six point move early in the second period was key. 9:20 p.m. No. 3 seed Jason Nolf (Penn State) with the 16-0 technical fall midway through the second period against No. 7 Micah Jordan (Ohio State). The two-time national champion propels the Nittany Lions into the team lead by 5-1/2 points, 86 to 80.5 9:05 p.m. Top seed, and two-time national champion, Zain Retherford (Penn State) reaches the final with a 10-4 win over No. 4 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) at 149. On the other side of the spectrum, it was No. 15 Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) with a takedown inside the last 20 seconds to beat No. 11 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton). Perry is the first finalist for Lock Haven since 1997. 8:58 p.m. No. 8 seed Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) goes from a first round loss to an All-American honor beating two-time former medalist Chad Walsh (Rider), the No. 4 seed, 11-9 on a late takedown. He beat seeded wrestlers Logan Massa and Anthony Valencia just to get to the chance to beat Walsh at 165. 8:49 p.m. Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) into the finals as a true freshman, 6-4 n overtime over Jaydin Eierman (Missouri). That was a three-over-two in terms of seed at 141. Diakomihalis joins Spencer Lee as true freshmen in the finals tomorrow night. They were the second and first ranked Class of 2017 wrestlers respectively. 8:46 p.m. Ohio State drops to 0-4 on Friday night. No. 1 seed Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) with a second finals appearance in three years, beating No. 4 joey McKenna 1-0 via second period escape. McKenna chose neutral in the third, a late boot scoot attempt for a cradle was blocked off. 8:40 p.m. Entering the tournament unseeded and with a losing record, SaDerian Perry (Eastern Michigan) will leave as an All-American at 141 as he beats No. 11 seed Mike Carr (Illinois) 8-6 to earn the honor. 8:35 p.m. The first of three consolation round of 12 matches for each team at the top of the standings concludes. Ohio State loses at 149, Ke-Shawn Hayes falling by 9-0 major to No. 2 seed Brandon Sorensen (Iowa); while Penn State wins at 141, Nick Lee by 13-6 decision over Tyler Smith (Bucknell), Lee came back from losing first round. 8:30 p.m. Stevan Micic (Michigan) with a four-point move off the neutral danger takedown inside the last ten seconds to take out Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) 8-4. Seth Gross (South Dakota State), the No. 1 seed, despite zero regulation takedowns in regulation outlasts unseeded Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) with a pin at the 7:18 mark after a 10-10 regulation bout. 8:25 p.m In consolation, Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers) rallied from 6-2 down to force overtime and knock off true freshman Austin DeSanto (Drexel) 8-6 at 133. Redshirt freshman Chad Red (Nebraska) precludes two-time national champion Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) from a fourth All-American honor with a first period pin at 141. 8:15 p.m. Defending national champion and No. 1 seed Darian Cruz (Lehigh) loses 2-0 to No. 4 seed Nick Suriano (Rutgers). Suriano escaped in the second period, while Cruz was called for stalls in the first and second periods. 8:13 p.m. No. 3 seed Spencer Lee (Iowa) with a second straight pin, which followed two technical falls. The pin came at 6:04 after mostly dominating 2015 national champion Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), who has lost three straight semifinals to three different Hawkeye opponents. 8:10 p.m. Our first consolation All-American of the night is Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), who knocks off Nick Picininni (Oklahoma State) by shutout technical fall, 16-0 within two periods at 125 pounds. 7:57 p.m. We're minutes from getting started. Two mats in the middle of semifinals, four mats on the outside for All-American honors and then consolation quarterfinals. Ohio State with six in the semifinals, but only favored in two; Penn State favored in all five semifinals. Those matches are seven points plus bonus. Each team has three in consolation. 2:45 p.m. Session III has been completed. Below is a look at the team standings heading into tonight's session. 1. Ohio State 80.5 2. Penn State 67.0 3. Michigan 59.5 4. Iowa 53.5 5. NC State 44.0 6. Missouri 41.0 7. Virginia Tech 35.5 8. Cornell 30.0 9. Rutgers 28.5 10. Arizona State 23.0 10. Lehigh 23.0 12. South Dakota State 21.0 13. Illinois 19.0 13. North Carolina 19.0 15. Lock Haven 17.5 16. Oklahoma State 17.0 16. Wyoming 17.0 18. Duke 15.5 19. Kent State 14.5 20. Minnesota 13.5 20. Nebraska 13.5 22. Oregon State 13.0 23. Princeton 12.5 24. Purdue 12.0 25. Virginia 11.5 2:45 p.m. Teshan Campbell (Ohio State) is eliminated by Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) 4-3 on the riding time point. Wanzek riding Campbell out in the second period was the difference as the 12 beat the 13. Buckeyes lead Penn State by 13-1/2 headed into the evening session. 2:43 p.m. No. 8 seed Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) beat a pair of seeded wrestlers, No. 7 Logan Massa (Michigan) and No. 15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State). Rogers against No 4 seed Chad Walsh (Rider) for All-American honors tonight. 2:33 p.m. Nick Lee (Penn State) picks up the 13-5 major in consolation at 141, which cuts the deficit on Ohio State to 13-1/2, 80.5 to 67. No. 2 seed Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) picked up a consolation win at 149, which puts him into a round of 12 bout with No. 5 seed Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State). 2:18 p.m. A pair of previous All-Americans who graduated high school at Collins Hill (GA) were knocked off in the third consolation round at 125. No. 11 seed Sean Russell (Edinboro) losing 4-3 to No. 14 Luke Welch (Purdue), and No. 15 Ryan Millhoff (Arizona State) falling 5-2 to No. 10 Sebastian Rivea (Northwestern). 1:58 p.m. Ohio State picked up seven points in the team race at 285 to push their lead to 15 on Penn State. No. 1 seed Kyle Snyder survived 6-3 over No. 8 seed Derek White (Oklahoma State), while No. 3 seed Nick Nevills (Penn State) lost 4-2 to No. 6 seed Amar Dhesi (Oregon State). Snyder vs. No. 4 seed Jacob Kasper (Duke) tonight, and Dhesi vs. No. 2 seed Adam Coon (Michigan) in the other semifinal. 1:42 p.m. Lower bracket semifinal at 197 will place No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) against No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech). Darmstadt survived a third period barrage from unseeded Chris Weiler (Lehigh) to win 5-4, while Haught won 3-1 over No. 6 seed Willie Miklus (Missouir) 1:40 p.m. Ohio State can breathe a sigh of relief as Michael Macchiavello (North Carolina State) scored reversal early in the third and then a takedown with 25 seconds left in the bout to beat Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 5-4. That was 5 seed over 4 seed. 1:32 p.m. Double unders for the unseeded Kyle Conel (Kent State), and he launched No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) to secure the fall at the 90 second mark. The Penn State and Iowa sections rejoiced. 1:25 p.m. No. 5 seed Domenic Abounader (Michigan) wins 11-9 in TB-4 over No. 4 seed Peter Renda (North Carolina State). Abounader ensures that St. Edward H.S. in Ohio extends its streak of an alumnus earning All-American honors in Division I reaches 28. 1:17 p.m Penn State and Ohio State mirror at 184, both winning by decision to advance to the semis. No. 1 seed Bo Nickal, seeking a repeat title, won 13-7 over Max Dean (Cornell), while No. 2 seed Myles Martin - the 2016 national champion - won 10-6 over unseeded Chip Ness (North Carolina). 1:15 p.m. No. 6 seed Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) gets that breakthrough win at the national tournament, 3-1 in overtime over No. 3 seed Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) after an amazing scramble. 1:03 p.m. All ten Buckeyes remain alive in the tournament, Te'Shan Campbell led 7-1 after two periods but hung on for a 9-8 win in consolation over Connor Flynn (Missouri) at 165. 1:00 p.m. No. 6 seed Bo Jordan (Ohio State) fails to make the semifinals for the first time of his career. Loses 3-1 to No. 3 seed Daniel Lewis (Missouri), takedown late in the second period the difference. Lewis will face returning national champion and No. 2 seed Mark Hall (Missouri) in the semifinal; Hall scored his points mostly in the first period. 12:50 p.m. It took all of 38 seconds for undefeated No. 1 seed Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) to reach the national semifinal at 174 pounds. 12:44 p.m. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn state), the returning national champion and No. 3 seed, outlasts NO. 11 seed Isaiah White (Nebraska) 3-1 in SV-2. White beat Joseph 3-1/2 years ago in overtime in the Walsh Ironman final, December 2014. Joseph vs. No. 2 seed - and undefeated - David McFadden (Virginia Tech) tonight. 12:40 p.m. Upper bracket 165 semifinal will place two-time national champion and No. 1 seed Isaiah martinez (Illinois) against No. 5 seed Alex Marinelli (Iowa). Marinelli 7-6 over two-time All-American Chad Walsh (Rider), while Martinez won by 10-1 major. 12:25 p.m. 157 semis will be No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) vs. No.5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), Hidlay won 3-2 over No. 8 seed Tyler Berger (Nebraska). In what was the national final, in my opinion, No. 3 seed Jason Nolf (Penn State) beat No. 6 seed Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 5-2 on takedowns in the first and third periods; Nolf will face No. 7 seed Micah Jordan (Ohio State), who won by major decision. That will be the first Ohio State vs. Penn State bout of the tournament. 12:10 p.m. Potential turning point of this tournament to the favor of Penn State. No. 4 seed Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) wins 2-1 TB over No. 5 seed Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) in the quarters at 149. Heilmann had the better of that bout on his feet also. Hayes likely drops into No. 2 seed Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) for his consolation round of 12 bout. 12:03 p.m. Princeton vs. Lock Haven in the semis at 149. Kolodzik beat No. 3 seed Grant Leeth (Missouri) on a late takedown 4-3; Perry beat three-time All-American Sorensen (Iowa) last night and then 2014 national champon Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) 7-3 last night. 12:00 p.m. Penn State picks up two wins, one in consolation, Nick Lee by decision at 141; No. 1 seed Zain Retherford winning by technical fall in the quarters at 149. That Retherford quarterfinal win moves Oklahoma State to 0-4 in quarters so far. 11:47 a.m. True freshman Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) arguably with the moment of the tournament so far. Takedowns with about 30 seconds left in the second period and third period get him the 6-4 win over two- time national champion Dean Heil (Oklahoma State). Diakomihalis vs. Eierman tonight. 11:38 a.m. Top seeded wrestlers Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) and Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) win by first period fall at 141. In consolation wrestling, Penn State lost Corey Keener, he was pinned at 133 by Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado). 11:30 a.m. Flipping losses and going into the semifinals tonight are No. 2 seed Stevan Micic (Michigan) and unseeded Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State). Micic was majored in December, but wins by major over No. 7 seed Austin DeSanto (Drexel) today; Micic vs. Pletcher tonight. Wilson was teched in January but wins by major over No. 4 seed Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) today; Wilson vs. Gross tonight. 11:27 a.m. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), our No. 3 seed, extends the Buckeyes' record to 21-1 with a 3-1 win. At the same time, No. 1 seed Seth Gross (South Dakota State) wins 7-3, though Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) almost had near falls at the end of the bout. Gross the defending national champion. 11:15 a.m. The upper bracket semi will feature No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh), the defending national champion, against No. 4 seed Nick Suriano (Rutgers) at 125. Both wrestlers shut out their opposition this morning, Cruz 2-0 with the riding time point added in. 11:10 a.m. No. 3 seed Spencer Lee (Iowa) gets the pin off the bar-tilt at 3:58 over Nick Piccinnini - and he's a semifinalist. The in-season rubber match with him and No. 2 seed Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) is on for tonight at around 8:00 p.m. Tomasello winning by 12-4 major decision. Friday 10:43 a.m. Wrestling starts in just over 15 minutes. Television for this session is ESPNU. Quarters in the middle, consolation (two rounds total) on the outside. Seven points for a quarterfinal win plus bonus, 1/2 point for consolation. 10:35 p.m. Thursday at the NCAA tournament is done. Team standings: 1 Ohio State 36.0 (9 QF/1 CON) 2 Penn State 28.5 (7/2) 3 Iowa 27.0 (3/5) 4 Michigan 23.0 (5/3) 5 NC State 20.0 (4/5) 10:05 p.m. Iowa suffers their first elimination at 174, Josef Johnson (Harvard) beat Joseph Gunther 3-2. 9:32 p.m. With an 11-9 win in consolation by Khristian Olivas at 149, Fresno State gets its first win at NCAA's since returning as a program. 9:28 p.m. True freshman Nick Lee (Penn State) wins 7-3 over Josh Alber (Northern Iowa). That was 8-over-9 in consolation. The Nittany Lions have nine left in the tournament, seven in the quarters and two down below. 9:15 p.m. Corey Kenner stays alive for Penn State winning 9-7 over Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State at 133. Just 1/2 point, but more importantly he remains in the tournament, and the next match is against an unseeded wrestler in Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado). 9:08 p.m. Nick Nevills of Penn State, the No. 3 seed, rides out Michael Boykin (North Carolina State) in TB-4 to have the greater riding time in the course of a 4-4 bout. Nevills had two escapes sandwiched around a Boykin takedown in TB-3. Ohio State up 8-1/2 on Penn State, nine on Iowa through the round of 16. 9:00 p.m. Championship round of 16 is down to one last bout. Consolation first round wrestling is up on the mats. Buckeyes lead Iowa by nine, Penn state by 9.5. Michigan is four back of that in fourth after the upper body toss and pin from No. 2 seed Adam Coon at 285. 8:59 p.m. Couple of side-to-side overtime round of 16 bouts at 285. No. 4 seed Jacob Kasper (Duke) beat Shawn Streck (Purdue) 4-2, while No. 7 seed Nate Butler (Stanford) beat No. 10 seed Jordan Wood (Lehigh) 3-1. 8:54 p.m. Chris Weiler (Lehigh) used a takedown with about ten seconds left to beat No. 7 seed Frank Mattiace (Penn) 6-4. Weiler beat both the ten and seven seeds at 197, which is something that Chip Ness (North Carolina) also did at 184. 8:52 p.m. Yet another high end seed losing for Iowa, and it's No. 12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) beating No. 5 Sam Stoll 7-2, a six-point move late in the bout at 285. 8:50 p.m. Ohio State's day at the NCAA championships have ended. No. 1 seed Kyle Snyder gets the technical fall over Jere Haino (Campbell). Buckeyes have nine in the quarters, and they go 19-1. 8:40 p.m. From the pigtail match, then facing the nine and eight seeds, unseeded Kyle Conel (Kent State) into the quarterfinals. He got a takedown and near falls early in the match. Conel looking at a likely all-Ohio quarterfinal against No. 1 seed Kollin Moore (Ohio State) should he hold on to the 11-3 lead that he has in the last minute of the bout at 197. 8:30 p.m. Trailing 12-10 with around 20 seconds to go, No. 7 seed Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) gets a reversal and four near falls to win 16-12 over No. 10 seed and 2015 All-American Ethan Ramos (North Carolina). Lujan's reward, a quarterfinal date with national champion Mark Hall (Penn State) at 174. 8:27 p.m. In the team race watch, Bo Nickal (Penn State) only wins 10-4, which means no bonus points. He's to the quarters at 184 against Max Dean (Cornell) if he hangs on to the 5-0 lead early in the third period against returning All-American Drew Foster (Northern Iowa), that would be No. 9 over No. 8 seed. 8:20 p.m. Evan Wick (Wisconsin) extends the season series lead to 3-1 over Logan Massa (Michigan) with a 9-6 win at 165 pounds in the quarters. Wick has won the last three bouts in the series, though Massa was the seven seed and wick the No. 10 8:16 p.m. No. 6 seed and UWW U-23 world champion Richie Lewis (Rutgers) loses 3-1 in overtime to No. 11 seed Isaiah White (Nebraska) at 165. White will face Joseph in the quarterfinal round tomorrow morning. 8:14 p.m. No. 3 seed at 165 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), last year's national champion, held down to a 3-1 victory over Branson Ashworth (Wyoming). Ohio State suffers their first loss as No. 13 seed Te'Shan Campbell loses by 9-0 major decision to No. 4 seed Chad Walsh (rider), a two-time All-American. 8:10 p.m. No. 3 seed Jason Nolf (Penn State), the returning national champion at 157, wins 6-1 over Andrew Crone (Wisconsin). That is the first non-bonus win of the tournament for the Nittany Lions. 8:06 p.m. Micah Jordan (Ohio State) gets the second period fall. The Buckeyes move to 15-0. He will face either No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) or unseeded giant killer Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) in the quarters. 7:59 p.m. 2014 national champion Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) - who won hi title at Northwestern - outlasts Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 4-3 at 149. That was the No. 10 seed over the No. 7 seed. 7:56 p.m. No. 3 seed Grant Leeth (Missouri) outlasts No. 14 Beau Donahue (North Carolina State) 3-1 with a takedown in overtime. 7:55 p.m. Top seeds remain perfect as Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) beats Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) 4-2 at 157 pounds. 7:48 p.m. Two-time national champion Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) wins 6-2 over Mike Carr (Illinois) at 141. 7:47 p.m. National No. 2 seed at 149 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), a three-time All-American, loses 3-2 to Ronald Perry (Lock Haven). Perry scored a takedown with about 30 seconds left in the bout. 7:42 p.m. True freshman Austin DeSanto (Drexel) gets the major decision over Jack Mueller (Virginia), who earned All-American honor last year as a true freshman. DeSanto won 16-8 at 133, and is now one win from All-American honors. That was seven over ten seed. 7:38 p.m. A second North Carolina State five-seed falls to defeat, as it's two-time All-American Kevin Jack losing 6-4 in overtime to No. 12 seed Tyler Smith (Bucknell) at 141. Smith vs. Joey McKenna tomorrow morning in the quarters. 7:35 p.m. Ohio State to 13-0 on the day, 3-0 this session. Nathan Tomasello by injury default at 125 and Joey McKenna by 15-0 technical fall at 141. 7:33 p.m. National champion and top seed Seth Gross (South Dakota State) with the 13-5 major decision over Mitch McKee (Minnesota) at 133. 7:29 p.m. It's another one point win for No. 3 seed Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), who beats No. 14 Korbin Myers (Edinboro) 4-3 in the second round. He'll face either No. 6 Scott Parker (Pennridge) or No. 11 Dom Forys (North Allegheny); either a 2014 state high school final rematch that Pletcher won in overtime or an all WPIAL showdown. 7:25 p.m. Cruz will face Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) in the quarters tomorrow morning. Bresser knocks of returning national runner-up Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) 4-2 in overtime. 7:21 p.m. Top seed and returning national champion Darian Cruz (Lehigh) outlasts Drew Mattin (Michigan) 1-0. Cruz escaped in the second, Mattin chose neutral in the third. 7:20 p.m. And Suriano will face Louie Hayes (Virginia) in the quarters tomorrow, a 10-4 overtime winner over Sean Fausz (North Carolina State), a 12-over-5 upset at 125. 7:15 p.m First quarterfinalist of the session, pin in 2:57 for No. 4 seed Nick Suriano (Rutgers), who beats 2015 national runner-up Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 7:00 p.m. We got whistles. Ten wrestlers will be eliminated now, we'll determine quarterfinalists, and then 80 more will be eliminated. Eight going for gold and sixteen more trying to All-American at the end of tonight. 6:45 p.m. The Thursday night session is 15 minutes away from starting. Our order of matches: the 10 pigtail consolation bouts, championship round of 16, then first consolation round bouts. 3:43 p.m. All matches of the first session have ended. Iowa leads with 18-1/2 points, Ohio State second with 17, Penn State with 16, Michigan with 13 and North Carolina State with 12 round out the top five. Wrestling resumes at 7:00 p.m. for the round of 16 on ESPN. 3:34 p.m. Nick Nevills gets the first fall of the day for Penn State, who went 7-2 in the opening round. They have 16 points, as all seven of their wins came via bonus points; four via major and two by technical fall. 3:27 p.m. Pair of Ohio natives at 285, both seeded fall to defeat. No. 16 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) lost 8-3 to Jere Heino (Campbell), No. 13 Billy Miller (Edinboro) lost 11-5 to Shawn Streck (Purdue). 3:20 p.m. No. 5 seed Sam Stoll (Iowa) gets the pin at the 2:24 mark, which ensures the Hawkeyes will exit session one with the lead in the team race. 18-1/2 points while Ohio State has 15 and Penn State 13, each having a 285 pound wrestler left. 3:10 p.m From an hour east in Ashtabula, Ohio, Kyle Conel (Kent State) upset No. 9 seed Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) 5-0 in the opening round at 197. Conel also won a preliminary match, while Weigel suffered an injury during the first period of the match. This is also the second (single-digit) seed for the Cowboys to lose in the first round. 3:05 p.m. Top seed at 197, Kollin Moore (Ohio State) hangs on to beat Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) 12-8. Orndorff had two takedowns in the third to cut the deficit to 9-8, let Moore up. Then took a shot late in the bout, and Moore went behind for the final margin. 3:04 p.m. Down goes No. 10 seed at 184, as Chip Ness (North Carolina) beats Emery Parker (Illinois) 4-3. Parker was close to a takedown late, the Illinois coaches challenged, but the no takedown call stood. 3:00 p.m. Iowa's big Thursday afternoon continues as Mitch Bowman knocks off No. 15 seed Canten Marriott (Missouri) 10-2 at 184. 2:37 p.m. It's survive and advance for three-time All-American Bo Jordan (Ohio state), the No. 6 seed. He wins 4-2 in overtime at 174 pounds against returning All-American Brandon Womack (Cornell). 2:35 p.m. Four national champions for Penn State have taken the mat, all four have won with bonus. No. 3 seed at 165 Vincenzo Joseph got a major, while No. 2 seed Mark Hall also got a major. 2:30 p.m. No. 4 seed Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) outlasts Josef Johnson (Harvard) 2-0, as he got the rideout in the third period at 174 pounds. 2:25 p.m. A six-point move early in the match for No. 13 seed Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) augmented by a six-pointer at the end of the match gives him a 13-2 major decision at 174 over Joseph Gunter (Iowa). 2:10 p.m. Jonathan Viruet (Brown) beats No. 8 seed Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) 6-5 at 165, next up is No. 9 seed Chance Marsteller (Rider) in the round of 16. Also down to upset at 157 is No. 2 seed Joey Lavallee (Missouri), losing 8-6 to Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) 2:05 p.m. No. 5 seed Alex Marinelli (Iowa) gets the fall at 6:20 in the 165 class. That's five in the round of 16 for the Hawkeyes. Ohio State is 6-0 with the 4-1 win for No. 13 seed Teshan Campbell in that same weight class. 1:58 p.m. Returning All-American Paul Fox (Stanford) beats No. 11 seed Clayton Ream (North Dakota State) 4-2. That was the second straight year with Fox beating Ream in the opening round, Fox faces No. 6 seed Michael Kemerer (Iowa) tonight in the round of 16 at 157. 1:55 p.m. No. 4 seed Josh Shields (Arizona State) beats Jake Short (Minnesota) 4-3, the fact Shields rode out Short in the second period was the difference with that advantage point added to the 3-3 score at the end of the bout. That was at 157 pounds. 1:45 p.m. No. 10 seed Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State), a 2014 national champion, beat Dane Robbins (Air Force) 2-1 in the tiebreakers at 149. Tsirtsis originally won in sudden victory, but they ruled the takedown happened after time was up. 1:42 p.m Second straight technical fall for Penn State, No. 3 seed Jason Nolf beats Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) 22-7 at 157. 1:33 p.m. Hayes wins 6-5. Amine dinged for a third stall eleven seconds in to TB-2 on top. Hayes reversed twelve second later and hung on for the win. The O-H ... I-O chants blare. 1:30 p.m. No. 5 seed Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) in a marathon of a bout with Malik Amine (Michigan). Hayes beat Amine 9-2 in the regular season dual. Hayes ridden out in the third period leading 3-2, so Amine got the riding point to tie it up. In sudden victory, both wrestlers were close to scoring takedowns, Hayes got one prior to review but it was reversed. Amine got the reversal in TB-1 before time was up, Ohio State challenged, but the on-mat call stood. 1:20 p.m. No. 1 seed Zain Retherford (Penn State), a two-time national champion, got three sets of near falls in the last minute of the third period to win 16-1 via technical fall over Kyle Springer (Eastern Michigan) at 149. 1:17 p.m. Returning All-American Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) loses 3-0 to No. 10 seed Mason Smith (Central Michigan) at 141. Another returning All-American, No. 6 seed Scott Parker (Lehigh) survives 2-1 in the tiebreakers against Cameron Sykora (North Dakota State) at 133. 1:15 p.m. Iowa State's lone qualifier Jarrett Degen upends No. 13 seed Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), an Iowa native, 9-5 in the opening round at 149. 1:10 p.m. Vincent Turk (Iowa) beats No. 16 seed Cole Weaver (Indiana) 4-3 on a takedown to the back inside the last fifteen seconds of the bout at 141. Turk also won a pigtail earlier this session, advances to face No. 1 seed Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) tonight. 1:00 p.m. Two-time national champion Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), this year the No. 6 seed, outlasts Evan Cheek (Cleveland State) 4-2. Heil scored a takedown late in the first period, which was the difference at 141 in the opening round. 12:50 p.m. The Ohio State crowd is buzzing as Penn State has lost two matches by fall on mat two in the last five or so minutes. Keener at 133 and then No. 8 seed Nick Lee at 141 at the 2:18 mark. Lee led Ryan Diehl (Maryland) before Diehl tossed Lee for the fall. Next door on mat one, No. 3 seed Luke Pletcher won 2-1 over Mason Pengilly (Stanford) for Ohio State, second period takedown the difference. 12:45 p.m. All unseeded in the round of 16 at 133, as Wilson will face Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado), who beat No. 12 seed Josh Terao (American) 10-5 in his opening round bout. 12:40 p.m. Down goes No. 5 seed John Erneste (Missouri) at 133 pounds, as Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) got three takedowns to pick up an 8-3 victory. Wilson the redshirt freshman from Steubenville, Ohio. 12:35 p.m. No. 15 seed Ryan Millhof (Arizona State) win 4-3 on a penalty point as Christian Moody (Oklahoma) grabbed the headgear while on the bottom inside the last ten seconds of the bout. Millhof was an All-American at Oklahoma two years ago, and advances to face Tomasello tonight. 12:32 p.m. No. 2 seed Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) gets the pin at 2:18 against Gabe Townsell (Stanford) off his second takedown. That's three points in the team race for the Buckeyes, one for advancing and two for pinning. 12:30 p.m. No. 5 seed Sean Fausz (North Carolina State) outlasts true freshman Michael McGee (Old Dominion) 8-5 in the tiebreaker. McGee was close to a winning takedown in overtime, Fausz fended it off; Old Dominion did challenge for the takedown, but it was confirmed as no takedown on review. 12:25 p.m. Returning national finalists Darian Cruz (Lehigh) and Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) both pick up first round wins. They are the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds, both from the Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland high schools repectively. 12:18 p.m. Drew Mattin (Michigan) with the pin at 3:50 over No. 16 seed Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa). Mattin gave up a first period takedown and was ridden for the full first period, including being hit for stalling twice, so he trailed 3-0 prior to the sequence of the fall. 12:10 p.m. Steve Bleise (Minnesota) is the first winner of the tournament, 5-3 at 149 over DeLuca. He faces No. 3 seed Grant Leeth (Missouri) later this session. 12:03 p.m. Vincent Turk (Iowa) gets the opening takedown of the tournament, he's at 141 pounds facing Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) on mat 3. 11:53 a.m. First matches will be starting very soon. Live television on ESPNU, can pick up all mats on ESPN3/WatchESPN. Pigtails will start the tournament, ten in total, then the opening round of 32. Biggest match off the bat is on mat 4 at 149, Eleazar DeLuca (Rutgers) vs. Steven Bleise (Minnesota) 11:18 a.m. One update to the brackets, Jason Renteria (Nebraska) missed weight at 133 pounds. The alternate, Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) was inserted into the bracket. This is the first year of alternates being able to replace wrestlers at the tournament site. 11:12 a.m. Thanks for following along during the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Action starts at noon.

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Kyle Snyder looks to become just the fifth three-time heavyweight champ (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ohio State's Kyle Snyder has the opportunity to make history this weekend at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland. If he wins the 285-pound title Saturday night, he will become only the fifth heavyweight to win three national titles since the very first NCAAs in 1928 ... and the first to do it in nearly three decades. The Buckeye big guy could join an incredibly rare club of three-time D1 heavyweight champs which includes three Oklahoma State big men -- Earl McCready in the late 1920s ... Dick Hutton in the late 1940s ... Jimmy Jackson in the late 1970s -- and Carlton Haselrig of University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, in the late 1980s. Just how rare, by the numbers What's the big deal about Kyle Snyder possibly joining the three-time heavyweight champs club? For starters, it appears that the heavyweight weight class has the fewest three-time NCAA Division I champs of all collegiate weight classes, with the four mentioned previously. Let's provide additional perspective. By our calculations, 58 men have won at least one NCAA heavyweight title since the inaugural Nationals 90 years ago. Approximately two-thirds of those men have one heavyweight title on their resumes. Nineteen have been crowned heavyweight champ twice (including Kyle Snyder); Minnesota's Verne Gagne won two NCAA crowns -- one at 191 pounds in 1948, and one at what was then called "unlimited" (because there was no top weight limit until the mid-1980s) in 1949. Now, let's look at the number of times wrestlers who eventually became NCAA Division I heavyweight champs made it to the finals. Twenty-five of the champs won their titles with just one appearance in the finals ... while 21 champs were two-time finalists. Thirteen titlewinners wrestled in the finals three times, with three of those becoming three-time champs. One of the three-timers -- Bruce Baumgartner, who wrestled for Indiana State in the early 1980s -- was a two-time runner-up before winning the heavyweight title in 1982. In the past two decades, there are a number of two-time heavyweight champs who made three appearances in the finals. Some lost on their first attempt but came out winners in their second and third finals, including Stephen Neal of Cal State Bakersfield (back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999 after losing to Penn State's Kerry McCoy in the 1997 finals) ... Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands (champ in 2002, 2004 after losing to Illinois' John Lockhart in the 2001 title bout) ... and Minnesota's Cole Konrad (2006 and 2007 champ after falling to Steve Mocco in the 2005 finals). Some thrice finalists were two-time champs unable to successfully hold onto their crowns for a third title. These include Tony Nelson of Minnesota (2012, 2013 champ who lot to North Carolina State's Nick Gwiazdowski in 2014)… and Gwiaz (champ in 2014 and 2015, who lost to Kyle Snyder in his attempt to become a three-time heavyweight titlist at the 2017 NCAAs). To our knowledge, just two men made it to the NCAA Division I finals four times. One -- Steve Mocco -- was a two-time champ. Wrestling for the University of Iowa, Mocco lost to Tommy Rowlands at the 2002 NCAAs... then won his first title by defeating Kevin Hoy of Air Force at the 2003 NCAA finals. Mocco then transferred to Oklahoma State, where he beat Minnesota's Cole Konrad in the 2005 NCAA finals to claim his second heavyweight crown... only to lose to the Gopher big man in the 285-pound title bout at the 2006 NCAAs. The other four-time finalist, Dick Hutton, was a three-time champ seventy years ago. Meet the four 3x NCAA D1 heavyweight champs Earl McCready, Oklahoma State (1928-1930): Earl Gray McCready earns the distinction of being the first three-time NCAA champ at ANY weight ... and the first foreign-born national titlewinner (McCready was from Canada). Nicknamed "Moose", McCready stood 5'11" and weighed 238 pounds in college. McCready was undefeated in his three years as the Oklahoma State heavyweight; in fact, he won all but three of his matches by fall. You could say McCready pinned his way to his three NCAA titles. At the very first NCAA championships in 1928, McCready pinned Ralph Freese of the University of Kansas in just nineteen seconds -- still the fastest pins in an NCAA finals bout. The next year, the Cowboy big guy won his second title by fall -- this time, his victim was Ohio State's Russ Fairall, pinned at 1:25. In the heavyweight finals at the 1930 NCAAs, different opponent, same outcome: Illinois' Lloyd Burdick had his shoulders put to the mat at 2:17. (McCready is one of only two three-time champs to win all three finals bouts by pin; the other is Dan Hodge, 177-pound champ for University of Oklahoma 1955-57.) While at Oklahoma State, Earl McCready represented Canada in international competition. He was the flagbearer for his native country at the 1928 Olympics and wrestled heavyweight, but did not place. Two years later, he won the freestyle heavyweight title at the British Empire Games (now called the Commonwealth Games). After graduating from Oklahoma State, Earl McCready entered the world of professional wrestling, where he had a nearly thirty-year career. Dick Hutton, Oklahoma State (1947-1948, 1950): Richard Heron Avis Hutton was born in Amarillo, Texas in 1923, but moved to Red Fork, Oklahoma as a kid. He took up wrestling in junior high after being cut from the basketball team. After high school at Tulsa Webster (where he was a state runner-up), Hutton served in the U.S. Army for five years, then enrolled at Oklahoma State where he was the heavyweight starter all four years at Stillwater. A big bear of a man -- standing 5'10" and weighing in at about 245 pounds -- Hutton lost only one match and was tied once in his college career. Hutton won back-to-back heavyweight titles at the 1947 and 1948 NCAAs, and wrestled for the U.S. freestyle team at the 1948 London Olympics where he placed fifth in heavyweight competition. Dick Hutton was the top seed -- and favorite -- to earn his third title at the 1949 NCAAs. However, a referee's call in the final seconds of the championship match gave the title to Verne Gagne of Minnesota. (This was before there was overtime; tie scores were left to a referee decision.) The following year, Hutton won that elusive third title at the 1950 NCAAs… but, had things gone differently in 1949, Hutton would have been the first four-time NCAA champ. After graduation from Oklahoma State, Dick Hutton entered the professional wrestling ring, with a pro career that lasted more than a decade, culminating in a world championship in the late 1950s. Jimmy Jackson, Oklahoma State (1976-1978): Notice a pattern here? Yep, three of the four three-time NCAA heavyweight champs were Cowboys. Jimmy Jackson was by far the biggest of the Oklahoma State big men. The Michigan native was 6'6" and weighed 370 pounds. (Today's 285-pound top limit was put in place in the mid 1980s.) At the 1976 NCAAs, the fifth-seeded Cowboy defeated Oregon's Greg Gibson to win his first national title. The next year, Jackson got a referee's decision over 1975 champ Larry Bielenberg of Oregon State in overtime, based on a four-second riding time advantage, to win his second championship. At the 1978 NCAAs, Jackson pinned John Sefter of Princeton about a minute into the finals to earn his third title, concluding a collegiate career with an 88-9-2 record ... and a place in the history books as a three-time NCAA Div. I heavyweight mat champ. Carlton Haselrig, Pitt-Johnstown (1987-1989): As heavyweight at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Carlton Haselrig holds the distinction of being the only individual to win six NCAA titles in wrestling, claiming three championships in NCAA Division II (where Pitt-Johnstown normally competed) in 1987-1989, then three times in Division I those same years. (Back then, Division II and III champs qualified to compete at the Division I championships that same year.) Haselrig won his three Division II title matches in dominant fashion -- two by fall, one by major decision. At the 1987 NCAA Div. I heavyweight finals, Haselrig got a 4-2 decision over Edinboro's Dean Hall. The next year, Haselrig defeated Oregon State's Dave Orndorff, 12-2 in the finals ... while at the 1989 NCAA D1 finals, Haselrig edged Northern Iowa's Joel Greenlee, 1-0 to win his third Division I title ... and his sixth Nationals title. Haselrig compiled a career record of 143-2-1 at UPJ, including an NCAA record of 122 consecutive matches without a loss. In 2005, Haselrig was one of fifteen named to the NCAA 75th Anniversary as one of the greatest college wrestlers since 1928, joining other greats such as Dan Hodge, Dan Gable, John Smith and Cael Sanderson. Unlike other heavyweight champs who became professional wrestlers, Haselrig made a name for himself on the gridiron -- despite not having played football in college -- as an offensive guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers for four years, then one season for the New York Jets before retiring. About a decade ago, Haselrig competed as a professional mixed martial arts fighter, compiling a 3-2 record during a career that lasted just over a year. UPDATE 3/17/18: Kyle Snyder is now a member of the exclusive "three-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champs club" with his 3-2 win over Michigan's Adam Coon in the finals at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena Saturday, March 17.

The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio The InterMat staff writers have broken down the brackets for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Cleveland and made their predictions. Andrew Hipps 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) over Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Austin DeSanto (Drexel) 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Joey McKenna (Ohio State) 149: Zain Retherford (Iowa) over Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Alec Panatelo (Michigan) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Mark Hall (Penn State) over Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) over Michael Macchiavello (NC State) 285: Adam Coon (Michigan) over Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. Missouri 5. Iowa T.R. Foley 125: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) over Spencer Lee (Iowa) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Jack Mueller (Virginia) 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Kevin Jack (NC State) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Hayden Hidlay (NC State) over Michael Kemerer (Iowa) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Mark Hall (Penn State) over Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 184: Myles Martin (Ohio State) over Bo Nickal (Penn State) 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) over Kollin Moore (Ohio State) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Ohio State 2. Penn State 3. Iowa 4. Cornell 5. NC State Josh Lowe 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) over Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Stevan Micic (Michigan) 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) over Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) over Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. Iowa 5. Virginia Tech Craig Sesker 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) over Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 133: Stevan Micic (Michigan) over Seth Gross (South Dakota State) 141: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) over Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Jason Nolf over Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) over Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) over Kollin Moore (Ohio State) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Iowa 4. Missouri 5. Michigan Richard Mann 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) over Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Stevan Micic (Michigan) 141: Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) over Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) over Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) over Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Missouri 4. Michigan 5. Iowa Tom Franck 125: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) over Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Stevan Micic (Michigan) 141: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) over Joey McKenna (Ohio State) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Michael Kemerer (Iowa) over Josh Shields (Arizona State) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Logan Massa (Michigan) 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) over Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) over Kollin Moore (Ohio State) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. Missouri 5. Oklahoma State Caryn Ward 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) over Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 133: Steven Mcic (Michigan) over Seth Gross (South Dakota State) 141: Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) over Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 149: Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) over Zain Retherford (Penn State) 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Mark Hall (Penn State) over Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) over Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Iowa 4. Michigan 5. Missouri Steve Elwood 125: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) over Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) 133: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) over Stevan Micic (Michigan) 141: Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) over Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) over Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) 157: Jason Nolf (Penn State) over Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) over Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 174: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) over Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) over Myles Martin (Ohio State) 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) over Kollin Moore (Ohio State) 285: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) over Adam Coon (Michigan) Top five teams: 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Missouri 4. Michigan 5. Iowa

Lineups for all four teams for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic all-star meet have been finalized, and were released by tournament organizers last Tuesday afternoon. The 44th edition of this event will be this Sunday, March 25th, at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The undercard dual meet will feature a team of seniors all-stars from the WPIAL, which is the athletic district of southwest Pennsylvania (i.e. around Pittsburgh), facing a group of Iowa seniors. That match will start at 4:00 p.m. and feature a pair of 2-1/2 minute periods both starting in the standing position. 113: Frank Bonura (Moon Township, Pa.) vs. Grayson Kesterson (Williamsburg, Iowa) 120: Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) vs. No. 5 Kyle Biscoglia (Waukee) 126: Caleb Morris (Waynesburg) vs. No. 14 (at 132) Drew Bennett (Fort Dodge) 132: Noah Levett (Kiski Area) vs. No. 17 Zach Price (Johnston) 138: Tyler Griffiths (Southmoreland) vs. No. 8 Michael Blockhus (New Hampton) 145: NR (at 152) Luke Kemerer (Hempfield Area) vs. Ryan Steffen (Crestwood) 152: Corey Christie (Burrell) vs. Grant Stotts (West Des Moines Valley) 160: Seth Gates (Burrell) vs. No. 19 Josh Ramirez (Dubuque Wahlert) 170: Jesse Quatse (Greensburg Salem) vs. No. 15 Ben Sarasin (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) 182: No. 19 Tim Wallace (Albert Gallatin) vs. No. 4 Joel Shapiro (West Des Moines Valley) 195: Nate Ansell (Connellsville) vs. No. 16 Bryce Esmoil (West Liberty) 220: Ian Edenfield (Laurel Highlands) vs. No. 11 Boone McDermott (Dubuque Wahlert) 285: Gerald Brown (West Mifflin) vs. No. 11 Caleb Sanders (Glenwood) The main event features a group of seniors all-stars from Pennsylvania against those from the United States. That match features regulation high school bouts and will start at 6:00 p.m. The dual meet will feature seven national No. 1 ranked wrestlers. 120(a): Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia) vs. No. 7 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 120(b): Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan) vs. No. 5 (at 126) Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 126: No. 8 Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan) vs. No. 1 Patrick Glory (Delbarton) 132: No. 20 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary) vs. No. 3 Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 138: No. 10 Cole Matthews (Reynolds) vs. No. 2 (at 132) Roman Bravo-Young (Sunnyside, Ariz.) 145: No. 1 Sammy Sasso (Nazareth) vs. No. 3 Brock Hardy (Box Elder, Utah) 152: NR (at 160) Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) vs. No. 1 David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio) 160: Caleb Clymer (Northwestern Lehigh) vs. No. 1 Shane Griffith (Bergen Catholic) 170: No. 2 Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County) vs. No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.) 182: No. 7 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown) vs. No. 2 Jack Jessen (Willowbrook, Ill.) 195: No. 1 Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville) vs. No. 3 (at 220) Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) 220: No. 6 Anthony Walters (Bishop McCort) vs. No. 4 Zach Elam (Staley, Mo.) 285: No. 5 Isaac Reid (Kiski Area) vs. No. 1 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.)

Kyle Snyder celebrates after beating Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling has named Kyle Snyder (Woodbine, Md./Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC)to its 2018 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Cup Team at 97 kg/213 lbs. Snyder will be on the USA Wrestling team which will compete at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa, April 7-8. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship, and will feature the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Snyder, a 2016 Olympic champion and two-time World champion, will be competing in his third Freestyle World Cup. At the 2016 World Cup in Inglewood, Calif., Snyder was a World Cup champion, with a perfect 4-0 record in his dual meets. At the 2017 World Cup in Kermanshah, Iran, Snyder had a 3-1 record in his matches. He holds a 7-1 career record in the Freestyle World Cup. In 2015, Snyder won his first World gold medal in Las Vegas, Nev., becoming the youngest U.S. World wrestling champion in history at age 19. When he won his 2016 Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he became the youngest U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal at age 20. He won his second World title in Paris, France in 2017, defeating Olympic and World champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia in what was called the Match of the Century. Snyder became the first U.S. man to win back-to-back Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix gold medals, with victories in both 2017 and 2018. He was a 2015 Pan American Games champion, and added a 2017 Pan American Championships gold medal. He added a U.S. Open title in 2015. Snyder was a 2013 Junior World champion and 2014 Junior World bronze medalist. In college, Snyder is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist for Ohio State University. He goes for his third NCAA title as a senior later this week at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Snyder's NCAA titles came in 2016 and 2017, and he was second in the 2015 NCAA Championships. He is a three-time Big Ten champion. He was a three-time National Prep School champion for Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Maryland, and was named ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year after his junior season there. As a senior, Snyder was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete and did not compete in high school wrestling, concentrating on international freestyle. He graduated from Coronado High School in Colorado. USA Wrestling will announce one World Cup participant in each of the 10 weight classes each day through March 14. In addition to these 10 athletes, additional athletes will be added to the team roster, with at least two wrestlers in each weight class. The USA has drawn into Pool A against the nations of Japan, Georgia, and Iran. Pool B consists of teams from Russia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Iran is the defending World Cup team champions. This will be the first major international event for the U.S. men's freestyle program, since the United States won the team title at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France last August. It was the first World Team Title for the USA in men's freestyle in 22 years and only the third time in history. Ticket opportunities for the World Cup include a Gold all-session package ($225), a Black all-session package ($150), and standard all-session tickets ($75/$50). Tickets are now available on the University of Iowa Athletics website. Visit worldcupiowacity.com for more information on the event. FREESTYLE WORLD CUP At Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8 U.S. men's freestyle lineup (as of March 13) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids/Nebraska WTC) 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake, Ithaca, N.Y. (Titan Mercury WC/Finger Lakes WC) 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Titan Mercury WC/Nittany Lion WC) 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - J'den Cox, Columbia, Mo. (Titan Mercury WC/Missouri WF) 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 125 kg/275 lbs. - National Freestyle Coaches - Bill Zadick, Kevin Jackson and Joe Russell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Honorary Coaches - Dan Gable (Iowa City, Iowa), J Robinson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mike Duroe (Marion, Iowa) Additional U.S. athletes and delegation members will also be named. Kyle Snyder's previous World Cup results 2017 World Cup, Kermanshah, Iran, Feb. 16-17 WIN Zviadi Metreveli (Georgia), 11-0 tech. fall WIN Yury Belonovskiy (Russia), 11-2 LOSS Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan), 5-4 WIN Amir Mohammadi (Iran), 6-0 2016 World Cup Inglewood, CA, June 11-12 WIN Kadian Satywart (India), 10-0, tech. fall WIN Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan), 2-1 WIN Abbas Tahan (Iran), 8-1 WIN Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia), 3-3 KYLE SNYDER Residence: Woodbine, Md. Club: Titan Mercury WC College: Ohio State High School: Olney, Md. (Our Lady of Good Counsel), Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coronado) Born: Nov. 20, 1995 Weight Class: 97 kg/213 lbs. • 2016 Olympic champion • Two-time World Champion (2015, 2017) • 2013 Junior World Champion • Third in 2014 Junior World Championships • Two-time Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix champion (2017, 2018) • 2015 Pan American Games champion • 2017 Pan American Championships champion • 2016 World Cup champion • 2015 U.S. Open champion • Two-time NCAA champion for Ohio State (2016-17)

Reaching All-American status as an unseeded wrestler is tough. Last season, there were 170 unseeded wrestlers and only three, Alex Kocer (South Dakota State), Paul Fox (Stanford) and Jake Residori (SIUE), ended up becoming All-Americans. This weekend, another 170 will try to accomplish this feat. The following is a preview of one wrestler in each weight who could go from unseeded to the podium. Note: The ranking listed below is the InterMat ranking heading into the tournament, not the tournament seed. 125: No. 16 RayVon Foley (Michigan State) The random draw did not do Foley any favors. In the first round, he will face returning champion No. 1 Darian Cruz (Lehigh). Despite the draw, the true freshman has a shot to go from unseeded to All-American. In his first season for the Spartans, he went 28-9 and knocked off the likes of Drew Mattin (Michigan) and No. 15 Luke Welch (Purdue). Both Mattin and Welch defeated Foley in their first meeting this season, but Foley showed that he is improving and won the rematches. EIWA finalist Chaz Tucker of Cornell enters the NCAAs unseeded (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 133: No. 18 Chaz Tucker (Cornell) It would be pretty shocking if Tucker found his way to the podium, but stranger things have happened. He went 22-10 this season, but he certainly saved his best for last. At the EIWA tournament, he upset No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) to reach the finals. In the finale, he nearly pulled off another upset against No. 6 Scott Parker (Lehigh), but he ended up losing in overtime. The former Blair Academy wrestler is certainly on the map now. In his first match in Cleveland, he will face the ninth seed No. 14 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech). 141: No. 15 Vince Turk (Iowa) The 141-pound spot was a question mark for Iowa all season. The Hawkeyes even reportedly held wrestle-offs the week before the Big Ten tournament to decide on their entry. Evidently Turk won that match and went on to have a solid tournament. He entered the field unseeded and picked up wins over No. 16 Chad Red (Nebraska) and No. 20 Eli Stickley (Wisconsin) on the way to a fifth-place finish. His road towards All-American status gets started early in a pigtail match against Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven). 149: No. 16 Jared Prince (Navy) Prince almost did not get the opportunity to represent the Midshipmen at the EIWA tournament. After a few turns of the rumor mill, he ended up getting the shot over senior Corey Wilding. Prince ended up finishing third with his only loss coming against eventual champion No. 9 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton). He missed a lot of time this season, but he almost ended up as an All-American last year at 141. Prince certainly has a shot to reach the podium as an unseeded wrestler. 157: No. 17 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) In his first season as a starter, Monday certainly took some lumps. His record currently stands at 18-15, but he has the tools to make a dark-horse run through his bracket. During the year, he defeated multiple ranked wrestlers including No. 19 John Van Brill (Rutgers), No. 14 Jake Short (Minnesota) and No. 13 Tyler Berger (Nebraska). If Monday is able to keep opponents off his legs, he should be able to score on pretty much everyone. In March, matches slow down, and the ability to land a nice blast double can become a huge asset. 165: No. 16 Connor Flynn (Missouri) It might not have come against the toughest competition, but in this calendar year, Flynn has gone 9-1 and won a MAC title. His only loss during the stretch came against No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State. The bad news for Flynn is that 165 pounds is an extremely deep weight class. On the other hand, sometimes momentum can help carry a wrestler on an unlikely run in the NCAA tournament. 174: No. 18 Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern) In a testament to the depth of the Big Ten, Sebastian dropped a pair of decisions against No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) and No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) and ended up finishing fourth. During the season, the Northwestern wrestler did not have very many ranked wins, but he did show that he can win low and high-scoring matches. His ability to adapt to different types of matches will serve him well in the NCAA tournament. 184: No. 19 Brandon Krone (Minnesota) Krone does not have a very flashy record this season. After the Big Ten tournament, his record stands at 11-8, but it does not really tell the whole story. Half of his losses came early in the season when he was bouncing back and forth between 174 and 197 pounds. Since settling in as the starter at 184, he has been much more steady. The odds are still stacked against Krone. However, he is a dominant rider. He is able to change matches from the top position, and he used this to score a pair of impressive victories over No. 20 Mitch Bowman (Iowa). It will take a surprising run for Krone to reach the podium, but his riding ability is a very nice tool to have in his toolbox. 197: No. 13 Jake Smith (West Virginia) Smith missed out on the NCAA tournament last season after suffering an injury at the Big 12 tournament. He had an up-and-down season this year, but he had a nice showing at the conference tournament. Smith knocked off Sammy Colbray (Iowa State) and No. 8 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) before falling against No. 7 Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) in the finals. 197 has been a confusing weight all season long, and Smith has the experience and toughness to take advantage of an opening in the bracket. 285: No. 15 Cory Gillilland-Daniel (North Carolina) Since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Gillilland-Daniel went 15-2 and took second in the ACC. He was quietly plowing through the competition before he knocked off No. 16 Michael Boykin (NC State) at the ACC tournament. The Tar Heel ended up losing to No. 3 Jacob Kasper (Duke) in the finals, but the Boykin win certainly turned some heads. In his first-round match, he will face No. 10 Jordan Wood (Lehigh). The two have never met before, but a win could signal a long run for Gillilland-Daniel.