Steveson makes statement, Buckeyes lead at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
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by Richard Immel, Special to TheMat.com
Photo: Minnesota freshman heavyweight Gable Steveson dominates the field on day one of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Photo by Richard Immel.
LAS VEGAS – Star power dazzled the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday with Minnesota newcomer Gable Steveson headlining the A-list.
That is saying something considering Steveson ended his day by taking selfies with several admiring fans, including NBA champion player and coach Tyronn Lue.
“It’s crazy who you meet in the most random spots,” Steveson said after his brief encounter with the future NBA Hall-of-Famer.
The Golden Gopher freshman entered as the top-seed at 285 pounds and was nothing short of brutalizing to all of his three opponents. Steveson scored a pin, technical fall and major decision to set up a semifinal against No. 4 seed Cory Daniel of North Carolina in the morning.
“I’m pushing the pace and keeping the pressure on everybody. I’m just determined to win this tournament right now,” Steveson calmly noted after his quarterfinal victory.
The most impressive portion of Steveson’s game is the swagger he competes with. He has made it a point to make others fight for every position and keep that consistency every time he goes out to wrestle.
Several known names joined Steveson in the dominance department at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Perhaps none were more impressive than Michigan All-American Logan Massa, the top seed at 165 pounds. Massa recorded two technical falls and a major decision on his way to the semis, where he will see Big Ten rival Isaiah White of Nebraska.
Rutgers returning NCAA finalist Nick Suriano wrestled with his usual, vicious pace in his first major tournament up at 133 pounds. He capped off the day with a 7-2 decision over No. 8 seed Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech.
The match of the day came at 141 pounds with Mizzou All-American Jaydin Eierman outlasting No. 10 seed Kanen Storr of Michigan in overtime, 3-2. Storr nearly finished a takedown in the final tiebreaker period that would have given him the win, but video review proved time was out before the finish.
The quarterfinal round saw several upsets of highly-ranked All-Americans. Minnesota’s Ethan Lizak, Nebraska’s Tyler Berger and Virginia Tech’s Zack Zavatsky all fell prey to the victim bug and dropped into tomorrow’s consolations.
Coming into the tournament Ohio State was expected to run away with the team title, and they may do just that when all is said and done. The Buckeyes moved six wrestlers into the semis and currently lead second place Missouri 10.5 points.
Ohio State semifinalists include NCAA Champion Myles Martin, All American’s Luke Pletcher, Joey McKenna, Micah Jordan, and Kollin Moore, plus freshman Chase Singletary.
The tournament will resume at 9 a.m. (PT) tomorrow with a much-anticipated semi-final round, followed by the remaining consolation bouts. The first and third place matches are set for 3 p.m. (PT).
Fans can tune into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational live on Flowrestling.com. Complete brackets and results can be found on FloArena.
CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
At Las Vegas, Nev., November 30
Semifinal pairings (with seeds)
125
No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
No. 3 Sean Russell (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State)
133
No. 1 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 4 John Erneste (Missouri)
No. 6 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
141
No. 1 Joseph McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa)
No. 3 Michael Carr (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)
149
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 5 Mitch Finesilver (Duke)
No. 6 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) vs. No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157
No. 8 Griffin Parriott (Purdue) vs. No. 5 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh)
No. 3 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) vs. No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
165
No. 1 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Isaiah White (Nebraska)
No. 3 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 7 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
174
No. 1 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Michael Labriola (Nebraska)
No. 3 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri)
184
No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Maxwell Dean (Cornell)
No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 2 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
197
No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Christian Brunner (Purdue)
Greg Bulsak (Clarion) vs. No. 10 Eric Schultz (Nebraska)
285
No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Cory Daniel (North Carolina)
No. 6 David Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) vs. Chase Singletary (Ohio State)
Quarterfinal results
125
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) DEC Drew Mattin (Michigan), 5-2
Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) DEC Zeke Moisey (Nebraska), 10-3
Sean Russell (Minnesota) DEC Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 2-0
Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) MD Devin Schroder (Purdue), 12-2
133
Nick Suriano (Rutgers) DEC Korbin Myers(Virginia Tech), 7-2
John Erneste (Missouri) F Noah Gonser (Campbell University), 1:15
Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) DEC Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 4-0
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) DEC Charles Tucker (Cornell), 4-3
141
Joseph Mckenna (Ohio State) DEC Dom Demas (Oklahoma), 8-3
Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) DEC Nicholas Gil (United States Naval Academy), 2-1 TB2
Michael Carr (Illinois) MD Sam Turner (Wyoming), 14-3
Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) DEC Kanen Storr (Michigan), 3-2
149
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) TF Alec Opsal (Air Force), 18-2 5:33
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) DEC Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 3-2
Brock Zacherl (Clarion) DEC Grant Leeth (Missouri), 3-2
Micah Jordan (Ohio State) DEC Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), 7-3
157
Griffin Parriott (Purdue) DEC Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 4-2 SV
Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) MD Eric Barone (Illinois), 12-4
Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) DEC John Van Brill (Rutgers), 11-4
Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) MD Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 11-2
165
Logan Massa (Michigan) TF Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley), 18-0 4:24
Isaiah White (Nebraska) DEC Joey Gunther (Illinois), 7-3
Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) DEC Connor Flynn (Missouri), 6-3
Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-1
174
Myles Amine (Michigan) DEC Matthew Finesilver (Duke), 11-5
Michael Labriola (Nebraska) DEC Spencer Carey (United States Naval Academy), 6-2
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Brandon Womack (Cornell), 16-9
Daniel Lewis (Missouri) F Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 2:27
184
Myles Martin (Ohio State) MD Lou Deprez (Binghamton), 13-3
Maxwell Dean (Cornell) MD Chip Ness (North Carolina), 10-0
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 9-6
Taylor Venz (Nebraska) F Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), 5:29
197
Kollin Moore (Ohio State) DEC Ben Honis (Cornell), 7-2
Christian Brunner (Purdue) DEC Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley), 7-3
Greg Bulsak (Clarion) DEC Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech), 8-1
Eric Schultz (Nebraska) DEC Jay Aiello (Virginia), 3-2
285
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) MD AJ Nevills(Fresno State), 15-6
Cory Daniel (North Carolina) DEC Jake Boyd (Oklahoma), 3-0
David tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) DEC Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 6-2
Chase Singletary (Ohio State) F Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 4:33
Top 20 Teams after day one
1 Ohio State 88
2 Missouri 77.5
3 Nebraska 64.5
4 Northern Iowa 62
5 Michigan 48.5
6 Pittsburgh 48
7 North Carolina 47
8 Minnesota 46.5
9 Purdue 45
10 Rutgers 42.5
11 Utah Valley 40.5
11 Virginia Tech 40.5
13 Northwestern 40
14 Clarion 38.5
14 North Dakota State 38.5
16 Illinois 36.5
16 Wyoming 36.5
18 Cornell 33.5
19 Oregon State 32.5
20 United States Naval Academy 31.5
LAS VEGAS – Star power dazzled the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday with Minnesota newcomer Gable Steveson headlining the A-list.
That is saying something considering Steveson ended his day by taking selfies with several admiring fans, including NBA champion player and coach Tyronn Lue.
“It’s crazy who you meet in the most random spots,” Steveson said after his brief encounter with the future NBA Hall-of-Famer.
The Golden Gopher freshman entered as the top-seed at 285 pounds and was nothing short of brutalizing to all of his three opponents. Steveson scored a pin, technical fall and major decision to set up a semifinal against No. 4 seed Cory Daniel of North Carolina in the morning.
“I’m pushing the pace and keeping the pressure on everybody. I’m just determined to win this tournament right now,” Steveson calmly noted after his quarterfinal victory.
The most impressive portion of Steveson’s game is the swagger he competes with. He has made it a point to make others fight for every position and keep that consistency every time he goes out to wrestle.
Several known names joined Steveson in the dominance department at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Perhaps none were more impressive than Michigan All-American Logan Massa, the top seed at 165 pounds. Massa recorded two technical falls and a major decision on his way to the semis, where he will see Big Ten rival Isaiah White of Nebraska.
Rutgers returning NCAA finalist Nick Suriano wrestled with his usual, vicious pace in his first major tournament up at 133 pounds. He capped off the day with a 7-2 decision over No. 8 seed Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech.
The match of the day came at 141 pounds with Mizzou All-American Jaydin Eierman outlasting No. 10 seed Kanen Storr of Michigan in overtime, 3-2. Storr nearly finished a takedown in the final tiebreaker period that would have given him the win, but video review proved time was out before the finish.
The quarterfinal round saw several upsets of highly-ranked All-Americans. Minnesota’s Ethan Lizak, Nebraska’s Tyler Berger and Virginia Tech’s Zack Zavatsky all fell prey to the victim bug and dropped into tomorrow’s consolations.
Coming into the tournament Ohio State was expected to run away with the team title, and they may do just that when all is said and done. The Buckeyes moved six wrestlers into the semis and currently lead second place Missouri 10.5 points.
Ohio State semifinalists include NCAA Champion Myles Martin, All American’s Luke Pletcher, Joey McKenna, Micah Jordan, and Kollin Moore, plus freshman Chase Singletary.
The tournament will resume at 9 a.m. (PT) tomorrow with a much-anticipated semi-final round, followed by the remaining consolation bouts. The first and third place matches are set for 3 p.m. (PT).
Fans can tune into the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational live on Flowrestling.com. Complete brackets and results can be found on FloArena.
CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
At Las Vegas, Nev., November 30
Semifinal pairings (with seeds)
125
No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State)
No. 3 Sean Russell (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State)
133
No. 1 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 4 John Erneste (Missouri)
No. 6 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
141
No. 1 Joseph McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa)
No. 3 Michael Carr (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri)
149
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 5 Mitch Finesilver (Duke)
No. 6 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) vs. No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157
No. 8 Griffin Parriott (Purdue) vs. No. 5 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh)
No. 3 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) vs. No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
165
No. 1 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Isaiah White (Nebraska)
No. 3 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 7 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
174
No. 1 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Michael Labriola (Nebraska)
No. 3 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 2 Daniel Lewis (Missouri)
184
No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Maxwell Dean (Cornell)
No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 2 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
197
No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Christian Brunner (Purdue)
Greg Bulsak (Clarion) vs. No. 10 Eric Schultz (Nebraska)
285
No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Cory Daniel (North Carolina)
No. 6 David Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) vs. Chase Singletary (Ohio State)
Quarterfinal results
125
Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) DEC Drew Mattin (Michigan), 5-2
Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) DEC Zeke Moisey (Nebraska), 10-3
Sean Russell (Minnesota) DEC Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 2-0
Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) MD Devin Schroder (Purdue), 12-2
133
Nick Suriano (Rutgers) DEC Korbin Myers(Virginia Tech), 7-2
John Erneste (Missouri) F Noah Gonser (Campbell University), 1:15
Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) DEC Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 4-0
Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) DEC Charles Tucker (Cornell), 4-3
141
Joseph Mckenna (Ohio State) DEC Dom Demas (Oklahoma), 8-3
Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) DEC Nicholas Gil (United States Naval Academy), 2-1 TB2
Michael Carr (Illinois) MD Sam Turner (Wyoming), 14-3
Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) DEC Kanen Storr (Michigan), 3-2
149
Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) TF Alec Opsal (Air Force), 18-2 5:33
Mitch Finesilver (Duke) DEC Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 3-2
Brock Zacherl (Clarion) DEC Grant Leeth (Missouri), 3-2
Micah Jordan (Ohio State) DEC Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), 7-3
157
Griffin Parriott (Purdue) DEC Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 4-2 SV
Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) MD Eric Barone (Illinois), 12-4
Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) DEC John Van Brill (Rutgers), 11-4
Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) MD Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 11-2
165
Logan Massa (Michigan) TF Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley), 18-0 4:24
Isaiah White (Nebraska) DEC Joey Gunther (Illinois), 7-3
Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) DEC Connor Flynn (Missouri), 6-3
Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) DEC Branson Ashworth (Wyoming), 3-1
174
Myles Amine (Michigan) DEC Matthew Finesilver (Duke), 11-5
Michael Labriola (Nebraska) DEC Spencer Carey (United States Naval Academy), 6-2
Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) DEC Brandon Womack (Cornell), 16-9
Daniel Lewis (Missouri) F Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 2:27
184
Myles Martin (Ohio State) MD Lou Deprez (Binghamton), 13-3
Maxwell Dean (Cornell) MD Chip Ness (North Carolina), 10-0
Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) DEC Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), 9-6
Taylor Venz (Nebraska) F Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), 5:29
197
Kollin Moore (Ohio State) DEC Ben Honis (Cornell), 7-2
Christian Brunner (Purdue) DEC Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley), 7-3
Greg Bulsak (Clarion) DEC Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech), 8-1
Eric Schultz (Nebraska) DEC Jay Aiello (Virginia), 3-2
285
Gable Steveson (Minnesota) MD AJ Nevills(Fresno State), 15-6
Cory Daniel (North Carolina) DEC Jake Boyd (Oklahoma), 3-0
David tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) DEC Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 6-2
Chase Singletary (Ohio State) F Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 4:33
Top 20 Teams after day one
1 Ohio State 88
2 Missouri 77.5
3 Nebraska 64.5
4 Northern Iowa 62
5 Michigan 48.5
6 Pittsburgh 48
7 North Carolina 47
8 Minnesota 46.5
9 Purdue 45
10 Rutgers 42.5
11 Utah Valley 40.5
11 Virginia Tech 40.5
13 Northwestern 40
14 Clarion 38.5
14 North Dakota State 38.5
16 Illinois 36.5
16 Wyoming 36.5
18 Cornell 33.5
19 Oregon State 32.5
20 United States Naval Academy 31.5
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