Iowa wrestling, Big Ten Championships capsules
Hawkeyes look to win 37th conference tournament team title
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team begins its quest for a second consecutive team title at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday.
The Hawkeyes enter the tournament with nine of its 10 wrestlers seeded one through three.
Iowa won the Big Ten Championships last season and went 5-0 this season en route to a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Penn State.
The Hawkeyes had dual meets against Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern and Wisconsin canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program.
Sessions one and two take place Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, session three begins at 11 a.m. and the championship matches will take place beginning at 3 p.m.
FIRST ROUND/QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS
125 – #1 Spencer Lee (IA) vs. #8 Michael DeAugustino (NU)/Dylan Ragusin (UM)
133 – #2 Austin DeSanto (IA) vs. #7 Jordan Decatur (OSU)/#10 Tucker Sjomeling (NEB)
141 – #1 Jaydin Eierman (IA) vs. #8 Drew Mattin (UM)/#9 Parker Filius (PU)
149 – #2 Max Murin (IA) vs. #7 Ridge Lovett (NEB)/#10 Graham Rooks (IND)
157 – #2 Kaleb Young (IA) vs. #7 Chase Saldate (MSU)/#10 Caleb Licking (NEB)
165 – #1 Alex Marinelli (IA) vs. #8 Jack Tucker (MSU)/#9 Gerrit Nijenhuis (PU)
174 – #1 Michael Kemerer (IA) vs. #8 Jared Krattinger (WIS)/#9 Jake Allar (MN)
184 – #9 Nelson Brands (IA) vs. #8 Zach Braunagel (ILL)
197 – #3 Jacob Warner (IA) vs. #14 Andrew Salemme (WIS)
285 – #3 Tony Cassioppi (IA) vs. #14 Garrett Kappes (Maryland)
Here is a breakdown of Iowa’s lineup by weight class.
125 pounds – No. 1 Spencer Lee
Lee, a two-time national champion, has arguably been the most dominant wrestler this season. He has pinned all four of his opponents in the first round.
The senior Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native is seeking his second Big Ten title in as many years.
Lee has never lost a Big Ten dual match and his pinned the other four wrestlers in the top five of the tournament seeding at least once.
133 pounds – No. 2 Austin DeSanto
DeSanto is 5-0 on the season. Four wins have come by technical fall and the other a major decision.
The senior Exeter, Pennsylvania, native placed fourth in the tournament last season.
DeSanto has a 1-2 career record against top-seeded Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State.
141 pounds – No. 1 Jaydin Eierman
The senior Missouri transfer has been stellar this season with a 5-0 record, including three pins in his final three regular season matches.
Eierman, native of Columbia, Missouri, was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion at Missouri.
149 pounds – No. 2 Max Murin
Murin went 4-1 in the regular season with his only loss to top-seeded Sammy Sasso of Ohio State.
Murin, a native of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, placed fifth in last season’s tournament.
157 pounds – No. 2 Kaleb Young
Young, a junior from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, missed time due to COVID-19 protocol, but won all three of his matches, including two my major decision.
Young placed fourth in the 2019 tournament, but did not place last season.
Young holds a 2-1 career record against top-seeded Ryan Deakin of Northwestern.
165 pounds – No. 1 Alex Marinelli
Marinelli, a three-time All-American, won his first two regular season matches by decision before being sidelined due to COVID-19 protocol.
The senior Miamisburg, Ohio, native is seeking his third Big Ten title.
Marinelli has a 2-0 combined record against No. 2 seed Dan Braunagel of Illinois and No. 3 seed Ethan Smith of Ohio State, including a 14-2 victory over Braunagel by major decision in last season’s Big Ten Championships.
174 pounds – No. 1 Michael Kemerer
Kemerer went 4-0 in the regular season and scored bonus points in three of his four matches.
The senior Murrysville, Pennsylvania, native placed second at the Big Ten Championships in 2017 and 2020.
Kemerer wrestled his first two seasons at Iowa at 157 pounds before moving to 174 pounds last season.
184 pounds – No. 9 Nelson Brands
Brands is the only Hawkeye wrestler not seeded in the top three.
The sophomore Iowa City native went 3-2 during the regular season.
197 pounds – No. 3 Jacob Warner
The junior Tolono, Illinois, native lost his first match of the season to top-seeded Eric Schultz of Nebraska but finished 4-1.
Warner has placed third at the Big Ten Championships each of the last two seasons.
Heavyweight – No. 3 Tony Cassioppi
Cassioppi has dominated his opponents since an early season loss to top-seeded Gable Steveson of Minnesota.
The sophomore Roscoe, Illinois, native won his final three regular season matches by pin.
Cassioppi is has an 0-3 career record against Steveson and lost to No. 2 seed Mason Parris last season.