Big Ten Championships: Session III

We'll be starting with the consolation semifinals. The University of Iowa Hawkeyes have four in the consolation semifinals. Chad Beatty has already qualified for the NCAA meet, being assured of a top six finish. I heard he may not wrestle. Maybe it's to avoid risking injury to the foot.

A consolation semifinal win for Marion at 141, Kerr at 157 and Morningstar at 165 will lock up an automatic bid. Marion and Kerr have to win to get that auto bid, since their weights are assured of the top four advancing. Morningstar can qualify for the NCAAs automatically with a fifth-place finish.

141: Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. Cole Schmitt (Wis): Schmitt opens with a takedown but Marion escapes in 12 seconds. Marion adds a takedown in final 20 seconds and then rides him out. Marion up, 3-2, after first. Marion with an escape, leading 4-2 about halfway thru the second. Schmitt with an escape to start the third and then takes a 5-4 lead with a takedown with 1:36 remaining. Schmitt has riding time now. Marion with reversal to go up 6-5, but couldn't ride him for the 13 seconds to eliminate RT. Marion gets takedown with 12 seconds to go, then gets back points in the final seconds to win 11-6. marion qualifies.

157: Jake Kerr (Iowa) vs. David Johnson (Mich): Kerr shoots in on double and gets first takedown with 1:09 to go in first. Kerr up 2-0 with 58 secs left in first. Kerr rides out Johnson for 2-0 lead and 1:08 RT after the first. Kerr with escape to go up 3-0 in second. Kerr with a niftyy counter to go up 5-0 and now he's got RT again. Kerr up 5-0 and 1:53 RT in third. Johnson gets takedown, cutting lead to 5-2, riding Kerr with 30 seconds to go and RT eliminated. Kerr dinged for stalling to give Johnson another point, but he wins 5-3. He's assured of a top-four finish and a berth to the NCAAs. That gives Iowa 9 with Morningstar needing to win one of his last two matches.

165: Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. Paul Young (Ind): Morningstar with a takedown in the final minute of the first for a 2-0 lead. Morningstar rides out Young and leads 2-0 after first. Morningstar gets RT, but then Young with escape to make it 2-1 Mstar in the second. Morningstar with escape to go up 3-1. 90 seconds to go. Young with a takedown to tie it 3-3. 41 seconds to go. Morningstar with escape to go up 4-3. Morningstar holds on for 4-3 win and locks up NCAA berth. It gives Iowa 10 NCAA qualifiers.

Since Beatty is injury defaulting (Nothing serious from what I hear just precautionary), the Hawks won't be out for awhile. They are finishing up the consolation semis and then completing all seventh/eighth place matches before the final round.

125: #2 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. #1 Angel Escobedo (Indiana): The finals are about to begin. McDonough in deep on single, but can't finish before blood time is called. Scoreless first. Both fought off strong takedown attempts. Escobedo goes down. Escobedo E1, but McD has 1:12 riding time. McD gets E1 in third. We're tied at 1-1. Escobedo rides him just long enough to cut RT to :57. Escobedo with T2 on the edge for 3-1 lead with 1:11 to go. McD E1 with 41 secs to go. Escobedo T2 to go up 5-2. McD R2 to make it 5-4 with 13 secs to go. McD has to cut him and can't get the final T2 and Escobedo wins 6-4.

133: #2 Daniel Dennis (Iowa ) vs. #1 Jayson Ness (Minnesota): Ness gets opening takedown to go up 2-0. Ness rides him out, holding a 2-0 lead and 1:30 RT after first. Scoreless second. Ness chooses down to start third. Same score. Dennis eliminates riding time, then lets Ness out. Ness gets takedown, reclaims riding time and even catches Dennis on his back in a scramble for NF2 and 7-0 lead. Dennis adds takedown and escape, then releases Ness, but Ness wins,9-3.

149: #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. #2 Lance Palmer (Ohio State): My play-by-play was lost when I lost my connection. Metcalf scored a takedown in the first, then Palmer got an escape. 2-1 Metcalf. Palmer rode Metcalf for awhile in the second, building riding time, but Metcalf escaped to go up 3-1. In the third, Metcalf erased riding time and then in a scramble on the edge of the mat Metcalf was hit for locked hands. After a restart, Palmer escaped to tie it at 3-3.  The two had each others legs, Metcalf looked like he was going to cut the corner and get the go-ahead takedown. Palmer held his leg and rolled, the two were on the mat when Palmer scissored his hips, catching Metcalf on his back and getting the win. 9-3 I think.

174: #1 Jay Borschel (Iowa) vs. #3 Scott Glasser (Minnesota): We're up. Borschel gets a takedown with a little over a minute left to go up 2-0. Glasser with Escape. 2-1 at end of first. Borschel E1 in second to go up 3-1. Borschel with a takedown with 1:10 to go in second. He's up 5-1. Borschel takedown. Impressive tenacity to prevent a takedown and get his own. 7-1 and will get RT. Borsschel wins 8-1.

184: #1 John Dergo (Illinois) vs. #3 Phil Keddy (Iowa): Dergo scores takedowns in the second and third for the win.

Hwt.: #2 Dan Erekson (Iowa) vs. #1 Nathan Everhart: Erekson doesn't waste any time getting a takedown and cinching up a cradle to go up 5-0. Everhart with an escape. 5-1 at the end of the first. Everhart adds an escape to start second. Erekson in on shot but can't finish as they go out of bounds, but Everhart called for fleeing the mat to go up 6-2. End of second and Erekson leads 6-2. Erekson with a 7-2 lead after a third-period escape. Everhart adds takedown in third and releases Erekson to make it 8-4. Everhart scores a questionable takedown on the edge. It's 8-6 Erekson and that's how it ends.

141: #3 Montell Marion (Iowa) vs. #6 Juan Archuleta (Purdue): Marion beats Archuleta, 5-3. 

157: #4 Jake Kerr (IKowa) vs. Anthony Jones (Michigan State): Jones wins, 6-4.

165: #2 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) vs. #4 Dan Vallimont (Penn State): Morningstar injury defaults in the third period. Vallimont shoots in on the edge and I'm not sure if it's a knee or ankle. He's being helped from matside and isn't putting pressure on it.