2022 NCAA Division I Championships – 174 Pounds

174 pound Quarterfinals

*Both top-half quarterfinals at 174 featured a battle of two Pennsylvania natives.

#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 periods 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.

174 pounds – Round 2 Notes

No major upsets were witnessed at 174, as all four top seeds advanced. Tomorrow’s top-half quarterfinals will feature all four Pennsylvania natives, as #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) will battle #9 Mike Labriola (Nebraska), while #5 Mike Kemerer (Iowa) will take on #4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State).

174 pounds – Round 1 Notes

The top four seeds all advanced and collected bonus points at 174, as #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) and #4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) picked up falls, while #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) and #3 Logan Massa won via major decision.

In a wild point scoring fest, returning NCAA semifinalist and #7 seed Ethan Smith (Ohio State) lost 13-12 to Tyler Eischens of Stanford. Smith tied the bout with a takedown in the final 20 seconds, but Eischens escaped with eight ticks on the clock to seal the upset victory.

There were five matches that saw the lower-seeded wrestler win.

Purdue’s #25 Gerrit Nijenhuis topped #8 Michael O’Malley (Drexel) in overtime, setting up a round of 16 matchup against fellow Pennsylvania native #9 Michael Labriola (Nebraska).

Northern Illinois’ #22 Mason Kaufman edged Missouri’s #11 Peyton Mocco, 3-1, as the only takedown by the Husky came with 15 seconds left in the first period.

Also, Northern Iowa’s #18 Lance Runyon pinned Oklahoma’s #15 Anthony Mantanona, in 4:14, after the Sooner led 4-2 after one period.

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