2017 NCAA Medal Round Notes

2017 NCAA Medal Round Notes

2017 NCAA Wrestling National Championship session 5 St Louis Missouri

Mar 18, 2017 by Andrew Spey
2017 NCAA Medal Round Notes
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Podium placement will be determined this morning, in the last round of wrestling until the finals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament! We'll keep you updated with all the big news of the fifth session right here!

Brackets and mat assignments will be updated live on FLOARENA.

Notes on the first session can be found here. Second session notes are here. Friday's morning session notes are here, and notes on the semis and bloodround are here.

Before we begin, please, because he very clearly should win, VOTE FOR KYLE SNYDER FOR PRESTIGIOUS AAU SULLIVAN AWARD RIGHT NOW

TEAM SCORES
  1. Penn State - 121.0
  2. Ohio State - 89.5
  3. Oklahoma State - 86.0
  4. Missouri - 81.5
  5. Iowa - 74.0
  6. Minnesota - 60.0
  7. Cornell - 57.5
  8. Virginia Tech - 53.5
  9. Nebraska - 50.0
  10. Illinois - 41.5
FINALS MATCH-UPS
125: Darian Cruz, Lehigh vs Ethan Lizak, Minnesota
133: Seth Gross, SDSU vs Cory Clark, Iowa
141: Dean Heil, Oklahoma State vs George DiCamillo, UVA
149: Zain Retherford, PSU vs Lavion Mayes, Missouri
157: Jason Nolf, PSU vs Joey Lavallee, Missouri
165: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois vs Vincenzo Joseph, PSU
174: Bo Jordan, Ohio State vs Mark Hall, PSU
184: Gabe Dean, Cornell vs Bo Nickal, PSU
197: J'Den Cox, Missouri vs Brett Pfarr, Minnesota
285: Kyle Snyder, Ohio State vs Connor Medbery, Wisconsin

We are down from eight mats to just three. The consolation semis (to determine who wrestles for third) will happen first. Then we'll get to all the placement matches.  We'll start at 125 at usual. I'll try to keep track of as much of the action on all the mats as possible, but at the very least I'll post results as they come in. 

They are running Billy Baldwin's promo so that means we are close to first whistle of the final day of the NCAA tournament!

125

Dance vs Gilman is an absolute fire match for the consolation finals. No. 1 vs the no. 2 seed. One of these guys will finish no higher than 5th. Gilman has the only take down so far, they've also both scored escapes, so it's 3-1 in the second period. 3-2, Gilman in the lead with a minute to go. RT not a factor. Gilman with another TD. Gilman bounces back from his first loss of the year to take a 5-2 victory. The Iowa crowd shows their support. 

Dance slayer Jack Mueller of Virginia has OK State's Nick Piccininni in the other consolation semi. Mueller is a medical forfeit so Piccininni advances to the third place bout. 

133

Stevan Micic of Michigan has Kaid Brock of OK State. Micic jumps out to an early lead, 7-1, taking it to Brock from neutral. Micic continues to pour it on, he's winning 9-2 to start the third with RT all but locked up. Pich gets a takedown late but it's not enough, with an RT point Micic wins 10-4. 

Montoya of Nebraska and Tomasello of Ohio state are in an all Big Ten battle to advance to the 3rd place match. It's the third already, 1-1 tie. A crazy long scramble and Nato power Montoya over for 2. He leads 3-1 with 30 seconds left. It'll end that way and with a RT point, Nato rebounds from his first lost of the year with a 4-1 victory. He and Gilman mirroring each other on neighboring mats. 

141

Ashnault of Rutgers and Jack of NC State face off for the third time this year. Jack won the previous two encounters. Jack scores a takedown very late in the period. Jack will start the second on bottom with a 2-0 lead. Jack escapes and it's 3-0. Jack has a height and length advantage of Ashnault, as he does over just about everyone in the weight class and probably most 149 as well. Less than a minute left, 3-1 after an Ashnault escape. RT not a factor but Ashnault having a a hard time getting to Jack's legs. Jacl gets dinged for stalling as he is running away from Ashnault's desperation shots. He could give up a point and it won't matter but time runs out anyway and Jack advances, 3-1.

Meredith of Wyoming has Eierman of Missouri. It's 2-2 already in what should be an entertaining bout. Meredith gets swipes! He leads 6-2. Eierman in the tiger striped Mizzou singlets, finally gets some offense. It's 7-4 at the end of the second. Not too much action in the third and Meredith takes it, 8-4.

149

Micah Jordan of Ohio State and Max Thomsen of UNI face off. Micah already ahead, two TDs to two escapes. It's 4-2 at the end of the first period. Into the second it's 6-4 now, riding time not a factor. Micah extends his lead 8-4, they're in neutral now in the third. Micah dominates and wins by major, 13-5.

Iowa's Brandon Sorensen has an early 2-0 lead on VA Tech's Solomon Chishko and he is smothering on top. Another TD for Sorensen in the second and he is stretching Chishko out. it's 4-0 at the end of the second and Sorensen has over three minutes of riding time. 6-0 now for Sorensen. He is not stepping off the gas with less then a minute to go. 8-0 now. It's a major decision for Sorensen. 

157

Joseph Smith with a quick takedown and he has Palacio on his back. Big hole for the Corneillian, he's down 6-0 and RT is over a minute for the OK State Cowboy. Palacio running out of magic tricks. Smith has a 9-0 lead with over three minutes of riding time. Palacio starts the third on bottom. Total domination for Smith, 10-0 and the Cowboy will wrestle for third. 

Familiar Big Ten foes, Berger of Nebraska and Kemerer of Iowa are battling it out. Kemerer is the no. 2 seed and Berger the no. 4, so one of them will fail to wrestle to their seed after this match. In shortime in the first, Kemerer just barely tilts Berger over the 45 degree plane from neutral for two and two. He takes a 4-0 lead into the second. A quick escape by Berger and it's 4-1 for Kemerer, they're in neutral in the second. Kemerer extends his lead to 7-1. He's been wrestling angry since his quarterfinal loss to Palacio. Kemerer gets a TD to major his opponent, 10-1, almost at the exact same time as Sorensen. Hawkeyes still looking to grab team points when and where they can. The Iowa crowd appreciates it. 

165

Isaac Jordan gets a TD and four backs for a big early lead over Lewis of Missouri. Lewis riding tough on top now in the second. He gets Jordan's RT under a minute but he's still in a deep 6-0 hole. 6-1 in the third, RT not a factor but less than a minute to go. Jordan wins 8-1 in thoroughly dominating fashion. 

Massa of Michigan has a 2-1 lead over Rogers of OK State with a minute left in the first. Rogers escapes in the second, it's tied 2-2, RT not a factor. Massa keeps the pressure on, gets Rogers on a stall, then grabs his legs for another two. Massa with a 7-3 lead late in the third. Rogers escapes to cut it to 7-4. Let's see what he can do. Nothing, as Massa stuffs his attack and gets two. Massa wins in a commanding 10-4 victory. 

174

We race up the weight classes and now get Myles Amine of Michigan, no. 9 seed, taking on Brian Realbuto of Cornell, no. 2 seed. Realbuto scrambling as usual but Amine catches him at the right time and now has a 4-1 lead with 20 seconds left in the first. Realbuto scrambling again but Amine is ready. He catches Realbuto trying to roll and sticks him! Amine with a pin to advance, Realbuto to the 5th place match. 

Illinois' Brunson (4X qualifier, first time AA) against the previously undefeated freshman, Zahid Valencia of AZ State. Valencia up 6-1 in a hurry. Zahid with a cradle and a pin! He shakes off his first collegiate loss with a complete obliteration of Brunson. 

184

Iowa's Brooks against familiar opponent, Myles Martin of Ohio State. Brooks leads 2-0. Now 3-0 Brooks, they're in neutral in the second. Brooks stretching Martin out on top in the third. Over a minute of RT, 90 seconds to go. Brooks wins 6-2. He advances and last years 174 champ goes to the 5th place match. 

Nebraska's Dudley against OK State's Boyd. Boyd up 2-1 in the first. TD for Dudley in shortime, he takes a lead into the second, Boyd starts on bottom. Dudley another TD to extend his lead 5-3 in the second, RT not a factor, one minute to go in the period. Back points for Dudley now, a win here probably mathematically eliminates OK State from the team race, if it hasn't happened already. A late escape for Boyd and it's 7-4 going into the third. A peterson for Dudley for 2 and 6, but then a reversal for Boyd. It's getting wild, but Dudley is too far ahead. He wins 15-8 and advances to the third place match.

197

Moore from Ohio State and his nonstop motor already have a 4-2 lead over Studebaker of Nebraska. Another takedown and escape and it's 6-3 in favor of the Buckeye. Moore finishes in workmanlike fashion, winning 8-4, the outcome never in doubt. 

Weigel of OK State and Haight of VA Tech wrestling in the other consi semifinal. No scores after 3 minutes, Haught starts on bottom in the second period. Haught finally gets an escape, and I think picked up a point from Weigel getting too many cautions? I'm not sure but it's 2-0 for Haught regardless. Weigel is on bottom to start the third. He escapes quickly and it's 2-1, still for Haught, riding time under a minute, 55 second in Weigel's favor though. Weigel pushes Haught and Haught gets dinged with a stall warning. The OK State fans want another stall call but won't get it. Haught wins and the Cowboy fans shower the refs with lusty boos.

285

Nick Nevills of PSU and Ty Walz of VA Tech gets the heavyweights going. It's 2-1, Walz, early in the first. 4-3 Walz now in the second, a close match between two talented 285 pounders. In the third, Nevills is almost behind Walz. it's 5-3 and it stays that way as Walz shows off some crazy speed and agility and avoids the takedown. The Hokie wins 5-3 and moves on to the battle for third.

AZ State's Tanner Hall and Duke's Jacob Kasper go at it in the final consolation semifinal match. Kasper gets a TD and Hall escapes. Then Kasper tries for a big headlock, Hall defends and rolls Kasper over to his back, just dragging a toe to stay in bounds. He'll get six points for his effort. Kasper with a couple of escapes and it's 7-4 late in the second, Hall still in the lead. Kasper trying to turn Hall from top in the third, with no success. He cuts Hall with 20 seconds left, probably too late to make up the point difference. Hall gets a RT point and he beats Kasper 8-5 to advance for the Sun Devils. 

We go right into the medal matches with no break, much to the dismay of my metacarpals. 

125 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Gilman of Iowa vs Piccinnini of OK State. A rematch of the quarterfinal match that Gilman won. He's up 4-1 in the first already. Gilman now up 6-3, they're in neutral late in the second. Gilman staying aggressive, to the surprise of no one. He's up 12-5, RT locked up, less than a minute to go. Gilman wins 13-6. He's a 3X All-American, and the Iowa fans who are here in force let him know they appreciate the time they had together. 

5th
Dance wins by medical forfeit over Virginia's freshman Jack Mueller. Dance finishes his career as a 2X All-American, 4th as a freshman and 5th as a senior.

7th
No. 7 Russell of Edinboro wrestles no. 16 Nathan Kraisser, of Campbell. I'm not sure exactly how often Campbell gets an All-American but I know it is not very frequently. Tremendous job by head coach Cary Kolat, who has been at the helm of that program for a very short amount of time, and already he has his guys earning medals. Russell up 2-1, Kraisser starts the second on bottom. Russell picks Kraisser up in the air, returns him to the mat and after a brief scramble, covers for two. Russell up 4-2 going into the 3rd. Russell finishing strong, winning 10-3, he gets Division II Edinboro a 7th place finish, and Kraisser finishes his career as an All-American as well.

133 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Tomasello of Ohio State vs Micic of Michigan. Nato up 2-1 in the first. 2-2 now in the second. A strategic takedown in shortime and Tomasello takes a 4-2 lead into the third period. He'll start on bottom. Micic has a lot of ground to make up. Nato is out and he leads 5-2, RT not a factor. Tomasello wins and he goes 1st, 3rd, 3rd in three trips to the NCAAs, with one more to go.

5th
Brock of OK State vs Montoya of Nebraska. Brock up 2-1 early. Its tied up in the second, wrestling from neutral. Brock escapes and then gets a takedown, and he leads 5-2. Now 5-3 after an escape by Montoya, about a minute left in the match. Brock fends off Montoya's late attacks and wins the match 5-3. He attains All-American status for the first time as a redshirt freshman.

7th
Richards of Illinois vs Parker of Lehigh. Richards with a 4-2 leads late in the first. Parker escapes to cut it to 4-3, RT not a factor. A couple few more takedowns from Richards and Parker is in a 10-4 hole. Parker tries to mount a comeback but Richards is too much for him. The Illinois veteran wants to end his career with a win. Richards makes it official, he is a 2X All-American.

141 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Jack of NC State vs Meredith of Wyoming in a rematch of the quarterfinals that Meredith won. A crazy scramble and Jack was nearly pinned but he gives up two instead. An escape makes it 2-1 in favor of Meredith. Jack escapes in the second to tie it up, RT not a factor. Meredith gets a takedown after a scramble in shortime and he'll lead 4-2 going into the the third. Meredith now, playing with fire, scrambling over the top of Jack. And Jack makes him pay with a pin! He wins 3rd in dramatic fashion, down 5-2 with under a minute to go in the match!

5th
Ashnault of Rutgers vs Eierman of Missouri. Eierman with an early 2-0 lead. Ashnault is up and out and it's 2-1. After upsetting no. 4 Kolodzik in the quarters, Ashnault lost to no. 1 Heil in the semis, then had to wrestle no. 2 Jack in the consi semis. Ashnault lost to Jack for the third time this year and he starts the second down 2-1. Ashnault tries to work a tilt but it's not there and Eierman escapes. Ashanult gets a stall point but it's not enough, he losses his last three matches and the Missouri fans cheer Eierman's victory.

7th
Thorn of Minnesota vs Kolodzik of Princeton. No score a minute into the match. Thorn escapes in the second and it's 1-0 in his favor. Kolodzik wisely doesn't want to go underneath Thorn to start the third and it pays off as he takes Thorn down to take the lead 2-1. Kolo is riding Thorn tough now, 20 seconds left in the match. It'll end that way, Kolodzik riding Thorn out and earning a 7th place finish for Princeton in his freshman year. 

149 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Sorensen of Iowa vs Jordan of Ohio State. No scores through three and a half minutes, they're both in neutral. Sorensen breaks the deadlock by escaping in the third, then tacks on two more with a takedown. Sorensen wins 4-0 to go 4th, 2nd, 3rd in three trips to the NCAAs.

5th
Chishko of Virginia tech vs Thomsen of Northern Iowa. Thomsen jumps out to a 4-1 lead. It's 4-2 now in the second. Thomsen runs it up to 6-3 with 90 seconds of riding time. Thomsen wins 10-4, his first time on the podium. This is Chishko's send All-American honor.

7th
Theobold of Rutgers vs Kocer of South Dakota State. Unseeded Kocer attacks no. 16 Theobold's legs, but Theobold cradles Kocer up and is looking to turn him. Thoebold muscles him over and gets the fall! Both seniors surprised everyone by making it this far. Theobold finishes his career with a first period fall and 7th place at the NCAAs.

157 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Smith of OK State vs Kemerer of Iowa. No score through one frame. Kemerer starts the second on bottom and escapes in just two seconds. Smith escapes at the start of the third and it's all tied. Sudden victory now, but it doesn't last long! Kemerer rolls through a scramble and gets four backs on the way to a 7-1 win over Smith, earning 3rd place in his first NCAA tournament.

5th
Palacio of Cornell vs Berger of Nebraska. A quick two for Berger. A clean takedown on a scrambler like Palacio is definitely advisable. Berger's riding time up over 90 seconds now. Palacio starts the second on bottom and continues to struggle. RT over 3 minutes for Berger. Palacio finally gets off bottom with a reversal but it costs him two back points in the process. The period will end wth Berger up 4-2, riding time locked up. 5-2 in the third, Palacio has Berger on his back but Berger has his leg so the ref does not award control and the score does not change. It ends 6-3 for Berger. Palacio is a 2X AA, going 4th and 6th his final two years. Berger with a great finish to the tournament and great season for the Cornhuskers. 

7th
Mastriani of VA Tech vs Fox of Stanford. Fox with two takedowns on Chishko already. He's up 4-1 halfway through the 1st. The unseeded Fox runs the score up to 6-2 over the no. 14 seeded Mastriani. Mastriani cuts it to 6-4 and we're still in the second. Fox gets back on his offense in the third and wins 13-6. Incredible finish for the unseeded wrestler from Stanford. 

165 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Massa of Michigan vs Jordan of Wisconsin. Massa has two wins over Jordan this year, in a dual and at the Big Ten Tournament. They're reviewing a takedown and near fall for Massa. Massa has 5 on the board right now, not sure where the 5th point came from but anyway the call stands and it's 5-0, Massa in the lead. Escape and a TD makes it 7-1 for Massa. Massa cruising in the third. He wins comfortably, 11-2. Massa gets 3rd his first time at the NCAAs. Iasaac Jordan finishes his career a 4X AA, 7th, 7th, 2nd and now 4th.

5th
Rogers of OK State vs Lewis of Missouri. A quick TD puts Rogers ahead. He's got legs in now as well. Another TD and escape runs the score to 4-2. TD for Lewis now, and they go into the 3rd tied 4-4, Rogers with 2 minutes of RT. Points going back and forth, Rogers breaks another tie with two as time expires. He wins 9-6 when RT is tacked on. Rogers will stand on the 5th place step this evening. 

7th
Walsh of Rider vs Womack of Cornell. Womack with two and two. The first Alabama native All-American since approximately the stone age is up 4-0 on Walsh. Walsh escapes and then scores a TD to cut the lead to 4-3. Walsh starts the second on bottom, and escapes to make it 4-4. Womack with a minute twenty-five of RT. Walsh with a scramble and almost gives up back point but then it's Womack who gives up two. Walsh takes the lead. Womack escapes and it's 6-5 Walsh, but Womack has 1:04 of RT. A crazy scramble, score effectively tied. Walsh just barely gets a TD as time expires! Big win for Taylor as he allows head coach Gary Taylor to retire on a positive note. 39 years on the job earns coach Taylor a very warm round of applause from the Scottrade Center.

174 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Valencia of AZ State vs Amine of Michigan. Valencia is using his glitch-in-the-Matrix speed to rack up a 8-3 lead with over a minute left in the first. He may put Amine away early in this battle of freshman studs. Score is up to 10-5 for Valencia. 12-5 in the third. Valencia majors his way to third place, 15-5, in his first trip to the NCAAs. 

5th
Brunson of Illinois over Realbuto of Cornell. Sorry guys, I missed the move but Realbuto just pinned Brunson. Wow. Realbuto AAs for the third time, going 6th, 2nd and 5th, missing the podium only in his junior year. 

7th
Crutchmer of OK State vs Residori of SIUE. Crutchmer has Residori on his back early, it's 6-1 in favor of the Cowboy. Residori is one of three unseeded All-Americans, but his Cinderella run looks like it will come to an end here. Crutchmer has a 9-1 lead half way through the second. Residori gets two at the end but it won't matter, Crutchmer win 9-4. Crutchmer is a 2X AA, going 5th a sophomore and 7th here. Residori is the first AA for SIUE since they made the jump to D1. They had an AA in the 80's when they were still a DII school and all divisions were eligible to send wrestlers to the NCAA tournament (thanks to our announcers Jason Bryant and Bryan Hazard for this bit of trivia and many others being peppered into our notes).

184 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Brooks of Iowa vs Dudley of Nebraska. Brooks and Dudley are two of five Big Ten Wrestlers who earn All-American status at 184 this year. Dudley and Brooks are rolling around on the mat and Dudley catches Brooks and sticks him! Just like that! Brooks gets pinned for the second time in three matches. A tough way to end his career, but Brooks is still a 2X AA, improving on last year's 8th place finish. Dudley caps off a brilliant career, a 3X AA, going 8th, 2nd, and 3rd. It is almost definitely, *probably* the best wrestler in the history of South Carolina. 

5th
Martin of Ohio State vs Boyd of Oklahoma State. Boyd gets out of position and Martin makes him pay, holding him on his back for a four count and jumping out to a 6-0 lead. It's 10-3, Martin in the lead. Boyd mounts a mini comeback but Martin survives, winning 10-6. Martin is now a 2X AA in two tries. Boyd, meanwhile, came to OK State as a walk on and finishes his career as a 2X AA, going 4th last year and 6th this year.

7th
Foster of Northern Iowa vs Jackson of Indiana. Foster in deep on a double. He gets two early. Foster gets another takedown and it's 4-1. Jackson gets on his offense but it's Foster on top again. Lead narrows to 6-5 in favor of Foster, riding time for the Panther up over a minute in the second period. Jackson gets another TD to tie it up and he lets Foster up soon after as Foster has RT locked up. Less then a minute to go, Jackson down two. Jackson tries a desperation throw but only manages to put himself on his back. The pin may or may not have been called in time. It's academic, though, as Foster wins to AA his first time at the NCAAs. Jackson finishes his career a 2X AA.

197 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Moore of Ohio State vs Haught of VA Tech. This is the first meeting between these two wrestlers, Moore seeded no. 3 and Haught no. 4. Moore not wasting time! He headlocks Haught and pins him in the first period! Moore walks by the Ohio State fans to thunderous applause. The two finalists at this weight graduate, so expect big things from this rising sophomore in the ensuing years. Haught is now a 2X AA. I expect to see him back on the podium next year as well.

5th
Weigel of OK State and Studebaker of Nebraska. Studes is up 2-0 after a takedown, one minute left in the first. A two point near fall for Studes runs the lead to 4-0 and the RT clock up over a minute. Studebaker will start the second on bottom. Studebaker will AA for the first time in 5th place, ending his career on a high not. He majors Weigel 9-0, who AAs for the first time.

7th
Wolfe of Rider vs Beazley of Old Dominion. So it looks like Gary Taylor has one more match to corner. The match is tied 1-1 in the third, Wolfe working on an escape to go ahead one point. He gets it, but the ODU coaches want a review, but to no avail, as the call stands. Wolfe squeaks by Beazly 2-1, now, for real, allowing Gary Taylor to retire with an astonishing two All American wrestlers in this, his final season as head coach.

285 MEDAL MATCHES

3rd
Hall of Arizona State vs Walz of Virginia Tech. Hall up 2-1 on Walz. Hall starts the second period on bottom and quickly extends his lead to 3-1. Walz escapes early in the third. It's 3-2 in favor of Hall, RT not a factor. No score after a last second scramble, we go to the third still 3-2. Walz with a clutch takedown with under 20 seconds to go. But he can't hold Hall down, they will go to sudden victory. Walz in on a deep shot but Hall granbys out of bounds to just barely avoid the TD. We go to tiebreakers. Hall escapes in the first stanza. Walz now trying to escape in the second TB period. Walz can't get out, Hall wins in tiebreakers! Walz ends an incredible career as a 3X AA, going 7th, 4th and 4th. Hall gives Zeke Jones and the Arizona State Sun Devils their second 3rd place finisher of the year.

5th
Nevills of Penn State vs Kasper of Duke. Kasper with a TD and he leads Nevills 2-1. They start the second in neutral. Nevills comes out on the good side of a scramble and take a 3-2 lead. Kasper escapes to tie it up 3-3. RT not a factor. Kasper goes in on a shot and runs his eyeball into Nevills' thumb. He has to take injury time and that gives Nevills choice of position. Nevills chooses down, and after a couple mat returns, escapes to win the match. Tough break for Kasper, but credit to Nevills for putting himself in a position to take advantage of those breaks. Nevills and Kasper both read the podium for the first time.
7th
Kroells of Minnesota vs Dejournette of Appalachian State. Kroells with an early 2-0 lead. A couple of two-count near falls and Kroells is up 6-0. Kroells pouring it on. It's 11-2 in the Minnesotan's favor. They're on their feet in the second, Kroells with 2 minutes of RT. Kroells continues to light up the scoreboard and earns a 17-2 tech fall. Kroells is a 3X All-American, continuing the great Minnesota heavyweight tradition, going 8th, 7th, and 7th again. 

Attendance announcemen
t: 18,953 for Session 5, 91,797 in total with the final session still to be tallied. 

We're down to our final 10 matches of the season! Hope everyone enjoyed the medal round. We will attempt to clean up the typos after we ice our aching typing muscles. Thanks again for following along. We'll see you tonight for the main event!