We’re moving on here in Tulsa. After a brief respite, it’s back to the mats for the round of 16 and consolation games. And we’re here to blog it all for you LIVE in real time from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
16-18 March · Resumes yesterday at 16:00 UTC
2023 NCAA Championships Watch Party
It’s raining here in Tulsa, but I still think it’s a great night for NCAA wrestling!
A second stunning rendition of the national anthem and we’re just minutes away.
What are you saying? Don’t care about blogs, just want the results? Ok great, here is a link to the results only, not a blog. Check them out and ignore this blog. It’s okay, I’ll get over it.
round of 16
125 pounds
A minute into the round, Spencer Lee is 10-0 ahead of Michigan’s Jack Medley. And it’s a 16-0 tech fall for Spencer Lee. He’s pretty good.
Wyoming’s Jore Volk and Killian Cardinale in a battle for the 21st and 28th seeds, respectively, despite Cardinale sitting 14th. Cardinale showed no signs of injury which slowed him down this season and 5-1 after 2 periods. Cardinale will take it by decision and is just one game away from his second AA medal.
Lock Haven’s Noto is technically higher seeded than Wisconcin’s Barnett, the All-American Badger is ranked higher, #6 through #10. In the third it is 3:3. Barnett escapes to make it 4-3 in his favor late in the third, but Noto gets the takedown in the dying seconds to advance to the quarters.
Jarrett Trombley and Matt Ramos in overtime, 4-4. A few scrambles will get any wrestler close to scoring points, but the score remains tied and it’s down to the tiebreak. Trombley made the Boilermakers fans sweat, but number 4 Matt Ramos survived to the quarterfinals.
Nebraska’s Liam Cronin, the No. 3 who never had an AA, advances to the quarterfinals against UMD’s Braxton Brown.
Glory leads Ungar 4-0 and pours it out on his EIWA rival. The Princeton Tiger flattens the Cornellian to win with Major.
Brandon Courtney ends Jack Wagner’s Cinderella deal. The Sun Devil beats the Tar Heel by regular decision.
Notable consolation results
4th and 12th seed Mike DeAugustino of Northwestern wins to eliminate 5th and 11th seed Caleb Smith of App State.
133 pounds
#1 Roman Bravo-Young continues his march in third place. UTC’s Brayden Palmer makes him work but RBY concede the win without too much trouble.
NC State’s Kai Orine takes on Chance Rich, the only representative from CSU-Bakersfield. Orine takes it seriously and hosts the iguana tongue celebration (I assume) for the sizable wolf pack contingent that is in attendance.
CRAZY ALERT: #19 Eddie Ventresca knocks out #7 and two-time All-American Pat McKee. Here, however, McKee thrives in the consolation class. He retired early in the last two NCAAs where he placed 3rd and 5th.
One of the most anticipated fights of the tournament, at least after the 133-pound bracket was updated after Lehigh’s McGonagle scraped, begins as ASU’s Michael McGee takes on Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez. McGee never lets Mendez get his offense and defeats the newcomer 6-2.
Red hot Aaron Nagao has Pitt’s Mickey Phillippi, a three-time Bloodrounder looking for his first trip to the medal round in his final year of eligibility. And Nagao goes into beast mode, battling through a scramble and getting two sets of nearfall before securing the pinfall.
Vito Arujau leads the scores on Zach Redding, at least over two periods.
Three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix, eager to add a title to that list of accolades, is racing to an early lead at the arena closest to his hometown of Sand Springs, Oklahoma. And it’s an 8-4 win for Fix, his 100th win of his collegiate career, stats courtesy of arena announcer Bryan Hazard. That’s a lot of wins!
Sam Latona, Virginia Tech All-American over Alabama, grabs another narrow win, this time 2-1 thanks to drive time, over Air Force’s Cody Phippen.
Lucas Byrd of Illinois defeats Michael Colaiocco of Penn in a slight flurry, 10th seed 11th via 7th seed 6th.
141 pounds
Cole Matthews of Pitt (and sponsored by Primati Brothers) takes his first win in the weight class with a 1-0 win over Cael Happel.
NC State via Connecticut’s Ryan Jack leads Purdue via Montana’s Parker Filius in a match between two wrestlers from states not often represented at NCAAs. And Filius wins from behind – belated UPSET ALERT – and Purdue promotes their second wrestler to the quarterfinals.
Real Woods was almost upset with Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio, but Iowan narrowly escaped, much to the approval of the Hawkeye fans and the disapproval of almost everyone else in the arena.