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ST. LOUIS — Three University of Iowa wrestlers took third place and another finished fourth Saturday in the medal round of the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center.
Thomas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149), and Michael Kemerer (157) each swept a pair of consolation matches and wrapped their seasons with third-place finishes at the national tournament.
Sammy Brooks (184) won his consolation semifinal bout but ended up in fourth place with a loss in the consolation finals.
All told, the Hawkeyes went 7-1 in the medal round and scored 19 team points, moving into fourth place in the team standings.
Gilman, the top-seed at 125, rebounded from his loss in the semifinals with a 5-2 decision over No. 2 Joey Dance and a 13-6 decision against No. 8 Nick Piccininni.
“The bigger deal for me is losing, and then refocusing and coming back,” said Gilman, who finished his career with three All-America honors. “It not only shows the kind of wrestler I am, but the person I am and the wrestler I’ve become. I’m proud of my maturity and my wrestling today.
“I came here on a mission to be a national champion, but sometimes you get blown off course. You get dropped off somewhere else and you fight your way back. I never aborted the mission. The mission just kind of changed a little bit.”
Sorensen, the No. 5 seed and a semifinalist at 149, responded to his championship round defeat with consecutive shutouts. He recorded an 8-0 major decision against No. 6 Solomon Chishko, and a 4-0 decision against No. 4 Micah Jordan.
“You have to continue to move forward,” Sorensen said. “It’s good mentally to come back for third place and finish the best I can. It’s not where I wanted to be, but I’ll learn from my mistakes and keep moving forward.”
Kemerer responded from his quarterfinal defeat with four straight wins on the backside of the bracket. He guaranteed himself a finish no lower than sixth on Friday night, and on Saturday morning he won by major decision over No. 4 Tyler Berger, and used a six-point move in overtime to defeat No. 5 Joe Smith, 7-1, in the consolation finals.
“Third place was the best I could get and it’s good for my confidence to come back and get third,” Kemerer said. “I can come back to this tournament in the future and know that I can win matches no matter how tired and no matter what happens. It feels good.”
Kemerer’s third-place finish is the highest by a Hawkeye freshman since Matt McDonough won the 125-pound title in 2010. He is one of five Iowa All-Americans in 2017. The Hawkeyes’ fifth All-American, Cory Clark, wrestles for the 133-pound NCAA title Saturday night.
The NCAA Championships final round is televised on ESPN and streamed live on ESPNU. The final round will start with the 197-pound finals, move to 285, circle around to 125, and then ascend to 184 pounds.
CONSLATION SEMIFINALS RESULTS
125 – #1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. #2 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 5-2
149 – #5 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) major dec. #6 Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech), 8-0
157 – #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) major dec. #4 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 9-1
184 – #3 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) dec. #6 Myles Martin (Ohio State), 6-2
CONSLOTION FINALS RESULTS
125 – #1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. #8 Nicholas Piccininni (Oklahoma State), 13-6
149 – #5 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. #4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 4-0
157 – #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec.. #5 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State), 7-1 SV
184 – #7 TJ Dudley (Nebraska) pinned #3 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 2:37
FINALS MATCHUPS
197 – #1 J’den Cox (Missouri) vs. #2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota)
285 – #1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. #2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)
125 – # 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) vs. #4 Darian Cruz (Lehigh)
133 – #4 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. #2 Seth Gross (South Dakota State)
141 – #1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. #6 George DiCamillo (Virginia)
149 – #1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. #3 Lavion Mayes (Missouri)
157 – #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. #3 Joey Lavallee (Missouri)
165 – #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. #3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
174 – #5 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. #3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State)
184 – #1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. #2 Bo Nickal (Penn State)
TEAM SCORES
- Penn State 122.0
- Ohio State 106.0
- Oklahoma State 99.0
- Iowa 93.0
- Missouri 82.5
- Virginia Tech 63.5
- Minnesota 62.5
- Cornell 60.5
- Nebraska 59.5
- Michigan 47.5
Attendance: 18,953
