Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | 2018 UWW World Cup | Hawk Talk Monthly — March | NCAA Wrestling Central | NCAA Notes | Photo Gallery | Updated Brackets
CLEVELAND — University of Iowa freshman Spencer Lee pinned second-seeded Nathan Tomasello on Friday night to advance to the 125-pound finals of the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Quicken Loans Arena.
Lee led 8-2 before registering a third-period fall in six minutes, four seconds.
“The coaches were telling me to put him down hard once you get the takedown,” Lee said. “They believed in my opportunity, my ability to be able to turn him, and I believe in everything the coaches told me. I went out there, executed what I believed was the right thing to do in that situation.”
Lee is the first Hawkeye true freshman to reach the NCAA finals since Steve Mocco in 2002. Lee, the No. 3 seed, faces Rutgers’ fourth-seeded Nick Suriano in the title match on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT). The match is televised on ESPN2 and streamed at WatchESPN.
Alex Marinelli lost a 5-2 decision to top-seeded Isaiah Martinez in the 165-pound semifinals. He competes in the consolation finals Saturday at 10 a.m. Marinelli is joined by teammates Brandon Sorensen, Michael Kemerer, and Sam Stoll. All three wrestlers advanced through the Round of 12 to secure All-America honors. Cash Wilcke lost a 6-2 decision to top-seeded Kollin Moore and fell one round short of the All-American stand.
QUOTING COACH BRANDS
“There was a lot of wrestling left after this morning, and there was a lot of wrestling left after yesterday. We are getting to the end. We’ve got our guys in positions for placings. Spencer Lee is in the finals, and we’ve got some guys that got upsets. Stoll and Sorensen came back strong. Kemerer came back strong. We’ve got five All-Americans. Marinelli is going to have to come back strong tomorrow morning as well. We are riding a wave right now.”
TEAM STANDINGS
The Hawkeyes went 7-2 on Friday night and moved into third place with 86.5 points. Penn State took the team lead with 120.5 points. Ohio State is in second with 109.5 points. Michigan (73.5) and N.C. State (69.5) round out the top five.
NOTABLES FROM SESSION IV
- Spencer Lee is Iowa’s first true freshman to reach the NCAA finals since Steve Mocco (HWT) placed second in 2002.
- The last Hawkeye freshman, true or redshirt, to reach the finals was Matt McDonough in 2010 (1st, 125).
- Iowa has had at least one finalist in each of the last 29 NCAA Championships.
- With a 9-0 major decision in the “blood round,” Brandon Sorensen became the 20th four-time All-American in program history.
- Iowa has at least five All-Americans for the fifth straight season and 10th time in Brands’ 12 years.
- Sam Stoll’s All-America honor is the first of his career. Stoll injury defaulted in his first NCAA match in 2016 and missed the tournament with an injury in 2017.
SESSION V
The championships continue Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT). ESPNU and WatchESPN are providing television and online coverage of the medal rounds.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
125 – #3 Spencer Lee pinned #2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State), 6:04
165 – #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. #5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 5-2
ROUND OF 12 RESULTS
149 – #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) major dec. #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State), 9-0
157 – #6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec. #2 Joey Lavallee (Missouri), 5-2
197 – #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. #14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa), 6-2
285 – #5 Sam Stoll (Iowa) major dec. #7 Nathan Butler (Stanford), 15-3
CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS RESULTS
149 – #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) major dec. #8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), 13-3
157 – #6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec. #4 Josh Shields (Arizona State), 6-2
285 – #5 Sam Stoll (Iowa) dec. #3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), 5-1 (SV)
MEDAL ROUND MATCHUPS
149 – #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. #11 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton)
157 – #6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan)
165 – #5 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. #10 Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
285 – #5 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. #4 Jacob Kasper (Duke)
TEAM STANDINGS
- Penn State 120.5
- Ohio State 109.5
- IOWA 86.5
- Michigan 73.5
- NC State 69.5
- Missouri 51.5
- Virginia Tech 44.5
- Cornell 43.0
- Rutgers 42.5
- Arizona State 37.0
Attendance: 18,680
