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More 2022 NCAA Match Notes: 1st Round | 2nd Round | Quarters | Semis | Medal Round | Finals

Here's my view of this weekend's events. You can watch on ESPN+ and their cable channels and follow the results on Trackwrestling (click here).

Now that's what I call a blogging perch. pic.twitter.com/zUJ7c2CHYp

— Andrew Spey (@SpeyWrestle) March 17, 2022

We start with 10 pigtail bouts. Losers are still alive but will have to win their next bout just to make the consolation round of 32. Winners advance to the first round (the championship round of 32). 

Zach Sherman of UNC at 149 is the highest ranked wrestler in this set of matched. Ranked #17 but seeded #33. He had probably the toughest season of anyone. Didn't take any unranked losses, but didn't have any ranked wins either, so last year's 7th placer gets a pigtail match.

Wrestling now can be seen as a disadvantage as its one extra match before you get to the podium, but it's also an extra opportunity to pick up team points, as Connor O'Neil did for Rutgers and Josh Mason did for Bloomsburg, as they both pinned their opponents and collected 2 team points. 

Zach Sherman also started his quest to earn back-to-back All-American honors with a pinfall. 

Round of 32

125 - Noto of Lock Haven and Hildebrandt of Penn State face off in the most important early match for the team race. Hildebrandt was 4th last season while the freshman Noto checks in with a 29-1 record and a MAC championship. They're in an 16 vs 17 seed bout. Noto leads 2-1 going into the third. Now headed to sudden victory. Noto gets the two on the edge! 

For Penn State fans, more opportunity for bonus points on the backside. For Lock Haven fans, vindication for Noto, who never rose too high in the rankings despite his sterling record. 

125 - Heinselman of Ohio State and LaMont of Utah Valley is another monster first round bout. LaMont's an All-American but Heinselman has the higher (#12) seed. LaMont holds a 5-1 lead going into the 3rd period. LaMont takes it, 7-2. 

125 - Schroder of Purdue and Latona of VTech also a great bout. Schroder the higher seed but Latona is dangerous in March. And the Alabaman for VT wins, takes out the veteran Schroder and advances. 

125 - Ayala of Iowa and Gutierrez of Chattanooga are in a barn burner. Its 9-6, Guti leads in the third. Ayala mounts a furious comeback but its a 12-9 win for Fabian Gutierrez. 

Like the PSU fans, the Hawkeyes now have to hope for bonus points in the consi brackets from their lead off man. 

125 - McKee of Minnesota and Smith of App State in a battle. McKee may prefer to operate in the wrestlebacks though so no need for Gopher fans to stress either way. #8 seed McKee falls 8-5 and will have to do what he does best. SoCon gets two 125 pounders into the round of 16. 

SoCon is a tough conference, I've said this many times. 

125 - Mastrogiovani of OK State will look for revenge against Terukina of Iowa State, as the Hawaiin Cyclone won in the regular season. Mastro gets it done with a late tie-breaking takedown for a big win for the Cowboy faithful. 

125 - Glory cruises to victory and Arujau out to a big lead early. Suriano will wait to wrestle as his opponent has a pig tail bout and is afforded some recovery time. 

125 - And there's Nicky Cornrows, now on the mat for Team 100 vs Ashton of Stanford. Nick leads 4-1 in the first. 

133 - Top 133 pounders start taking the mat. DeSanto gave up the first takedown right off the whistle but has regained the lead and I don't think he will relinquish it. And I am correct, as DeSanto gets the tech fall, 19-3. 

133 - Upset alert! #8 seed and former All-American RayVon Foley of Michigan State falls to Brian Courtney of UVA 4-2. 

133 - Dylan Ragusin of Michigan and Team 100 survives a scare against Lehigh Malyke Hines of Lehigh, 8-5.

133 Another upset alert, Matt Ramos of Purdue pins #7 seed Lucas Byrd of Illinois. Early contender for most destroyed bracket is 133. 

133 - Michael McGee advances with a major decision (as did his teammate Courtney at 125) as Arizona State quietly mounts their trophy hunt. 

133 - Daton Fix of OK State in the catch and release phase of his bout against Burwick of Wisconsin.

133 - RBY of PSU finally takes the mat and races out to a 6-2 lead over LaJoie of Cornell. 

141 - Micic takes the mat for Michigan vs Hart of Mizzou and Woods of Stanford has McGonagle of Lehigh as the 141s start arriving to the mat. Woods wins handily and Hart takes out Micic with a punishing ride. Micic never finished lower than 4th at the NCAAs in his career but will have a long road back to the podium. 

141 - Kinner of Rider gets a win over D'Emelio of Ohio State. Kinner started his career as a Buckeye before transferring to the Broncs. 

141 - Filius of Purde makes it back-to-back wins for the Boilermakers as he beat Iowa STate Ian Parker. 

141 - Grant Willits of Oregon State takes out Carter Young of Oklahoma State. That went according to seed but Oklahoma State fans will need every point they can get to stay competitive in the hunt for a team trophy. 

141 - Matthews of Pitt and Zargo of Wisconsin in wild one. They go back and forth in the 3rd but its Matthews that takes it 12-8.

141 - Chad Red of Nebraska and Dresden Simon of Central Michigan was going according to a fairly tame script, with Red leading 3-0, until Simon flipped the aforementioned script with a headlock. Red fought off his back and its 5-4 right now but they are going to review, which will probably take a few hours to resolve. 5-5 in the third now but Red has riding time locked up. 

141 - Nick Lee of PSU out to a 6-0 lead in under a minute, while Eierman of Iowa leads by 2 over Wil Gil fo F&M, for all the Lions and Hawks fans, of which I know are legion.

141 - Upset alert! Tal Shahar of Northwestern takes out #7 seed and #6 ranked Clay Carlson of SDSU, 4-3.

149 - Beau Bartlett of PSU takes on Colin Realbuto of UNI in a tough first round bout for the #13 seed Nittany Lion. Similarly, #9 seed Gfeller of OK State has landmine PJ Ogunsanya of Army and Iowa's Murin has Munson of CMU. Gfeller has no problems winning, and Murin gets a fall to the delight of the Hawkeye fans in attendance. Big bonus for Iowa. Realbuto with a 3-1 lead in the third. But Bartlett comes back to win a thriller 5-4. 

149 - Yianni of Cornell attempting to extend his 1,000 match winning streak (approximation). 

149 - Slammin Sammy Sasso of Ohio State has Aceri of Buffalo on his first appointment on his quest to return to the NCAA finals. 

149 - Oklahoma's young WIllie McDougald takes out former All-American Jarrett Degen of Iowa State. 

149 - Upset alert! Cleveland State Marcus Robinson beats Rutgers' #12 seed Mike Van Brill in a 7-5 nailbiter.

149 - Lots of entertaining 149-pounders on the mat. Abas leads Lovett 2-0, Gomez leads Keller 2-0, and Yahya has an 8-7 lead over Josh Finesilver in the third. Duke's Finesilver beats last year's 3rd placer Yahya Thomas of Northwestern in a 13-10 slugfest. Lovett wins 4-2, while Gomez cruises 12-0. 

149 - Heil of Campbell trying to put another SoCon wrestler in the next round. He leads 3-0 over Edmond of Mizzou. Ditto for Millner of App State, with a 1-0 lead over Crooks of Oregon State. Milner gets it down with a 3-0 win. Heil wins 8-0, so two more for the SoCon.

A very tough conference, the SoCon. Something I've said before (many times). 

157 - David Carr out doing Carr Champ things, leads Holschalg of UNI 10-5. 

157 - Willits of Oregon State (the second of two Beaver Willits) has a 1-0 lead over PSU's Berge in the third. Berge escapes but Willits has 1:13 of RT. Willits holds off Berge for the win in a tough slog between #16 and #17 seeds. 

157 - Quincy Monday of Princeton advances after a tight 3-2 2in over VT's Connor Brady. 

157 - Will Lewan of Team 100 in sudden victory vs Jacques of Mizzou. Lewan is the #8 seed. No scores, on to tiebreakers. Lewan needed an escape in 1 second after a restart and got it. Then forced sudden victory #2, in which Lewan got a takedown with just 1 second remaining in the period!

Kaleb Young won 3-2 to also advance for all the team race watchers. 

157 - Headlock Ed Scott as the Wolfpacker was being pushed by Buffalo's Michael Petite before he finished the match with a pinslay. 

157 - Lehigh's Josh Humphreys, the #7 seed, holds a slim 1-0 advantage over Ben Barton of Lock Haven, who wisely did not choose bottom against Humhreys. The Mountain Hawk scored a takedown in the third though and greatly increased his chances of victory. And it is a 4-0 lead, as a RT point was tacked on. 

157 - Deakin winning 2-1 over Sheets 2-1 but firmly in command of the bout. Teemer wins 3-2 over Richard. 

157 - Last year's 149-pound champ Austin O'Connor in a scoreless bout with Citadel's Casto going into the third, but the Tar Heel has 2 minutes of riding time. Casto gets a takedown and the 2-1 lead. The rideout just forced sudden victory, however, as RT was locked up before the TD. Casto gets the takedown in sudden victory and the Bulldogs advance a wrestler to the round of 16. 

165 - Griffith gets an early takedown as last year's champ leads Carlson of Minnesota. Now it's 6-0 still in the first. #1 seed Evan Wick with a 3-2 lead over Olguin on a neighboring mat. 

165 - Ramirez cools off the SoCon hot streak as the Cornellian beat App State's Formato.

165 - DJ Hamiti with a 6-2 lead over Nicholson of Chattanooga as the Badger dynamo continues his berserker freshman campaign. Hamiti locks up a cradle. Pinfall for the remorseless Hamiti!

165 - No Penn Stater at this weight but Marinelli of Iowa and Cam Amine of Michigan are on the mat. The Bull leads 3-1 going into the second and Amine leads 1-0, action under way in the second. #7 seed Kharchla of Ohio State also on the mat. Amine wins a tight 3-1 bout thanks to a takedown following an extended scramble late in the third. Marinelli cruises to a 7-2 victory. Kharchla gets it done, 8-2.

165 - Jake Wentzel took a couple of unexpected losses during the regular season but secured a fall in first bout as he attempts to return to the NCAA finals. Keegan O'Toole kept pace with a pinfall in 52 seconds. 

174 - Carter Starocci gets an early lead over pigtail match winner Connor O'Neil. One of Starocci's chief rivals for the 2022 174-pound title is Mkehi Lewis, who leads big over Robin of WVU. Starocci camps off his dominant victory with a pin, much to the delight of the Penn State faithful in attendance. its j

174 - Nijenhuis of Purdue looks for revenge against Drexel's O'Malley, won via pinfall in the first dual of the season for both teams. They go to sudden victory. Wild scramble, and Nijenhuis gets his revenge!

174 - Good to see Chris Foca shake off an injury he suffered at EIWAs. The Cornellian leads 4-1 over App State's tough Thomas Fitz in the first. Unfortunately for the Big Red faithful its Flitz with the come from behind victory and the SoCon victories keep piling up!

174 - Logan Massa leads Jacob Nolan 7-3 in the third. Tyler Eischens leads Ethan Smith 10-6, in the third, Kemerer leads Pasiuk 3-0 going into the third, and Braunagel has a 6-3 lead over Hopkins in the second. And that's 'Around the Hord' in the Big Ten at 174 at this point in time at the 2022 NCAA Championships. 

Big Ten update: Eischens holds on for the upset over #7 seed Ethan Smith, 13-12. Braunagel, Massa and KemDaughg won though. 

174: Lance Runyon was losing in the third before reversing Anthony Mantanona and pinning him to advance the Panther Train to the second round. Looked like some extracurriculars after the whistle but nothing major. 

184: Mizzou's Jeremiah Kent jumps out to a 6-1 lead over conference rival Dakota Geer after 3 minutes of wrestling. But Geer it would be foolish to count Geer out, as he came back to secure a fall in the third and advance to the next round. HUGE win for Oklahoma State!

184: A ho-hum 18-3 seven minute tech fall for Myles Amine and Team 100. 

184: Upset alert! #21 seed (and #21 ranked) Tate Samuelson of Wyoming defeated #12 seed (and #7 ranked) Brit Wilson of Northern Illinois in sudden victory.

184: The Maryland Terrapins advance a wrestler to the second round as Kyle Cochran beats John Poznanski for the third time this season. 

184: Keckeisen of UNI and Hidlay of NCSU advance without too much difficulty as the tops seeds on the bottom half of the bracket. 

184: Iowa and PSU update: Brooks with a quick 4-1 lead over Burkart in the first. Assad losing 3-0 to Bolen of Virgina Tech. And Bolen takes it 6-3. That's a #15 seed over Iowa's #18 seed. Brooks wins via major decision.

197: Norfleet of ASU with a 2-1 lead over Aiello of UVA in a key bout for Sun Devil's trophy hunt. Aiello and Norfleet going to overtime. 197 is a weight class of extreme parity (for NCAA wrestling) so few results should be surprising. Like Aiello's takedown for the victory, as the Caviliers advance a wrestler to the second round. 

197: Max Dean with a ho-hum 16-1 tech fall in the first period to advance. 

197: Utah Valley looking to an upset as Evan Bockman has a 3-1 lead over MSU's Cam Caffey in the third. Cam Caffey with the enormous effort to come from behind and win 6-4 as Sparty has a second rounder. 

197: #3 seed and #3 ranked Eric Schultz in a tight 2-2 bout with Penn's Cole Urbas. Schultz starting to pull away now, 7-2 in the third. 

197: A couple of important matches for the team race: Michigan's Brucki leads Cleveland State's Ben Smith 5-0 in the third. Iowa's Warner just got under way vs Northern Colorado's Clothier. Team 100 and Team Herky both win. 

197 - Upset alert! Except it's 197-pounds so tough to call anything an upset at this weight class. But anyway, #21 seed Hoffman of Ohio State got a takedown in overtime over #12 seed Tanner Sloan to advance to the second round. 

197 - Bastida of Iowa State by way of Cuba over UWW junior freestyle gold and greco bronze medalist Braxton Amos of Wisconsin by way of West Virginia. 

197 - Luke Stout of Princeton forced overtime and then beat Isaac Trumble of NCSU in a thrilling match of an #18 seed over #15 seed. 

285: THe most popular wrestler in the nation, Gable Steveson, takes the mat to the applause of just about everyone here. Sold out crowd of 17,000, though maybe 2/3 are actually in the arena. Steveson makes his opponents look like they're moving in slow motion.

285 - Zach Elam of Mizzou has a 2-1 lead over Hillger of Wisconsin on a mat next to his brother Rocky, who has a 2-1 lead over Foy of Minnesota at 197-pounds. And Elam of the Zach variety prevails over Hillger 5-4. Elam the Younger also wins 4-1. 

285 - Five Time MAC champion Matt 5tencel has a 4-2 lead over Reid of Lock Haven. 

285 - Kerkvliet takes down Metz and rides out the period for just a 2 point lead but a chance to set the world record in riding time, as PSU fans are hoping for bonus points. Cassioppi is on the mat against Heindselman as Hawkeye fans look for bonus from their heavy. And there's the fall from Kerkvliet, so focusing on the top game pays off as Kerk started the second in the top position. Cass in command the entire match but settles for a 4-0 decision. 

285 - Mason Parris takes the mat for Team 100. Team 100 is Michigan by the way. Parris wins by major victory.

285 - Gary Traub forces overtime, as he so often does. Gas Tank Gary is 6-0 in overtime bouts this season. AJ Nevills looks to break that streak. Make it 7-0 for Gas Tank Gary! He wins 7-4!

285 - Jordan Wood, who, like 5tencel, is also a five-time conference champ, wins a 1-0 classic heavyweight tactical battle to advance to the second round. 

285 - Cohlton Schultz and Wyatt Hendrickson both pin to advance, as they look to challenge for a high placement on the podium. 

And that'll do it for the first round!

Iowa and Michigan put 8 into the next round. Iowa has 2 in the consis, MIchigan just one. Penn State went 7 of 9, while Nebraska when 7 of 8. 

Still anybody's championships. Come back for our evening live blog as we find out who are quarterfinalists are!