K.J. Pilcher

Cornell’s Elise Oleson doesn’t mind the pressure when she has the chance to help her team win. She connected on a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-1 victory over Coe in the opener of a softball doubleheader at home. Kohawks rebounded for a 5-4 win in the nightcap.

The Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Dick Briggs

Stephen Buchanan came to Iowa to become a champion. Iowa needed him to accomplish that goal. Both reaped the rewards when he captured the 197-pound NCAA title. Iowa produces five All-Americans, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson pulls off major upset, Penn State wins again and more in the NCAA Wrestling Weekend That Was.

University of Northern Iowa 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen wrestled for his second national title and a chance to play spoiler against Penn State’s Carter Starocci, who was going for his unprecedented fifth NCAA crown. Starocci won, 4-3.

Iowa’s Drake Ayala, Michael Caliendo and Stephen Buchanan and UNI’s Parker Keckeisen won semifinal bouts Friday, advancing to the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

University of Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel climbed the ladder and now will try to climb the NCAA podium. Iowa’s Drake Ayala continued his offensive approach through the quarterfinals. Friday started with major upsets. Here are five takeaways from Session III.

University of Iowa moved five into the quarterfinals and finished tied for fourth in the team race after Day 1 of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Thursday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. UNI has all 10 alive with Cael Happel and Parker Keckeisen in the quarterfinals. The Panthers are in seventh place.

College wrestling’s crown jewel is the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. University of Iowa, Iowa State and University of Northern Iowa are competing at the event at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Here are five storylines from Thursday’s opening session.

The Pinning Combination with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Dick Briggs

University of Iowa, Iowa State, University of Northern Iowa and a handful of others with state ties will compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia from Thursday through Saturday. Here are five storylines to follow at the national tournament.

University of Iowa’s Drake Ayala was the runner-up at 125-pounds at last year’s national tournament. He will try to improve that finish as the No. 2 seed at 133 at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, beginning Thursday.

University of Northern Iowa 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen will put the final stamp on his legacy when he competes at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., beginning Thursday. He is one of 10 qualifiers for UNI, which is a contender for a team trophy.

Coe’s Bryce Parke posted three straight victories to reach the 133-pound final at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Providence, R.I. He earned a runner-up finish and was one of four Kohawk All-Americans this year, including his brother, Brayden, who placed fifth at 125.

The college postseason continues with the NCAA Division II and III Wrestling Championships on Friday and Saturday. The D-III tournament includes the American Rivers Conference programs and Cornell, which is hosted by Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. Upper Iowa is the lone D-II program in the state and will compete at Indianapolis, Ind.

Curt Ritchie has been a successful high school football coach for more than three decades, including the last 24 seasons at Williamsburg. He will now take over the Cornell College football program, which is coming off consecutive .500-record seasons.