Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis celebrates after beating Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Juan Garcia)Link: Team Scores & Brackets
PITTSBURGH -- Six months after stunning the field at the Junior World Championships en route to a gold medal, Virginia Tech freshman Mekhi Lewis stunned The Bull, Iowa's Alex Marinelli, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Friday in Pittsburgh.
With the match tied 1-1, Lewis secured a takedown in the closing seconds and held on for the 3-1 victory at 165 pounds.
"I knew it was going to be a tight match," said Lewis. "It was just whoever wanted it more. I knew it was going to be a battle. Ultimately, I knew coming in that hand fighting was going to be the key to winning that match. I felt like I did a real good job hand fighting with him because we were both tired at the end of the match."
Marinelli becomes the first No. 1 seed to lose this week in Pittsburgh.
The top three teams, Penn State, Ohio State and Oklahoma State, went a combined 15-0 in the quarterfinals. Penn State leads the team race with 80 points after Friday's first session. Ohio State sits in second place with 66.5 points. Oklahoma State (56), Iowa (43.5) and Michigan (40) round out the top five teams.
Penn State's Mark Hall after his quarterfinal victory on Friday (Photo/Juan Garcia)The three-time defending national champion Nittany Lions went 6-for-6, getting quarterfinal wins from Nick Lee (141), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174), Bo Nickal (197) and Anthony Cassar (285).
Ohio State had five wrestlers reach tonight's semifinals: Luke Pletcher (133), Joey McKenna (141), Micah Jordan (149), Myles Martin (184) and Kollin Moore (197).
Semifinalists for Oklahoma State include Nick Piccininni (125), Daton Fix (133), Preston Weigel (197) and Derek White (285).
The quarterfinals proved to be a disappointing round for Iowa. The Hawkeyes had the most quarterfinalists of any team with seven, but went 2-5. Picking up quarterfinal wins for the Hawkeyes were Spencer Lee (125) and Kaleb Young (157).
Virginia's Jack Mueller is one 10 undefeated wrestlers in tonight's NCAA semifinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Ten wrestlers remain undefeated this season heading into tonight's semifinals. Those wrestlers include Oklahoma State's Piccininni (125), Virginia's Jack Mueller (125), Michigan's Stevan Micic (133), Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis (141), Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault (149), Penn State's Nolf (157), Penn State's Hall (174), Ohio State's Myles Martin (184), Penn State's Nickal (197) and Oklahoma State's Weigel (197).
Four freshmen advanced to tonight's semifinals. Those wrestlers are Oklahoma State's Fix (133), UNC's Austin O'Connor (149), Virginia Tech's Lewis (165) and Minnesota's Gable Steveson (285). Fix, O'Connor and Lewis are redshirt freshmen, while Steveson is the lone true freshman.
Below is a recap of the quarterfinals matches.
125: Iowa's returning NCAA champion Lee of Iowa, the No. 3 seed, built a large lead in the third period before getting a pin over Sean Russell of Minnesota. Northwestern's Sebastian Rivera moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-2 win over freshman Vito Arujau of Cornell. Undefeated No. 2 Piccininni of Oklahoma State advanced to the semifinals with a 9-5 victory over Princeton freshman Patrick Glory. Jack Mueller remained undefeated with a 4-1 victory in the second tiebreaker over Oregon State's Ronnie Bresser. After Mueller rode out Bresser in the second tiebreaker, the Cavalier junior was able to earn an escape and takedown to take the victory.
133: Michigan's Micic kept his unbeaten record intact as he topped Iowa's Austin DeSanto 3-2 in a rematch from last year's NCAA quarterfinals. Micic scored the match's only takedown -- in the second period -- which proved to be the difference in the match. Ohio State's Pletcher used a late first-period takedown to pace him to a 3-1 victory Pitt's Micky Phillippi. Nick Suriano of Rutgers had little trouble in his quarterfinal match against Minnesota's Ethan Lizak. Suriano jumped out to a big lead before securing a pin in the second period. Top-seeded Fix of Oklahoma State cruised into the semifinals with a major decision over John Erneste of Missouri.
141: Penn State's Lee scored a third-period takedown to break a 1-1 tie and eventually give him a 4-1 victory over Iowa's Max Murin. Missouri's Jaydin Eierman topped Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop 8-3. Returning NCAA champion Diakomihalis of Cornell controlled Oklahoma's Dom Demas in a 5-1 victory. Ohio State's McKenna continued his dominance in the tournament, picking up an 11-1 major decision over Minnesota's Mitch McKee.
149: Redshirt freshman Austin O'Connor of UNC scored a takedown in sudden victory to defeat Duke's Mitch Finesilver. It was the fifth meeting between the two this season, with O'Connor now winning two of the five meetings. Top-seeded Ashnault became Rutgers' first four-time All-American as he rolled into the semifinals with a 10-3 win over Iowa State's Jarrett Degen. Ohio State's Jordan topped Iowa's Pat Lugo 10-3. Princeton's Matthew Kolodzik punched his ticket to the semifinals with a hard-fought 5-3 win over Missouri freshman Brock Mauller.
157: Penn State's Nolf, a two-time NCAA champion, scored early and often in a 23-6 technical fall over Arizona State's Christian Pagdilao. NC State's Hayden Hidlay is back in the semifinals after scoring a takedown in sudden victory to defeat Michigan's Alex Pantaleo 5-3. Second-seeded Tyler Berger topped Old Dominion's Larry Early 5-2. Iowa's sixth-seeded Kaleb Young avenged a loss from the Midlands Championships as he knocked off Northwestern's Ryan Deakin 7-5 in sudden victory.
165: Fourth-seeded Evan Wick used a cradle to pin Lock Haven's Chance Marsteller in the first period. It marked the second straight time Wick has pinned Marsteller. The last time came in the third-place match at last year's NCAAs. Joseph of Penn State remains on track for his third straight NCAA title after edging Nebraska's Isaiah White 3-1 in sudden victory. Junior world champion Lewis of Virginia Tech stunned previously unbeaten and top seed Marinelli of Iowa, scoring a takedown with short time left to win 3-1. Arizona State's Josh Shields blanked UNI's Bryce Steiert 6-0 to reach the semifinals.
174: Returning NCAA champion Zahid Valencia advanced to the semifinals with a first-period pin over surprise quarterfinalist Ben Harvey of Army West Point. Also getting a pin in the quarterfinals was the No. 2 seed, Missouri's Daniel Lewis, who stuck Nebraska's Mikey Labriola in the second period. Michigan's Myles Amine edged Lehigh's Jordan Kutler in the second sudden victory, 4-2. He scored the takedown with just under 10 seconds left. Top-seeded Mark Hall, a two-time NCAA finalist, used a third-period reversal to help him to a 5-3 victory over UNI's Taylor Lujan.
UNC's Chip Ness celebrates after his NCAA quarterfinal victory (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)184: Ohio State's Martin was dominant in the quarterfinals, picking up an 11-2 major decision over Lehigh's Ryan Preisch. Fifth-seeded Max Dean of Cornell blanked No. 13 seed Nino Bonaccorsi of Pitt 6-0. UNI's Drew Foster knocked off third-seeded Zack Zavatasky of Virginia Tech 6-2. UNC's Chip Ness, seeded No. 15, secured his second straight All-America honor with a 6-4 win in sudden victory over Iowa State's Sam Colbray.
197: Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State made quick work of his quarterfinal opponent Christian Brunner of Purdue, securing a pin in just 58 seconds. Undefeated two-time NCAA champion Nickal picked up his third bonus-point victory of the tournament as he scored a 13-4 major decision over Nathan Traxler of Stanford. Third-seeded Moore of Ohio State won a high scoring affair, 17-11, over No. 10 Tom Sleigh of Virginia Tech. Patrick Brucki survived in the quarterfinals as edged Cal Poly's Tom Lane 4-3 despite getting ridden out the entire third period.
285: The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals. No. 1 seed White of Oklahoma State scored a late first-period takedown on his way to a 3-1 win over Central Michigan's Matt Stencel. Penn State's Cassar, a Big Ten champion, used a first-period takedown and racked up over two minutes of riding time en route to a 4-0 victory over No. 7 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin. True freshman Steveson of Minnesota was dominant in a picking up an 11-1 major decision over Oregon State's Amar Dhesi in a battle of Junior world champions. Lehigh's Jordan Wood used an escape and riding time point to register a 2-0 shutout over Iowa's Sam Stoll.
Team standings
1. Penn State 80
2. Ohio State 66.5
3. Oklahoma State 56
4. Iowa 43.5
5. Michigan 40
6. Missouri 37
7. Minnesota 32
8. Rutgers 29.5
9. NC State 29
10. Cornell 26.5
10. Nebraska 26.5
10. Virginia Tech 26.5
Quarterfinal results
125:
No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) dec. No. 8 Vito Arujau (Cornell), 6-2
No. 5 Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. No. 4 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), 4-1 TB2
No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) pinned No. 6 Sean Russell (Minnesota), 5:59
No. 2 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 7 Patrick Glory (Princeton), 9-5
133:
No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. No. 8 John Erneste (Missouri), 11-3
No. 5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh), 3-1
No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) pinned No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 4:24
No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) dec. No. 7 Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 3-2
141:
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 9 Dom Demas (Oklahoma), 5-1
No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) dec. No. 13 Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven), 8-3
No. 3 Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. No. 22 Max Murin (Iowa), 4-1
No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. No. 7 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 11-1
149:
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 8 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), 10-3
No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 4 Brock Mauller (Missouri), 5-3
No. 6 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec. No. 3 Mitch Finesilver (Duke), 3-1 SV1
No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 10 Pat Lugo (Iowa), 10-3
157:
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) tech. fall No. 9 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State), 23-6 7:00
No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) dec. No. 4 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 5-3 SV1
No. 6 Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), 7-5 SV1
No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. No. 7 Larry Early (Old Dominion), 5-2
165:
No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 3-1
No. 4 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) pinned No. 5 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), 1:25
No. 3 Josh Shields (Arizona State) dec. No. 11 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 6-0
No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. No. 7 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 3-1 SV
174:
No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 5-3
No. 4 Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), 4-2 SV
No. 3 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) pinned No. 22 Ben Harvey (Army West Point), 2:11
No. 2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) pinned No. 10 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), 4:29
184:
No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 8 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), 11-2
No. 5 Max Dean (Cornell) dec. No. 13 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), 6-0
No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 3 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 6-2
No. 15 Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. No. 10 Sam Colbray (Iowa State), 6-4 SV1
197:
No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford), 13-4
No. 4 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) dec. No. 21 Tom Lane (Cal Poly), 4-3
No. 3 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) pinned No. 11 Christian Brunner (Purdue), 0:58
No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. No. 10 Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech), 17-11
285:
No. 1 Derek White (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 9 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 3-1
No. 4 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec. No. 28 Sam Stoll (Iowa), 2-0
No. 3 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 6 Amar Dhesi (Oregon State), 11-1
No. 2 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) dec. No. 7 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin), 4-0
Semifinal matchups
125:
No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. No. 5 Jack Mueller (Virginia)
No. 2 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa)
133:
No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
No. 2 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
141:
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)
No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Nick Lee (Penn State)
149:
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 5 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton)
No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 6 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
157:
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State)
No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) vs. No. 6 Kaleb Young (Iowa)
165:
No. 4 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) vs. No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Josh Shields (Arizona State)
174:
No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Myles Amine (Michigan)
No. 2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) vs. No. 3 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
184:
No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Max Dean (Cornell)
No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 15 Chip Ness (North Carolina)
197:
No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Patrick Brucki (Princeton)
No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State)
285:
No. 1 Derek White (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Jordan Wood (Lehigh)
No. 2 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Gable Steveson (Minnesota)
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