2018 NCAA Championships

Top Upsets From Session 1 Of The 2018 NCAA Tournament

Top Upsets From Session 1 Of The 2018 NCAA Tournament

The top upsets from the first session of the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament in Cleveland.

Mar 15, 2018 by Wrestling Nomad
Top Upsets From Session 1 Of The 2018 NCAA Tournament

What a first session at NCAAs! The 2018 tournament featured 20 upsets of unseeded wrestlers winning and making it to the second round Thursday in Cleveland.

Below is every upset, several of which will play a huge factor in the team race, such as Nick Lee losing for Penn State and Missouri's Joey Lavallee and John Erneste faltering in the first round. Additionally, returning All-American Chandler Rogers' loss helped keep Oklahoma State out of the top five. The only weight to go chalk and have every seed win was 174.


157: Kennedy Monday, UNC 8-6 over (2) Joey Lavallee, Missouri

The biggest upset of the day so far puts a major dent in the Tigers' hopes of finishing fifth or higher. Monday has been a dark horse all season and really put it together in his first career NCAA tournament match. WATCH MATCH HERE


133: Tariq Wilson, NC State 8-3 over (5) John Erneste, Missouri

A tough first round for Missouri could have a major effect on the race for a team trophy, as both Mizzou and NC State are in the running for a top-four spot. Wilson picked Erneste apart on his feet—three takedowns to none. WATCH MATCH HERE


165: Jon Viruet, Brown 6-5 over (8) Chandler Rogers, Oklahoma State

A couple first-period takedowns and an escape in each of the next two periods was enough to knock off the returning All-American.


141: Ryan Diehl, Maryland fall 2:13 over (8) Nick Lee, Penn State

Huge turnaround for Diehl, who got majored 22-10 by Lee in the dual. Right at the start of the second, Lee shot in but Diehl stopped him cold and stuffed in a cow catcher. Just a few seconds later, the ref slapped the mat and Lee dropped down to the consis, where he’ll have the loser of the next match on our list. WATCH MATCH HERE


141: Sa’Derian Perry, Eastern Michigan 11-5 over (9) Josh Alber, Northern Iowa

The sophomore from Florida dominated the match from neutral, finishes with five takedowns to none for Alber. His opponent in the consi round will be Lee. They were in a tight one-point match in the Scuffle semis until Lee got the pin late.


197: Kyle Conel, Kent State 5-0 over (9) Preston Weigel, Oklahoma State

It appears as though injuries have finally caught up to Weigel, who beat Conel 16-0 in the first period of their dual earlier this year. WATCH MATCH HERE


184: Chip Ness, UNC 4-3 over (10) Emery Parker, Illinois

Last year, it was Parker who played the spoiler by beating Myles Martin at NCAAs. The tables were turned on him this time around by the junior Ness.


197: Chris Weiler, Lehigh 4-1 over (10) Scottie Boykin, Chattanooga

Weiler avenged his round of 12 loss at the Scuffle to Boykin, although this one was not as wild as their first bout.


157: Paul Fox, Stanford 4-2 over (11) Clay Ream, NDSU

Fox showed why he was an All-American last year by winning the close one against Ream.


197: Nathan Traxler, Stanford 9-3 over (11) Corey Griego, Oregon State

Somehow this was the first meeting between the two Pac-12 wrestlers, and Traxler made the most of his first match at the national tournament.


133: Rico Montoya, Northern Colorado 10-5 over (12) Josh Terao, American

Montoya was down 5-3 entering the third but finished with a takedown and four back points, as well as riding time, to snake out the win. WATCH MATCH HERE


184: Corey Hazel, Lock Haven 6-3 TB-1 over (12) Bryce Carr, Chattanooga

Lock Haven continues to prove it is a program on the rise, as Hazel takes one over Carr in overtime and advances to the second round against Dom Abounader.


197: Danny Chaird, UNC 12-4 over (12) Stephen Loiseau, Drexel

Quite a round for the Tar Heels, who finished with three seeded upsets and seven team points, putting them just outside the top 10 in the team standings.


Other Seeded Upsets

149: Jarrett Degen, Iowa State 9-5 over (13) Colton McCrystal, Nebraska

133: Anthony Tutolo, Kent State 5-2 over (15) Ali Naser, Arizona State

141: Eli Stickley, Wisconsin 3-2 over (15) Nate Limmex, Purdue

184: Mitch Bowman, Iowa 10-2 over (15) Canten Marriott, Missouri

125: Drew Mattin, Michigan fall 3:50 over (16) Jacob Schwarm, Northern Iowa

141: Vince Turk, Iowa 4-3 over (16) Cole Weaver, Wisconsin

157: Taleb Tahmani. Pittsburgh fall 5:53 over (16) Mike D’Angelo, Princeton

285: Jere Heino, Campbell 8-3 over (16) Matt Stencel, Central Michigan