Wrestling Rides Upsets Through NCAA Session 1Wrestling Rides Upsets Through NCAA Session 1

Wrestling Rides Upsets Through NCAA Session 1

The Purdue wrestling team took out a pair of top-10 seeds and another top-15 rated opponent to start off the 2022 NCAA Championships.

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DETROIT, Mich. - The Purdue wrestling team took out a pair of top-10 seeds and another top-15 rated opponent to start off the 2022 NCAA Championships on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. The Boilermakers were 4-3 in the opening session getting wins from senior Parker Filius, junior Thomas Penola, sophomore Gerrit Nijenhuis and freshman Matt Ramos, and amassed 7.0 team points heading into tonight's session.
 
Ramos posted one of the biggest upsets of the first round, sticking seventh-seeded Lucas Byrd of Illinois in 2:27 to advance and pick up a pair of team points. Byrd got into a shot midway through the first period, which Ramos defended, secured Byrd's far arm and stepped over for the takedown, nearfall swipes and eventual pin. Ramos advances to face No. 10 seed Chris Cannon of Northwestern tonight with a spot in the 133-pound quarterfinals on the line.
 
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Nijenhuis avenged his first loss of the season at 174 pounds, going to sudden victory and taking down No. 8 seed Michael O'Malley of Drexel, 6-4. O'Malley struck first, finding his way into a merkle position off a scramble for two. Nijenhuis escaped before the end of the first, but O'Malley pushed his lead back to two, 3-1, early in the second. Nijenhuis got to the legs in the second and scored a takedown to tie it at 3-3, and then the two wrestlers traded escapes the rest of the way to finish regulation tied 4-4. Nijenhuis didn't waste much time in the extra period, getting on O'Malley's legs and starting another scramble, eventually funking his way through for the winning score. Nijenhuis will face a familiar foe in the second round, drawing No. 9 seed Michael Labriola of Nebraska.
 
Filius beat up on the No. 13 seed at 141 pounds, posting a 13-5 major decision over Iowa State's Ian Parker. Filius hit his double-leg early and often building a 4-3 lead over the first two periods, and then went big in the third, whipping Parker to his back for six points. Despite giving up a late reversal, Filius tacked on a riding-time point for the bonus point and advancement. Filius moves on to meet up with No. 4 seed Real Wood of Stanford in tonight's second round.
 
Purdue's fourth and final win of the session came from Penola, who scored two takedowns in the final 30 seconds to secure a 5-2 decision over 22nd-seed Owen Pentz of North Dakota State. The two wrestlers clashed for first 6:30, trading escapes and near takedowns but Penola broke through late, wrestling through a flurry for the first takedown and hitting a counter shot for the second score. He advances to face No. 6 seed Jacob Warner of Iowa in tonight's second round.
 
Seniors Devin Schroder and Max Lyon and junior Kendall Coleman came up on the wrong side of the score in the opening round, but all remain alive in the consolation bracket tonight. Schroder will face No. 8 seed Patrick McKee of Minnesota, while Lyon meets No. 33 seed Jack Jessen of Northwestern and Coleman meets the winner of the pigtail match at 157 pounds.
 
Tonight's session begins at 7 p.m. ET and will have live coverage via ESPN and ESPN3. The round consists of the consolation pigtails, the championship second round and the consolation first round (in that order).
 
Event Schedule

Thursday, March 17
7 p.m.: Session 2 (Second Round, Consolation Pigtails and First Round)
 
Friday, March 18
11 a.m.: Session 3 (Quarterfinals, Consolation Second and Third Round)
8 p.m.: Session 4 (Semifinals, Round of 12, Consolation Quarterfinals)
 
Saturday, March 19
11 a.m.: Session 5 (Consolation Semifinals, Third, Fifth and Seventh-Place Matches)
7 p.m.: Session 6 (Finals)
 
2022 NCAA Championships
Detroit, Michigan * Little Caesars Arena
 
125: #9 Devin Schroder (R-Senior)
First Round: #24 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) - L, D 4-1
Conso. First Round: #8 Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
 
133: #26 Matt Ramos (R-Freshman)
First Round: #7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) - W, Fall 2:27
Second Round: #10 Chris Cannon (Northwestern)
 
141: #20 Parker Filius (R-Senior)
First Round: #13 Ian Parker (Iowa State) - W, MD 13-5
Second Round: #4 Real Woods (Stanford)
 
157: #19 Kendall Coleman (R-Junior)
First Round: #14 Jake Keating (Virginia) - L, D 6-2
Conso. First Round: #30 Hunter Richard (Cornell) or #33 Jordan Slivka (Ohio)
 
174: #25 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Sophomore)
First Round: #8 Michael O'Malley (Drexel) - W, SV 6-4
Second Round: #9 Michael Labriola (Nebraska)
 
184: #30 Max Lyon (R-Senior)
First Round: #3 Trent Hidlay (North Carolina State) - L, MD 12-3
Conso. Pigtail: #33 Jack Jessen (Northwestern)
 
197: #11 Thomas Penola (R-Junior)
First Round: #22 Owen Pentz (North Dakota State) - W, D 5-2
Second Round: #6 Jacob Warner (Iowa)
 
Numbers represent national seeds