2016 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Tournament

Top 11 Upsets Of Day 1 At NCAA's!

Top 11 Upsets Of Day 1 At NCAA's!

Have you caught your breath yet from that blistering day 1? It’s in the books and we saw some classic NCAA upsets! Here were the biggest upsets of day 1! Ye

Mar 18, 2016 by Christian Pyles
Top 11 Upsets Of Day 1 At NCAA's!
Have you caught your breath yet from that blistering day 1?  It’s in the books and we saw some classic NCAA upsets!  Here were the biggest upsets of day 1!  Yes, this was a tough, tough list to pare down to 11!

Honorable Mention:

Dalton Macri, Cornell over #11 Ronnie Bresser, Oregon State
Conor Youtsey, Michigan over #6 Eddie Klimara, Oklahoma State
Jimmy Gulibon, Penn State over #5 Matt Manley, Missouri
BJ Clagon, Rider over #8 Evan Henderson, UNC
Victor Lopez, Bucknell over #15 Dan Neff, Lock Haven
#12 Brian Murphy, Michigan over #5 Dylan Palacio, Cornell
Bryce Steirt, UNI over #11 Luke Smith, CMU
Geno Morelli over #11 John Staudenmayer, UNC
#12 Connor Brennan, Rider over #5 Max Rohskopf, NC State
Casey Kent, Penn over #8 Zach Epperly, VT
#12 Nate Jackson over #5 Zac Brunson, Illinois
Gordon Wolf, Lehigh over #13 Alex Meyer, Iowa
#13 Pete Renda over #4 Domenic Abounader, Michigan
Shawn Scott, NIU over #9 Reuben Franklin, CSU Bakersfield
#13 Alex Meyer, Iowa over #4 Ethan Ramos, UNC
Corey Griego, Oregon State over #3 Vic Avery, Edinboro
Sean Mappes over #2 Brian Realbuto, Cornell

Top 11 Upsets Of Day 1


11) #14 Bryce Meredith, Wyoming over #3 Kevin Jack, NC State

Teammates last year at NC State, Meredith transferred back home and takes out his former teammate and 3rd seed Jack.  You have to wonder if familiarity played a role in this upset that interestingly could pave a path for Micah Jordan and Ohio State.


10) #11 Anthony Collica, OK State over #7 Jason Tsirtsis

Collica won as tight as it gets over Tsirtsis, the returning NCAA Champion.  Collica has been rounding into form lately and scored the lone takedown against the champ to punch his ticket to the quarters.  This was a massive win for the Cowboys’ title hopes.


9) US Brooks Black, Illinois over #6 Denzel Dejournette, App State

Black put it all together for a dominant win over Denzel Dejournette who had been outstanding all season long.

8) #15 David Terao, American over #2 Joey Dance, Virginia Tech

Terao got a slick TD early and made it last for the upset against Dance.  Interestingly these two had split 2 seasons ago before Dance really caught stride. This loss makes the path for Nico Megaludis a little more simple as Dance is on his side and beat him this year.


7) Clayton Ream, NDSU over #8 Evan Henderson, UNC

Not just the fact that Henderson went 0-2, but to get teched in your final match is stunning.  I couldn’t believe it.

6) #15 Chad Walsh, Rider over #2 Tommy Gantt, NC State

Undefeated Tommy Gantt falls in a back and forth shoot-out.  This was one of a few let downs for NC State who was looking for a potential trophy finish.


5) Pat Downey, ISU over #6 Jared Haught, VT

Maybe this one is a bit too high considering Downey’s well documented pedigree.  Great win by Downey to take this one in overtime by fall over Haught.

4) Jadaen Bernstein over #4 Ethan Ramos, UNC

Bernstein not only won, but handled Ethan Ramos.  A 13-8 final that was not even the biggest (or 2nd biggest shocker) in this weight.


3) Matt Reed, OU over #3 Blaise Butler, Missouri

Before Blaise Butler knew it, he was down 8-0 against Matt Reed.  Reed didn’t relent either and took the bout with a stunning 16-9 final.


2) Lelund Weatherspoon, ISU over #2 Brian Realbuto, Cornell

So Willie called this one (hurts to admit). Weatherspoon won a tough Big 12 and kept it rolling against the two time AA Realbuto.


1) Joe Ariola, Buffalo over #3 Vic Avery, Edinboro

Andrew Romanchik, Steven Schneider, Drew Foster, Derek Hillman, Cole Baxter, Dominic Rigous.  All these guys did what Vic Avery couldn’t.  Beat Joe Ariola this year.  To say this is an upset is putting it mildly.