All-American Matches set up 2022 NCAA Finale

Photo: Iowa’s Michael Kemerer (left) and NC State’s Hayden Hidlay, who both started their college career wrestling at 165 pounds six years go, ended their careers in the third-place match at 174 pounds. The Wolfpack senior beat the Hawkeye, 12-4. (Sam Janicki photo)

By Mike Finn & Tristan Warner

DETROIT, Mich. — Before the 2022 NCAA Division I Championships conclude Saturday night at Little Caesers Arena — where Penn State will complete its first team championship since 2019 with five finalists — the remaining All-Americans completed their national tournament, including 10 wrestlers who ended up third after losing earlier in the tournament.

Among the consolation champions were five seniors, who dealt with a historic season that invited them to compete again because of the pandemic. That included Iowa’s Austin DeSanto (133), Rutgers’ Sebastian Rivera (141), Cal Poly’s Evan Wick (165), NC State’s Hayden Hidlay (174) and Lehigh heavyweight Jordan Wood.

Return to WIN’s Championships Central

Wick was also one of two No. 1 seeds, who got upset earlier in the tournament, and fought back to claim third place. The other was Iowa State’s 2021 national champion David Carr, who got upset in the second and but came back to win five straight wrestlebacks at 157 pounds.

Updated Brackets Before the Finals

The following is a list of the Top-10 teams, entering the finals, and includes how many finalists and All-Americans the school will possess when leaving the Motor City.

Updated Team Scores

All-American Match Highlights

125 pounds

3^rd place – 2. Vito Arujau (Cornell) major 10. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), 10-2. – Arujau defeated DeAugustino for the second time in two days, as the Big Red sophomore scored four takedowns en route to a third-place finish.

5^th place – 8. Pat McKee (Minnesota) dec. 4. Brandon Courtney (Arizona State), 8-3. — Finishing on a high note, the Gopher lost in the first round of the tournament but reeled off six victories in the consolations for the second year in a row.

7^th place – 6. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) pinned 11. Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), 4:44. – Barnett avenged his round of 16 loss to the Beaver, hitting an escape right into a takedown and cradle for the pin while trailing in the second period.

133 pounds

3^rd place – 5. Austin DeSanto (Iowa) dec. 3. Michael McGee (Arizona State), 7-4. – The four-time All-American Hawkeye notched a pair of takedowns to end his career with a third-place finish.

5^th place – 7. Lucas Byrd (Illinois) pinned 4. Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech), 6:58 – After losing in the first round, Byrd registered six victories in the consolation bracket, putting an exclamation point on his performance with a buzzer-beating pin after leading 6-2.

7^th place – 10. Chris Cannon (Northwestern dec. 11. Devan Turner (Oregon State), 5-4 – Two-time All-American Cannon matched his seventh-place finish from a year ago with a narrow decision after Turner scored a last period takedown to tie the bout 4-4 with 1:33 left.

141 pounds

3^rd place – 3. Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers) dec. 8. Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 6-5. – The five-time All-American from Rutgers scored the deciding takedown with 14 seconds left to outlast first-time All-American Willits to end his prolific career in third place.

5^th place – 6. Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. 4. Real Woods (Stanford), 7-3. – The Pitt Panther threw Woods to his back in the first period and never looked back, coasting to a fifth-place finish.

7^th place – 10. Jake Bergeland (Minnesota) major 12. CJ Composto (Penn), 10-0. – Bergeland went to work on top, scoring a four-point nearfall to end the second period and earned bonus points for the Gophers.

149 pounds

3^rd place – 11. Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) dec. 3. Austin Gomez (Wisconsin), 10-6. – In a rematch of the quarterfinals, Andonian scored another win over Gomez and clinching takedown with 12 seconds left after the Badger scored two takedowns in the final 30 seconds.

5^th place – 4. Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec. 6. Jonathan Millner (App State), 5-4. – After trading takedowns, it was a reversal for the Buckeye that sealed a fifth-place finish.

7^th place – 2. Tariq Wilson (NC State) major 5. Kyle Parco (Arizona State), 14-2. – The Wolfpack senior ended his season on a high note, racking up several sets of near fall points to earn a major decision.

157 pounds

3^rd place – 1. David Carr (Iowa State) dec. 10. Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 7-2. – The returning NCAA champion wrestled all the way back after a second-round loss, taking down the Husker on the strength of a reversal and two nearfall points in the third period.

5^th place – 8. Will Lewan (Michigan) dec. 3. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State), 4-2 OT. – Lewan squeezed tight and lifted the Sun Devil in a tight bear hug for the sudden victory takedown and a fifth-place finish.

7^th place –  17. Hunter Willits (Oregon State) won by medical forfeit over 11. Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)

165 pounds

3^rd place – 1. Evan Wick (Cal Poly) dec. 8. Cam Amine (Michigan), 3-2. – Despite Amine scoring the only takedown of the bout, two escapes and a point for stalling lifted the Mustang to a narrow decision for third place.

5^th place – 3. Alex Marinelli (Iowa) won by medical forfeit over 4. Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin)

7^th place – 7. Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec. 9. Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 3-2. – A third period reversal for the Kharchla lifted him past the Mountaineer.

174 pounds

3^rd place – 4. Hayden Hidlay (NC State) major 5. Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 12-4. – In a quarterfinal rematch, Hidlay pancaked the Hawkeye in the first period for an early lead before scoring a buzzer-beating takedown to earn a major decision.

5^th place – 3. Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. 6. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 5-1. – The Wolverine finished on top with a workmanlike decision, scoring a second-period takedown and third-period reversal.

7^th place – 9. Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec. 10. Clay Lautt (North Carolina), 3-2. – The Husker scored a third-period escape and go-ahead takedown to push past Lautt for a seventh-place finish.

184 pounds

3^rd place – 4. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec. 5. Bernie Truax (Cal Poly), 6-4. – Keckeisen avenged his quarterfinal loss in a back-and-forth battle by collecting both ankles for a third period takedown and a third-place finish.

5^th place – 3. Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. 7. Kaleb Romero (Ohio State), 3-2. – A takedown in the first minute of action proved to be the difference, as Hidlay held on for a narrow fifth-place victory.

7^th place – 8. Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec. 11. Jonathan Loew (Cornell), 8-3. – Coleman scored a takedown in each period of the bout to cruise to a seventh-place finish.

197 pounds

3^rd place – 2. Stephan Buchanan (Wyoming) dec. 7. Rocky Elam (Missouri), 1-0. – A second period escape for the Cowboy was enough for victory, as Elam chose neutral in the third period and was unable to secure a takedown.

5^th place – 10. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) pinned 21. Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), 2:29. – The Cyclone tossed Hoffman on the edge of the mat and kept a foot in bounds to secure a fall and a fifth-place finish.

7^th place – 3. Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. 14. Greg Bulsak (Rutgers), 3-2. – Schultz defeated Bulsak for the second time in three days, as the Husker secured a second-period takedown and fended off the Scarlet Knight to claim seventh place.

Heavyweight

3^rd place –  6. Jordan Wood (Lehigh) won by medical forfeit over 4. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

5^th place – 7. Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. 9. Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 8-5. – A third period escape and takedown from the Wolverine was the difference in a battle of former Indiana high school state champions.

7^th place – 3. Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. 12. Christian Lance (Nebraska), 2-0. – An escape and a point for riding time advantage was the difference, as Cassioppi finished the tournament with a win and seventh place.