2-time defending champ Iowa wins 9 of 10 first-round matches to take lead in NCAA wrestling

Iowa wins 9 of 10 to take early lead in wrestling

OMAHA, Neb. — Two-time defending champion Iowa took the early lead over Oklahoma State in the NCAA wrestling tournament Thursday, with nine of 10 Hawkeyes advancing to the second round of the championship bracket.

“It’s very premature,” Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands said. “We just have to keep marching forward and doing what we’re about. Any time you put a string together of 9 for 10, good things are going on.”

Iowa led Oklahoma State 21.5 to 16 after the first round. Central Michigan, Lehigh and Wisconsin were tied for third place with 15 points apiece.

The Hawks won their first eight matches before Oklahoma State’s Alan Gelogaev upset ninth-seeded Chad Beatty 4-2 on a tiebreaker.

Iowa prevailed in a couple of close matches.

Unseeded 157-pounder Jake Kerr scored a reversal in the third period to take his first lead and then held on for an 8-7 victory over Arizona State’s Tejovan Edwards.

Seventh-seeded 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar, who injured his right knee in the Big Ten tournament two weeks ago, got a takedown in overtime to beat West Virginia’s Donald Jones 4-2.

Morningstar, who finished third a year ago, said he felt some pain in his knee when he got pushed out of bounds in the first period. But the pain was all but gone once the whistle blew again.

“It’s mind over matter,” he said. “Your adrenaline starts flowing, and you’re OK.”

Jones got the first points with a second-period reversal, but Morningstar scored two escapes to force overtime.

“It’s big because I didn’t know my limitation,” Morningstar said. “I hadn’t tested it in a couple weeks.”

Even with an ailing knee, Morningstar believes he can make a deep run in the tournament.

“We need to keep winning,” he said. “I’m worried about the team race in the back of my mind, but I know I have to take care of myself. If we all do that, we’ll be fine.”

No. 2 seeds Matt McDonough at 125 pounds, Daniel Dennis at 133 and Jay Borschel at 174 advanced, as did No. 5 Daniel Erekson at heavyweight, No. 6 Montell Marion at 141 and No. 9 Phillip Keddy at 184.

Second-seeded 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, still smarting from a loss to Ohio State’s Lance Palmer in the Big Ten tournament, opened his bid to return to the national finals for the third straight year with a 15-6 win over Northern Iowa’s Trenton Washington.

Oklahoma State had seven wrestlers make it through the first round — No. 2 seeds Jamal Parks (141) and Jared Rosholt (285), No. 4 Jordan Oliver (133), No. 5 Clayton Foster (184), No. 6 Mike Benefiel (174), No. 10 Alex Meade (184) and Gelogaev (197).

Two Cowboys — No. 10 Chris Notte (125) and No. 11 Robert Erisman (157) — were upset.

Central Michigan thrust itself into the team race on the strength of four upsets by unseeded wrestlers. Mike Miller scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds to beat Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo 4-2 in a 184-pound match. Conor Beebe stunned No. 11 Chris Diaz of Virginia Tech 4-0, Tony D’Alie decisioned No. 10 Barrett Abel of Cal-Davis 5-2 at 149 and Tyler Grayson beat No. 8 Shane Onufer of Wyoming 13-4 at 165.

Unbeaten 165-pounder Andrew Howe pinned Liberty’s Chad Porter in 2:03 to highlight the first round for Wisconsin, which advanced five of its seven wrestlers.

Iowa State, which has been in the top five three straight years, won five of 10 first-round matches. The biggest loss was by fourth-seeded Jonathan Reeder, who was upset by Old Dominion’s Chris Brown 5-4.

The Cyclones’ Jake Varner and Nebraska’s Craig Brester are on a collision course for a finals rematch at 197. Varner posted a 17-3 major decision over Boise State’s Matt Casperson and Brester pinned Rider’s Tyler Smith in 2 minutes, 59 seconds.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects Iowa State number of first-round wins to five sted six in penultimate graf. Will be led after evening session.)