5 Takeaways from the 3rd session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: UNI’s Cael Happel earns All-American honors

The field has been pared down and All-American honors have been secured by some. Others have dealt with the disappointment of dash title hopes and the end of the season or career. Here are five storylines from the third session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

CAEL HAPPEL CONSTANT PROGRESS LEADS TO AWARDS STAND

University of Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel was gone from national tournament spectator to having all eyes on him in the NCAA semifinals. His career has been a testament to perseverance and determination.

Happel scored an escape in the tiebreaker-1 period to edge Navy’s No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, 2-1, Friday in the 141-pound quarterfinals to secure a top-six finish.

“You have to be a gritty S.O.B., point the finger at yourself and that’s what it was,” Happel said about the win in a post-match interview. “I’ve been in that situation 100 times in the practice room. That’s just going out and proving it.”

Happel escaped in about six seconds. Koderhandt needed a takedown and had to choose neutral for the next 30-second period. Riding time is a determining factor of the tiebreaker. Without a stall warning, Happel wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I was on skates,” Happel said. “I’ll be the first to admit but I wasn’t giving up a score. It’s exciting.”

The three-time NCAA qualifier secured a top-six finish and All-American honors as a senior.

“I’m an All-American now,” said Happel, a four-time state champion from Lisbon. “It’s something I’ve worked hard for five years. Proud to be able to call myself that after being so close over and over again. You feel like you finally got that monkey off your back.”

The pesky primate has been fixed on Happel’s back from the end of his freshman season. Happel had wins over ranked opponents and ranked 23 rd nationally when he entered the Big 12 Championships as a freshman. He went 0-2 and didn’t earn an at-large berth, settling for being an alternate (replace a qualifier who was unable to compete) and watching the tournament.

Happel went 0-2 again at the qualifier his sophomore year but he earned an at-large berth, going 2-2 at the NCAA tournament. Last season, he broke through with a runner-up Big 12 finish but went 3-2 and lost in the Round of 12 – one win shy of All-American honors.

This year, he set a career high with 26 victories before the semifinal against Nebraska’s No. 1 Brock Hardy.

“Senior year, you get on the (awards) stand,” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said. “It’s something you want to do. Obviously, he did that. Now, to me, let’s go climb that ladder.”

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AYALA’S PENCHANT FOR SCORING POINTS

University of Iowa’s Drake Ayala has figured out something about peaking for the NCAA tournament. Last season, he rolled to the national finals, placing second at 125 pounds. Ayala has continued to perform well when it matters most, earning his second straight All-American honor by reaching the 133 semifinal.

“I was telling my buddies that I’m a pretty nervous person but I get here and I feel at home,” Ayala said. “This is home for me. No nerves. Everything is wiped away.”

Ayala throttled Ohio State’s No. 7 Nic Bouzakis, 23-10, in the quarterfinals. He racked up an impressive seven takedowns against Bouzakis.

It was his third straight bonus-point victory, recording a technical fall and major decision Thursday. Ayala has outscored his three opponents, 57-19.

“I need to keep it rolling,” Ayala said. “I’ve put up a lot of points this tournament. Three matches, I don’t know how many points I’ve put up, but I know it is a lot. Keep it rolling.”

Ayala added, “This is Drake Ayala. This is March. The lights shine the brightest, I wrestle the brightest. I’m ready to go.”

Ayala is a three-time NCAA qualifier and will tote more hardware home. He has a strong support group that keeps him humble and hungry. Ayala is driven by his passion for the sport and family, teammates and coaches.

“I do it for me but for them, too,” Ayala said. “They all mean a lot to me.”

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3-IN-A-ROW FOR CALIENDO

Michael Caliendo joined Ayala and No. 2 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan as the three semifinalists for Iowa. Third-seeded Caliendo marched into the 165 semifinals with a 7-2 decision over Michigan’s No. 6 Beau Mantanona for his 80 th career college victory.

Caliendo earned his third straight All-American honor. He was seventh in 2023 at North Dakota State and placed fourth a year ago with Iowa. Caliendo nabbed another top-six finish.

“It’s been a good start,” Caliendo said. “Need to keep it going now. Lot of work to do. Just pushing the pace, he knew his pace couldn’t hang with mine, that is why he was on his knee for half the match. Really his only chance was stalling me out. All respect to him though he wrestled tough, but I’m just on a different level.”

Iowa was fourth with 42 points in the team standings after the quarterfinals and second-round consolation.

KECKEISEN BECOMES 5-TIME ALL-AMERICAN

UNI’s Parker Keckeisen will go down as the most accomplished wrestler in program history. The senior 184-pounder dominated Illinois’ Edmond Ruth, 13-5, to reach the semifinals and claim a top-six finish. Keckeisen becomes the first to earn five D-I All-American honors.

He has been impressive, finishing third or better each season. The defending 184 NCAA titlist earned bronze his first two seasons and was the national runner-up in 2023. Coincidentally, the final was the last time he had lost, leading up to his semifinal against Minnesota’s Max McEnelly.

Keckeisen won 58 straight matches with the major decision over Ruth. He has two major decisions and a technical fall, helping UNI to fifth with 37 ½ points after the third session.

“I don’t want to say it becomes a broken record but talk about a guy that we can rely on to always score points and get bonus points,” Schwab said. “He’s done it at a high level.”

FREAKY FRIDAY AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Unbelievable. Unpredictable. Unexpected. Use any word you want but Friday’s competition produced wild results, including upsets to open the quarterfinals.

In a matter of moments, the top-two seeds at 125 lost. Lehigh’s No. 8 Sheldon Seymour knocked off Penn State’s top-seeded Luke Lilledahl, 3-2 in tiebreaker-1. Oklahoma State’s No. 7 Troy Spratley beat Purdue NCAA finalists and No. 2 seed Matt Ramos (who beat Spencer Lee), 5-2, to reach the semifinals. Spratley’s story is amazing. He started the week bulldozing earth to help save his home from fire that affected Stillwater, Okla. He earned All-American honors.

Purdue’s No. 8 Joey Blaze also knocked off a Nittany Lion No. 1 seed. He beat Tyler Kasak, 5-4, in the 157 quarterfinal. Not to be out-done, his semifinal opponent, Northwestern’s Trevor Chumbley, is the No. 20 seed.

Wisconsin’s No. 14 Zan Fugitt upset the Nos. 3 and 6 seed to reach the semifinals at 133. Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio (149) and South Dakota State and former Southeast Polk wrestler Cade DeVos (174) reached the semifinals as No. 13 seeds. Nebraska’s Christopher Minto reached the 165 semifinal as a No. 12 seed.

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