Iowa is tied for third after day one of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. The Hawkeyes, chasing their fourth consecutive national title, have 25 points entering day two of the tournament. They’re tied for 3rd with Oklahoma State.
Cornell is 2nd with 29 points. Penn State is in 1st with 30.5 points. The Nittany Lions won all eight of their matches Thursday night and moved seven wrestlers into the quarterfinals. Cornell and Iowa both have five wrestlers in the quarterfinals and four in the consolation bracket.
Team Standings:
1. Penn State 30.5
2. Cornell 29.0
3. Iowa 25.0
Oklahoma St 25.0
Sophmore Matt McDonough, the Hawkeye’s defending national champ at 125 lbs., followed up his first round pin with a major decision. He’s joined in the quarterfinals by teammates Montell Marion at 141, Derek St. John at 157, Grant Gambrall at 184 and Luke Lofthouse at 197. One of the key quarterfinal round matches this morning will be at 157, where the Hawkeyes’ St. John will face Penn State’s David Taylor.
Iowa State has one wrestler in the quarterfinals – top-seed Jon Reader at 174. He remains undefeated this season after posting two major decisions on Thursday. Three Cyclones remain alive in the consolation bracket.
Two wrestlers for Northern Iowa also remain alive in the consolations; David Bonin at 157 and Ryan Loder at 184.
Day two of wrestling at the NCAA Tournament begins at 9:30a.m. Friday.