ST. LOUIS — The University of Iowa is sending five wrestlers to the NCAA Championship semifinals for the first time since 2010 following quarterfinal action Friday evening at the Enterprise Center.
Spencer Lee, Austin DeSanto, Jaydin Eierman, Michael Kemerer and Tony Cassioppi picked up wins in the quarters to move one step closer to Saturday night’s NCAA finals. All five wrestlers have secured All-America honors.
Iowa has nine wrestlers still alive in the tournament. The Hawkeyes lead the team race with 73.5 points. Penn State is in second with 57.5.
Four Hawkeyes on the backside of the bracket are within one win of the medal stand. Kaleb Young picked up a pair of wins in the wrestlebacks to advance to the Round of 12. On the top side of the bracket, Max Murin and Alex Marinelli dropped overtime decisions, and Jacob Warner fell 3-2 in the quarters.
Four of Iowa’s five wins in the championship round included bonus points. Lee, DeSanto and Kemerer all won by major decision, and Eierman added a fall. The Hawkeyes have scored bonus points in 16 of 25 tournament wins.
Lee scored a takedown in the first, escaped in the second and piled on seven points in the third, including a reversal, four nearfall and a point for riding time to win 10-2 at 125 pounds. He is in the NCAA semis for the third time in his career.
DeSanto matched Lee’s major decision with his third bonus-point win of the tournament. He scored two of his five takedowns in the third and added a point for riding time to win, 13-5, at 133.
Eierman wrestled a scoreless first period before escaping in the second, locking up a cradle and ending the match with a fall at three minutes, 49 seconds.
Kemerer scored his fifth takedown in the closing seconds of the third period to put bonus points on his 13-4 quarterfinal win.
Cassioppi won by 4-1 decision, completing a takedown and rideout with one minute, five seconds left in the third to advance at 285.
