Penn State sends six, Michigan five to NCAA Semifinals

Photos: Left, Cameron Amine avenged a Big Ten championship loss to Iowa’s Alex Marinelli at 165 pounds in the NCAA quarterfinals on Friday. Also advancing to the semifinals was Penn State’s Nick Lee (right), who scored a fall at 141 pounds. (Sam Janicki photos)

By Mike Finn & Tristan Warner

DETROIT, MICH. — Penn State and Michigan have been considered the top two teams to win the 2022 NCAA Division I team championships and both Big Ten programs will send plenty of its wrestlers into this year’s semifinals.

The odd part is neither the six Nittany Lions nor the five Wolverines, who remain alive to win an individual championship at one of 10 weight classes, will not meet in the semifinals that begin Friday night at 8 p.m. EDT in Little Caesars Arena.

Team Standings after Quarterfinals

Brackets after Quarterfinals

The following are the 2022 semifinal matchups:

125 pounds

#1 Nick Suriano (Michigan) vs. #4 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)

#3 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. #2 Vito Arujau (Cornell)

133 pounds

#1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. #5 Austin DeSanto (Iowa)

#3 Michael McGee (Arizona State) vs. #2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)

141 pounds

#1 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. #4 Real Woods (Stanford)

#6 Cole Matthews (Pitt) vs. #15 Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)

149 pounds

#1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. #4 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

#11 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs. #10 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)

157 pounds

#8 Will Lewan (Michigan) vs. #5 Quincy Monday (Princeton)

#3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) vs. #2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)

165 pounds

#1 Evan Wick (Cal Poly) vs. #5 Shane Griffith (Stanford)

#6 Cameron Amine (Michigan) vs. #2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)

174 pounds

#1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. #4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State)

#3 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)

184 pounds

#1 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. #5 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)

#3 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. #2 Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

197 pounds

#1 Pat Dean (Penn State) vs. #21 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State)

#6 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #2 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)

Heavyweight

#1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. #4 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

#6 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) vs. #2 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)

Return to WIN’s Championships Central

Overall, Penn State, leads the field with 73 points, followed by Michigan (62.5), Arizona State (53), Iowa (37.5) and NC State (37).  The Nittany Lions do not have any athletes remaining in the consolation wrestlebacks, while the Wolverines feature three wrestlers who remain alive to earn All-American honors.

The quarterfinals were a strong round for Pac-12 teams, especially Arizona State that features four semifinals, while both Cal Poly and Stanford saw two of its wrestlers win quarterfinal bouts.

Among the more notable head-to-head semifinal meetings will come at 165 pounds, where there will be a battle between two Pac-12 wrestlers: defending champion Shane Griffith of Stanford and Cal Poly’s Evan Wick, who is ranked No, 1 at the weight after beating the Cardinal three times before they arrived in Detroit.

There will also be a rematch of Ivy League rivals, Cornell’s Vito Arujau and Princeton’s Pat Glory, who were forced to miss the past two NCAAs and split a pair of matches this past season. Both the Big Red and Tigers each sent two wrestlers to the semifinals.

The following are quarterfinals highlights, which took place Friday afternoon.

125 pounds

#1 Nick Suriano (Michigan) pinned #24 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 2:19 – Scoring crucial championship bracket advancement and bonus points for the Wolverines, the top-seeded Suriano, leading 4-1, tossed and flattened Latona in 2:19 before flexing for the home Michigan crowd.

#4 Brandon Courtney (NC State) dec. #5 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia), 3-2 – The Sun Devil became a two-time All-American, stifling the Mountaineer’s comeback attempt late and advancing to the semis on the strength of an early first-period takedown.

#3 Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. 11. Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), 8-3 — The Tiger scored a takedown in each period, with the third coming with a minute left and alongside the edge of the mat after it appeared that Kaylor was about to score on Glory. The Princeton All-American also added a 1:35 riding time advantage.

#2 Vito Arujua (Cornell) dec. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) 6-0 — The Big Red All-American scored takedowns in the first and third period and rode the Wildcat for a 2:06 riding time advantage.

133 pounds

#1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. #25 Brian Courtney (Virginia), 13-6 – The returning NCAA champion scored a takedown in eight seconds, added four more takedowns and never looked back, controlling the unexpected Cavalier quarterfinalist in a match that was plagued by several long coaches’ challenges.

#5 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) major dec. #4 Korbin Myers (VT), 9-0 – Leading 7-0 — after scoring a four-point nearfall with 52 seconds left in the second period — and with riding time assured in the final 20 seconds, the Hawkeye shot and scored late to secure bonus points for Iowa and a berth into the semifinals.

#3 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec #6 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), 8-7 — Trailing 4-3 entering the third period — after each wrestler scored a takedown —the Sun Devil scored off a reversal to open the period, then added another takedown with 1:37 left. The Wolverine did score a reversal to tie the bout 7-7 with 1:20 left, but then cut McGee 11 seconds later hoping to scoring another takedown.

#2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) pinned #10 Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 1:53 – Leading 2-0 on a takedown scored midway through the first period, the Cowboy caught the Wildcat on his back outside the circle but still scored the fall.

141 pounds

#1 Nick Lee (Penn State) pinned #8 Grant Willits (Oregon State), 3:45 – Leading 3-0 in the second period, the returning NCAA champion got tangled up in a scramble position but was able to leverage the Beaver onto his back and hold him there for a fall, securing big bonus points for the Nittany Lions.

#4 Real Woods (Stanford) won by TF over #12 CJ Composto (Penn), 16-0 (4:06) – Stanford’s Woods dominated from the top position, securing a quick takedown and then racking up several sets of four-point nearfall counts via tilt for a semifinal berth and guaranteed All-American finish.

#6 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. #3 Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers), 6-5 — After falling behind 2-0 on a Rivera takedown a minute into the match, the Panther came back to score two takedowns; one with 34 seconds left in the first period and a second with 50 seconds left in the match to lead 6-3. The Scarlet Knight cut the margin to one on an escape and stalling point against Matthews.

#15 Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina) dec. #10 Jake Bergeland (Minnesota), 3-0 — The former American University transfer earned his first All-American honor scoring a takedown in the first period then rode the Gopher the entire third period for a 2:58 riding time advantage.

149 pounds

#1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. #8 Max Murin (Iowa), 6-3. – Cornell’s two-time NCAA champion broke out of a scoreless first period with a takedown in the second and third period for a workmanlike decision.

#4 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec. #5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State), 5-1 OT – The returning NCAA finalist Buckeye caught the head and ankle of Parco in a sudden victory scramble, establishing control for a takedown and two near fall swipes 24 seconds into the overtime period.

#11 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) pinned #3 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin), 6:30 – In an exciting match that saw both wrestlers display upper-body throwns, the Hokie countered a cement mixer to give him a 10-5 lead and an fall after Gomez ended up on his back. Gomez scored the match’s first takedown before Andonian added his own to lead 3-2 after one period. A second-period takedown enlarged the Hokie’s lead to 6-4 entering the third when Andonian scored two more takedowns, when it appeared Gomez was ready to score.

#10 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) pinned #2 Tariq Wilson, 4:16 – Trailing 2-1 after giving up a first-period takedown to the Wolfpacker, the Husker made the most of his riding position in the second frame when he used a pair of cross-faced cradles to first take a 5-2 lead, then used a similar hold to pin Wilson.

157 pounds

#8 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec. #17 Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 3-1 – The surprise semifinalist Wolverine scored a first-period takedown and held on for his first guaranteed All-American finish and semifinal berth.

#5 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. #4 Ed Scott (NC State), 5-3 – The Tiger advanced to the semis for the first time on the strength of first- and third-period takedowns and the avoidance of a powerful cement mixer attempt by the Wolfpack freshman.

#3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) dec. #6 Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 5-3 — The Sun Devil scored two takedowns; one with 57 seconds left in the first and a second with 52 seconds left in the second to give him a 4-2 lead.

#2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. #7 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), 6-1 — The Wildcat scored two takedowns, the second coming with 12 seconds in the second period, then rode out the MountainHawk the entire third period for a 2:28 riding time advantage.

165 pounds

#1 Evan Wick (Cal Poly) dec. #9 Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 6-2 – A first-period takedown and turn was all Evan Wick needed to secure a spot in tonight’s semifinal, as the Mustang held on for a 6-2 victory.

#5 Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec. #4 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), 10-4 – The returning NCAA champion made the most of several counter attack opportunities, scoring four takedowns on his way to a decision and an all-PAC 12 semifinal against top-seeded Evan Wick (Cal Poly).

#6 Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec. #3 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 3-1 sv — The Wolverine used a blast double with 12 seconds left in overtime to avenge his Big Ten championship loss to the Hawkeye. Marinelli appeared to have scored a takedown in the first period before a video review erased that score.

#2 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) dec. #7 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), 2-0 — The Tiger advanced to the semis by scoring a second-period escape and riding out the Buckeye the third period for a 1:41 riding time advantage. The Ohio State corner challenged for a third-period reversal but was not allowed.

174 pounds

#1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. #9 Mike Labriola (Nebraska), 6-2 – The defending NCAA Champion Nittany Lion opened up a scoreless bout with takedowns in the second and third period to advance into tonight’s semis.

#4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) dec. #5 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 5-3 – In a battle of four-time All-Americans, the Wolfpack senior prevailed with two takedowns and an escape to hold off the seventh-year senior Hawkeye.

#3 Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. #6 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 8-3 — The Wolverine earned his third All-American honor by scoring three takedowns — one each with a minute left in each period — and added a riding time point.

#2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec. #10 Clay Lautt (North Carolina), 4-2  — In a rematch of the ACC championship match, the Hokie won again on the strength of a first-period takedown and a 1:20 riding time advantage.

184 pounds

#1 Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. #9 Zach Braunagel (Illinois), 12-5 – The Wolverine became a five-time All-American as he scored four takedowns and a two-point near fall en route to a 12-5 decision. He surrendered a late escape with 18 ticks on the clock to finish one point shy of a bonus point victory.

#5 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) dec. #4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 6-5 – The Mustangs went two-for-two in the quarters, as Truax scored two takedowns and punched his second-straight trip to the semis by holding off a late takedown attempt by Keckeisen on the edge of the mat.

#3 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. #6 Trey Munoz (Oregon State), 6-2 – The Wolfpacker scored two takedowns, including a second with 15 seconds left in a third period that Hidlay also earned a 1:44 riding time advantage.

#2 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) major dec. #7 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State), 13-2 — The defending champ dominated the Buckeye by scoring five takedowns — two in both the first and third periods — and added a 2:28 riding time advantage.

197 pounds

#1 Max Dean (Penn State) dec. #8 Lou Deprez (Binghamton), 4-3 – Trailing in the third period, a long scramble and subsequent stalemate was reversed for a takedown after a Penn State coaches’ challenge, as the top-seeded Nittany Lion hung on for a narrow decision. The Binghamton wrestler used a first-period takedown to lead 2-1.

#21 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) dec. #13 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 5-3 – In a battle of Pennsylvania natives, Hoffman continued his upset streak, taking returning All-American Woodley down twice and clinging to the 5-3 lead for his first guaranteed All-American finish and semifinal berth.

#6 Jacob Warner (Iowa) dec. #3 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 2-0 — The Hawkeye scored an escape in the third period, but more importantly rode the Husker for the entire second frame for a 1:52 riding time advantage.

#2 Stephan Buchanan (Wyoming) dec. #7 Rocky Elam (Missouri), 4-0 — The Cowboy scored his only takedown with 1:12 left it the first period, then used a 3:09 riding time advantage for the shutout.

Heavyweight

#1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) dec. #9 Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 10-5 – After surrendering a rare takedown, the returning NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist responded with four takedowns of his own, an escape and a point for riding time to advance with a decision.

#4 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. #12 Christian Lance (Nebraska), 7-1 – The Nittany Lion coasted to a 7-1 decision on the strength of two takedowns, a reversal and a riding time point to give Penn State its sixth semifinalist.

#6 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec. #3 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), 3-1 sv — The MountainHawk score the bout’s only takedown with 49 seconds left in the overtime.

#2 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) dec. #7 Mason Parris (Michigan), 6-5 — The Sun Devil scored both of his two takedowns in the final 54 seconds to rally against the Wolverine, who led 3-1 entering the third frame with a first-period takedown and second period escape.