NCAA DI Championships Session IV Results & Notes
Photo: Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, pictured in an earlier bout against Illinois’ Edmond Ruth, won a thriller in the semis against Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly, 4-1 SV-1. Photo by Sam Janicki.
Session IV Notes
125 Semis:
(4) Vincent Robinson (NC State) dec. (8) Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh), 4-2
The Wolfpack freshman scored an escape and converted a double leg in the second period to separate himself from the Mountain Hawk and punch his ticket to the 125-pound final match.
(7) Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) dec. (3) Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), 6-4 TB
The Cowboy escaped and scored a quick knee-pull single takedown in the tiebreaker period before fending off the Hokie for a National finals berth.
133 Semis:
(1) Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. (4) Zeth Romney (Cal Poly), 2-0
The Illini senior used a second period escape and a third period ride out to slip past the Mustang and earn a spot in the finals.
(2) Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec. (14) Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin), 6-1.
Ayala gave the Hawkeyes a finalist for the 35th-straight year as the returning finalist broke open a low-scoring affair with a takedown and two nearfall points just before the buzzer sounded in the second frame.
141 Semis:
(1) Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. (4) Cael Happel (Northern Iowa), 11-4
Avenging an earlier loss to the Panther, Hardy struck first with two takedowns in the first period and added another neutral score and point for riding time advantage to cruise to a comfortable victory.
(3) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec. (2) Beau Bartlett (Penn State), 2-1 TB
After nearly scoring two successive takedowns as time expired in regulation, Mendez’ escape was the difference in the tiebreaker as he avenged two earlier-season losses to the Nittany Lion.
149 Semis:
(1) Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec. (13) Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State), 6-2
After surrendering a second period reversal, the defending NCAA champ Hokie pulled away in the third with an escape, takedown and point for riding time advantage.
(2) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec. (3) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State), 14-8
The Husker built a 7-0 lead in the first minute of the bout, racking up a takedown, four-point near fall and another three-point near fall before the first frame ended. Van Ness scored two takedowns late, but Lovett punched his ticket back to the NCAA finals after reaching the same milestone in 2022.
157 Semis:
(8) Joey Blaze (Purdue) dec. (20) Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern), 4-2
The Boilermaker used a first period takedown to build a lead against his Big Ten counterpart before the pair traded escapes, but the Wildcat was unable to score in the final frame, sending the sophomore Blaze to his first NCAA final.
(3) Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) dec. (2) Meyer Shapiro (Cornell), 7-2
The Husker sophomore punched his ticket to the NCAA finals after finishing eighth at 165 pounds last season by two third period takedowns in the final minute of the match.
165 Semis:
(1) Mitch Mesenbrink (Penn State) maj. (13) Christopher Minto (Nebraska), 13-2
The defending NCAA runner-up scored a takedown in all three periods and added an escape, two stalling points and a riding time point to secure a major decision for the Nittany Lions.
(3) Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) dec. (2) Peyton Hall (WVU), 14-10
The Hawkeye scored nine points in the first period and controlled the remainder of the bout, as the pair traded takedowns late in the final frame.
174 Semis:
(1) Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) dec. (13) Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), 7-6
The two-time NCAA champion survived a late scare from the upset-minded Jackrabbit, as the Tiger used a first period takedown and third period reversal before defending off a late single leg attempt to secure the victory.
(3) Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) dec. (2) Levi Haines (Penn State), 4-2
The Cowboy scored a takedown just 12 seconds into the bout and fended off several late leg attacks by the Nittany Lion to reach his first NCAA finals appearance.
184 Semis:
(1) Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. (4) Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 9-3
The Nittany Lion will return to the NCAA final for a record-setting fifth time after using two first period takedowns and a second period reversal to defeat the defending runner-up Cowboy.
(2) Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec. (3) Max McEnelly (Minnesota), 4-1 SV-1
The defending 184-pound champion scored a takedown in the overtime period on a successful funk roll after several tangling scrambles with the Gopher freshman.
197 Semis:
(4) Josh Barr (Penn State) dec. (1) Jacob Cardenas (Michigan), 5-3
The Nittany Lion freshman avenged his Big Ten loss by scoring a first period takedown and fending off the veteran Wolverine in the final frame to secure a spot in the 197-pound final.
(2) Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) dec. (3) AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield), 3-0
The Hawkeye rode Ferrari out for the second period, scored a third period escape, and was awarded a technical violation point for locked hands to extend his lead to 3-0. Buchanan nearly scored on a single leg attempt on the edge for extra cushion late but clinched the victory regardless.
285 Semis:
(1) Gable Steveson (Minnesota) maj. (4) Owen Trephan (Lehigh), 13-5
Trephan hung around with the two-time NCAA champ, trailing 7-3 in the third period, before the Gopher veteran secured two more takedowns to secure a major decision.
(2) Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) dec. (3) Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), 8-2
The Cowboy scored takedowns in the first and third period while adding an escape and riding time point to cruise past the defending NCAA champion Nittany Lion.
