Iowa NCAA Wrestling Bracket Reactions – FloWrestling

Second-ranked Iowa stayed within the title battle till halfway by way of the ultimate spherical on the Massive Ten Championships earlier than Penn State pulled away and claimed the crown. 

The Hawkeyes scored 134.5 factors on the convention match and claimed 10 computerized qualifying spots for the NCAA Wrestling Championships — a powerful displaying however not sufficient to take down a mighty Penn State squad with 4 returning NCAA champions. 

However the NCAA Championships are a special animal. An even bigger animal. And for Iowa to stay within the title race deep into the match, the Hawkeyes are going to have to succeed in one other degree and sure get some assist from different groups as nicely. 

Try the total NCAA brackets. 

Right here’s a have a look at the bracket path for every of the ten Hawkeyes headed to Tulsa: 

125 kilos — #1 seed Spencer Lee 

Spencer Lee takes intention at a fourth NCAA title in a bracket that features 11 wrestlers he’s confronted at one level in his profession, none of whom have stayed inside 5 factors or fewer in opposition to him. The Iowa senior is 17-0 this season with 15 bonus-point victories. For his profession, he’s 95-5 with an 81-percent bonus charge. 

5 wrestlers within the bracket are within the 19-percent class, avoiding bonus factors in opposition to Lee at one level  — Princeton’s second-seeded Patrick Glory (a 12-6 loss on the Midlands in 2018), Nebraska’s third-seeded Liam Cronin (an 8-2 loss final weekend within the Massive Ten finals), #10 seed Brandon Courtney of Arizona State (a 7-0 loss within the 2021 NCAA finals), #11 Patrick McKee of Minnesota (a 7-1 loss earlier this season) and #16 Jack Medley (an 8-1 loss throughout the 2020 season). It’s value mentioning that Lee has additionally registered wins by pin or technical fall in faculty in opposition to everybody in that group besides Courtney. 

Medley is the one considered one of that bunch who’s on the highest facet of the bracket in Tulsa with Lee. They might collide in Thursday evening’s second spherical. Lee dusted Medley 17-0 final weekend throughout the Massive Ten quarterfinals. 

There’s a risk that Lee’s path to the finals may embrace three Massive Ten opponents with the potential for bouts in opposition to Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett within the quarterfinals and Purdue’s Matt Ramos within the semis. Ramos raced out to an early 8-1 lead in opposition to Lee in January when he tossed the Hawkeye to his again earlier than Lee rallied again and scored a fall later within the interval. 

133 kilos — #24 seed Brody Teske 

Teske is making his third journey to the NCAA Wrestling Championships and first as a Hawkeye after qualifying twice at 125 kilos for Northern Iowa. He went 2-2 in his earlier two photographs on the nationwide match. 

This time round, he’s the #24 seed at 133. Teske takes a 9-4 file into Tulsa after knee points restricted his availability early within the season. He opens the match in opposition to Pittsburgh’s Micky Phillippi, a five-time NCAA qualifier who reached the Spherical of 12 every of the previous two years. If Teske can get previous Phillippi, there’s a second-round bout ready in opposition to both Massive Ten runner-up Aaron Nagao of Minnesota or Oklahoma’s Wyatt Henson, who transferred from Iowa after final season. 

A loss to Phillippi, although, would bounce Teske into the consolations, the place he’d run into the Nagao-Henson loser on the onset of a difficult path to the rostrum. 

141 kilos — #1 seed Actual Woods 

Woods seized the #1 seed at 141 after following up an undefeated common season with a Massive Ten title. The Stanford switch was excellent in all three positions throughout his three seasons with the Cardinal, however the high place has grow to be a serious weapon for the returning All-American this season. Woods has been ultra-aggressive early, usually racing out to massive leads due to fast takedowns adopted by tilts. 

He’ll open the match in opposition to the winner of the preliminary spherical bout between Maryland’s Kal Miller and Bloomsburg’s Josh Mason. After that, he may get Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio or Navy’s Josh Koderhandt.

If he takes care of enterprise on Thursday, a Massive 12 opponent might be ready for Woods in Friday’s quarterfinal spherical. Oklahoma’s Mosha Schwartz, Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski and Missouri’s Allan Hart are all a part of Woods’ quarter bracket. 

If Woods can navigate his method to the semis, there’s a possible for a Massive Ten championship rematch with Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, the #4 seed. They’ve met twice this season with Woods successful 6-4 in January and 2-1 within the Massive Ten finals. 

149 kilos — #8 seed Max Murin 

Murin is making an attempt to punch by way of to the rostrum for the primary time in his last match with the Hawkeyes. He’s a five-time NCAA qualifier who reached the Spherical of 12 in every of his earlier three journeys to the match. Reaching the medal stand this time round will probably be straightforward job for the senior. 

Murin opens the match in opposition to Edinboro’s Ryan Burgos. A gap-round win units him up for a battle Thursday evening in opposition to both #9 seed Jonathan Millner of Appalachian State or #24 seed Victor Voinovich of Oklahoma State. Millner defeated Murin 8-1 within the blood spherical final yr in Detroit, whereas Voinovich examined Murin in Iowa Metropolis final month earlier than the Hawkeye prevailed 4-3. 

If Murin can punch by way of to the quarters, he’ll probably run into the man who bounced him to the bottom final yr — three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell. 

157 kilos — #14 seed Cobe Siebrecht 

The Hawkeyes entered the season with a emptiness to fill at 157 kilos after the commencement of four-year starter Kaleb Younger. Siebrecht grabbed maintain of the job early within the season and didn’t let go, posting wins alongside the best way in opposition to All-Individuals Brayton Lee and Will Lewan. 

A seventh-place end on the Massive Ten Championships probably dropped him down a couple of notches within the seedings for the nationwide match. 

There’s no straightforward path as a #14 seed and that’s definitely the case for Siebrecht. He opens the match in opposition to Wisconsin’s Garrett Mannequin. Siebrecht prevailed 3-2 once they clashed in January. If Siebrecht can get previous Mannequin once more, he’d probably run into third-seeded Peyton Robb of Nebraska in Thursday evening’s second spherical. Robb managed issues in January when he downed Siebrecht 7-2. 

165 kilos — #6 seed Patrick Kennedy 

Kennedy is entering into maybe the match’s deepest bracket in his first journey to the NCAA Wrestling Match. The load boasts three NCAA champs, one other returning finalist and three returning All-Individuals who’re seeded tenth or decrease — #10 Carson Kharchla of Ohio State, #11 Cameron Amine of Michigan and #14 Peyton Corridor of West Virginia. 

So it’s no shock that Kennedy has drawn a lower than favorable bracket path. He opens the match in opposition to Appalachian State’s Will Formato, who handed Kennedy a 6-4 time beyond regulation loss final season on the Southern Scuffle. 

A win there may set Kennedy up for a second-round battle in opposition to Amine, a rematch of the Massive Ten semifinal that Kennedy received 3-2 on a late takedown. The winner there may collide with a returning All-American — Corridor or #3 seed Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin. Hamiti beat Kennedy 4-3 in January and 9-6 within the Massive Ten finals. 

If every little thing within the bracket performs out the best way it’s seeded and Kennedy falls within the quarters, he’d sq. off in opposition to Griffith within the blood spherical. 

174 kilos — #11 seed Nelson Manufacturers 

Manufacturers is 10-6 this season and almost all of his matches have been up for grabs after six minutes. His solely bonus-point win got here on Dec. 4 in opposition to Iowa State’s M.J. Gaitan. Since then, he’s registered wins in opposition to #5 seed Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State and #9 Edmond Ruth of Illinois and he’s been no straightforward out for two-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci of Penn State, who beat Manufacturers 2-1 or Nebraska’s #2 Mike Labriola, who beat Manufacturers 3-2 and 5-2, the latter of which the Husker sealed on a takedown within the closing seconds. 

The purpose is, Manufacturers figures to be in a whole lot of shut matches in Tulsa, and a whole lot of outcomes are on the desk for his bracket path. 

He opens with North Carolina State’s Alex Faison and will run into Ohio State’s sixth-seeded Ethan Smith within the second spherical. Manufacturers has no historical past with the Buckeye. If he can get previous Smith, Manufacturers would probably run into two-time NCAA finalist and 2019 champ Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech. 

If Manufacturers will get knocked into the consolations on Day 1, there’s the potential of a blood spherical battle in opposition to a well-recognized Massive Ten foe — Ruth or Minnesota’s Bailee O’Reilly. 

184 kilos — #12 seed Abe Assad 

Assad appeared to be positioned for a high 10 seed till he positioned seventh on the Massive Ten Championships, however he’s not in a foul spot because the #12 seed. He opens the match in opposition to Buffalo’s Giuseppe Hoose. Assad registered a 22-7 technical fall — his highest-scoring output of the season — once they met in November. 

A gap-round win would probably set Assad up with a Thursday evening battle in opposition to Iowa State’s Marcus Coleman. The fifth-seeded Cyclone received their December assembly 3-2 on a takedown within the last minute, however Assad put himself in place to attain a number of occasions throughout the match. 

If he can attain the quarterfinals, Assad may run into #4 seed Trey Munoz of Oregon State. If he will get tripped up on Thursday evening, Assad’s path to the rostrum may a blood spherical battle with somebody equivalent to #7 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech or #10 Travis Wittlake of Oklahoma State. 

197 kilos — #14 seed Jacob Warner 

The margins are small in a deep 197-pound bracket and maybe no competitor within the bracket illustrates that greater than Warner. The returning NCAA finalist is 16-6 this season and his losses have come by a mixed 10 factors. But he’s headed again to the nationwide match because the #14 seed. 

Don’t rule out one other run by the Iowa 197-pounder in Tulsa, although he’s dealing with a rigorous bracket path. Warner opens the match in opposition to Michigan State’s Cam Caffey. Warner has received all 4 of their conferences in faculty, however they’ve been aggressive and Warner received the final one 3-2 on the Massive Ten Championships. 

A win there probably units Warner up with a second-round battle in opposition to Missouri’s Rocky Elam. They wrestled in November on the NWCA All-Star Basic, the place Elam prevailed 8-6 in time beyond regulation. 

285 kilos — #4 seed Tony Cassioppi 

Cassioppi has been a mannequin of consistency throughout his profession with the Hawkeyes and that’s held true this yr. He enters the NCAA Championships with a 73-13. Eleven of these losses have come in opposition to Massive Ten titans Gable Steveson, Mason Parris and Greg Kerkvliet. 

It was a digital certainty that Cassioppi would land on the identical facet of the bracket as considered one of his Massive Ten rivals. He landed up high with Parris. 

There’s some work that must be achieved to get there first. Cassioppi opens the match in opposition to Maryland’s Jaron Smith. A win there units him up with a Thursday evening assembly in opposition to Northern Iowa’s Tyrell Gordon or Oklahoma State’s Konner Doucet. Cassioppi has by no means confronted Gordon, however he defeated Doucet 4-0 in February. 

If he can get again to the quarterfinals, there’s the potential for a showdown in opposition to returning nationwide finalist Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State. They battled twice on the 2021 NCAA Championships, the place Cassioppi prevailed 4-1 and 5-0. 

A win there may set the stage for one more showdown with Parris, who received a 9-7 determination once they wrestled in February.