Men's Wrestling March 21, 2019

Iowa Hits 9-for-9 in Opening Round of NCAA Championships

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — The University of Iowa wrestling team hit through the batting order Thursday afternoon, batting nine-for-nine in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Championships at PPG Paints Arena.

The Hawkeyes scored bonus points in three bouts. Spencer Lee and Kaleb Young both won by technical fall, and Austin DeSanto forced five stalling calls in 2 minutes, 40 seconds, to win by disqualification.

Iowa got decisions from Max Murin, Pat Lugo, Alex Marinelli, Cash Wilcke, Jacob Warner, and Sam Stoll.

“We’re getting ready for the second session,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “That’s what you do. Nine wins is as good as we could have done. We left some points out there, but we’re better as the tournament goes on.”

Stoll, a returning All-American and the No. 28 seed at 285, won an 8-5 decision against Michigan’s No. 5 Mason Parris.

“Very smart, savvy match,” Brands said. “We stayed good in our positions. He was very smart in using his experience to his advantage. That guy hadn’t felt us before. The next guy is going to feel us and it won’t matter.”

Stoll’s upset was Iowa’s second of the afternoon. Murin, the No. 22 seed at 141, upended No. 11 Tristan Moran of Wisconsin, 3-2. Iowa otherwise held true to its seeds.

Lee scored a pair of takedowns, one reversal, and 12 nearfall points to earn an 18-0 technical fall in six minutes, 27 seconds at 125. DeSanto led 10-3 at 133 pounds before his match was terminated. Young built a 12-0 lead after one period and tacked on two takedowns in the second period to earn a 16-1 technical fall in three minutes, 47 seconds at 157.

Lugo scored two takedowns in the second period and added 1:29 of riding time to win 5-2 at 149. Wilcke’s second-period takedown was the difference in a 3-2 win at 184, and Warner used more than three minutes of riding time to win 9-8 win at 197.

Marinelli, Iowa’s top seed at 165, scored six straight points to erase a 4-1 deficit and defeat former All-American Joseph Smith, 7-4. Marinelli trailed 4-1 in the first period, but escaped and used a second-period rideout to cut the lead to 4-2 entering the third. He escaped to start the third, and finished a single leg at the 1:10 mark to grab a 5-4 lead. He added a penalty point and more than two minutes of riding time for the final 7-4 score.

“That’s a guy I wanted to wrestle and I’m glad it demands my best,” Marinelli said.

Iowa is in fourth place with 14 team points. Penn State sits atop the standings with 21 points. Ohio State (15.5) and Oklahoma State (14.5) are second and third, respectively.

The championships continue Thursday at 6 p.m. (CT). The nine Hawkeyes on the top side of the bracket will compete prior to the wrestle-backs. ESPN and WatchESPN are providing television and online coverage of Session II.

“We have to be ready to go starting with Spencer Lee,” said Brands. “That’s where we are at.”

IOWA’S FIRST ROUND NCAA MATCHUPS (# indicates tournament seed)
125 – #3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech. fall #30 Bryce West (Northern Illinois), 18-0
133 – #7 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) won by stalling disqualification, #26 Cody Russell (Appalachian State), 2:20
141 – #22 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. #11 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin), 3-2
149 – #10 Pat Lugo (Iowa) dec. #23 Joshua Maruca (Arizona State), 5-2
157 – #6 Kaleb Young (Iowa) tech. fall #27 Dan Reed (Columbia), 16-1
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. #33 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State), 7-4
184 – #12 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. #21 Nick Gravina (Rutgers), 3-2
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec. #28 Drew Phipps (Bucknell), 9-8
285 – #29 Sam Stoll (Iowa) dec. #5 Mason Parris (Michigan), 8-5

IOWA’S SECOND ROUND NCAA MATCHUPS
125 – #3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #14 Sean Fausz (NCST)
133 – #7 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. #10 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU)
141 – #22 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. #6 Michael Carr (ILL)
149 – #10 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. #26 Ryan Blees (VT)
157 – #6 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. #11 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU)
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. #16 Thomas Bullard (NCST)
184 – #12 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. #5 Max Dean (Cornell)
197 – #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #21 Thomas Lane (Cal-Poly)
285 – #28 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. #12 Conan Jennings (NU)

TEAM STANDINGS