Nine top-ranked wrestlers headline loaded Big Ten Championship

Two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee will look to bring home his first Big Ten title.

Objectively, the Big Ten is most loaded conference in the country, and the numbers reflect that. 79 NCAA tournament berths will be on the line this Saturday and Sunday at the RAC at in Piscataway, N.J., the most of any conference. 12 of the 14 teams competing are ranked in the top 40 in the Trackwrestling tournament rankings (six in the top ten) and ten teams are also ranked in the top 25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings.

Overall, there will be 22 returning All-Americans competing, not including Wisconsin’s 2018 NCAA champion Seth Gross who missed all of last season with an injury. Gross, who competes at 133 pounds, won his title with South Dakota State and transferred to Wisconsin this offseason. Other former NCAA champions in the brackets include two-time champ Spencer Lee of Iowa at 125 pounds, two-time champion and three-time finalist Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State at 165 pounds and 2017 NCAA champion and three-time finalist Mark Hall of PennState at 174 pounds.

At every weight class besides 184 pounds, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country will compete. At 125 pounds, Spencer Lee will look to earn his first Big Ten title. He is the only All-American in the bracket. Competing in freestyle earlier this year, Lee also won the 2019 Senior Nationals.

Seth Gross earned the top seed in a stacked 133 pound weight class. Returning All-Americans Roman Bravo-Young, Austin DeSanto and Sebastian Rivera will also be in contention. DeSanto and Gross split matches earlier this year. Rivera was the 125 pound Big Ten champion in 2019.

133 is one of six weight classes to have the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the country in the bracket. Bravo-Young is considered to be No. 2 by Trackwrestling and WIN Magazine while DeSanto is considered No. 2 by Flowrestling.

141 pounds also features the potential for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final, with Penn State’s Nick Lee and Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher. Lee defeated Pletcher in the dual this year, 8-4, handing him his only loss of the year. Other wrestlers to watch in the bracket are Nebraska’s two-time All-American Chad Red and Iowa’s No. 3 Max Murin.

At 149 pounds, Ohio State’s freshman Sammy Sasso (ranked No. 1 by Track and Flo) earned the top seed. The No. 2 seed is Iowa’s Pat Lugo (ranked No. 1 by WIN and No. 2 by Track and Flo). Sasso sports a 2-0 record over Lugo, defeating him last season, 6-4, in sudden victory and this season, 2-1, in tie breakers. Another freshman to watch is Minnesota’s Brayton Lee, who has split matches with Sasso this year.

No. 1 Ryan Deakin of Northwestern will look to capture his first Big Ten title. Challenging him will be returning All-American Kaleb Young of Iowa. Young holds a 2-1 record over Deakin. After falling, 6-2, at last season’s Midland’s Championships, Young defeated Deakin twice at the NCAA Tournament in sudden victory, including in the fifth place match.

Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, the No. 2 wrestler in the country, will look to repeat as Big Ten Champion in 2020. In his way is Penn State’s Vincenzo Joseph, the No. 1 wrestler in the country. Marinelli is 2-1 against Joseph in their careers including a 9-3 victory in the Big Ten finals last year. However, Joseph has the most recent win in the rivalry a, 7-5, decision. Other All-Americans in the bracket include Evan Wick of Wisconsin and Isaiah White of Nebraska.

174 features another clash of top-ranked Iowa and Penn State wrestlers. No. 1 Michael Kemerer, who missed all of the 2019 season due to injury, is up two weight classes from where he competed in 2018. Earlier this season, he defeated 2019 Big Ten champion Penn State’s Mark Hall (ranked No. 2), 11-6, to earn the top spot in the country. Other All-Americans in the bracket include Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola and Minnesota’s Devin Skatzka.

184 pounds is the only weight class lacking the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country. The only All-American in the bracket is Nebraska’s Taylor Venz, who finished fourth in 2018. Venz is seeded fourth but does have a win over No. 1 seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State. Brooks, a freshman that was pulled out of redshirt midway through the season, will also contend with Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey, who earned the No. 2 seed, and No. 3 seed Abe Assad of Iowa. Like Brooks, Assad is a freshman who had his redshirt pulled during the season.

Three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion Kollin Moore of Ohio State looks to add one more Big Ten title to his trophy case. The other All-Americans in the bracket include returning All-American Jacob Warner of Iowa and 2018 All-American Shakur Rasheed of Penn State. Additionally, Nebraska’s Eric Schultz and Purdue’s Christian Brunner have the potential to do some real damage in the bracket.

The top-three wrestlers in the country at 285 pounds will headline this bracket. Gable Steveson of Minnesota, the consensus No. 1, was given the No. 2 seed, most likely due to his limited, 12-0, record. The No. 1 seed, Mason Parris of Michigan (ranked No. 2) is 26-0 this season. This includes a pin over No. 3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa. Cassioppi, a freshman, is 16-2 with his other loss coming to Steveson, 7-5. Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger, a returning All-American, earned the No. 4 seed.

Event: Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Location: Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway. N.J.
Dates: March 7-8
Live Stream: Flowrestling/BigTen+ (Finals on Big Ten Network)

Big Ten Conference: 79 automatic qualifiers
125 (8), 133 (7), 141 (8), 149 (10), 157 (6), 165 (8), 174 (9), 184 (10), 197 (6), 285 (7)

NWCA Dual Meet Ranked Teams
No. 1 Iowa
No. 2 Penn State
No. 4 Nebraska
No. 5 Ohio State
No. 13 Minnesota
No. 14 Wisconsin
No. 15 Purdue
No. 20 Illinois
No. 22 Michigan
No. 25 Rutgers
Others receiving votes: Northwestern

Trackwrestling Tournament Ranked Teams
No. 1 Iowa
No. 2 Penn State
No. 3 Ohio State
No. 6 Minnesota
No. 7 Wisconsin
No. 8 Northwestern
No. 9 Nebraska
No. 13 Purdue
No. 16 Michigan
No. 31 Illinois
No. 34 Michigan State
No. 34 Rutgers

Pre-seeds and Individual ranked wrestlers (Track/WIN/Flo)

125 lbs.
1. Spencer Lee, Iowa (1/1/1)
2. Devin Schroder, Purdue (9/6/6)
3. Patrick McKee, Minnesota (11/11/9)
4. Justin Cardani, Illinois, (18/UR/20)
5. Jack Medley, Michigan (12/19/22)
6. Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern (13/12/12)
7. Liam Cronin, Indiana (25/16/21)
8. Nicolas Aguilar, Rutgers (19/UR/23)
9. Eric Barnett, Wisconsin (31/UR/UR)
10. Alex Thomsen, Nebraska
11. Malik Heinselman, Ohio State
12. Logan Griffin, Michigan State
13. Brandon Cray, Maryland
14. Brandon Meredith, Penn State
 
133 lbs.
1. Seth Gross, Wisconsin (1/1/1)
2. Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State (2/2/4)
3. Austin DeSanto, Iowa (3/3/2)
4. Travis Piotrowski, Illinois (7/7/7)
5. Sebastian Rivera, Northwestern (4/4/3)
6. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska (11/11/11)
7. Sammy Alvarez, Rutgers (12/9/9)
8. Joey Silva, Michigan
9. Cayden Rooks, Indiana
10. Garrett Pepple, Michigan State
11. Boo Dryden, Minnesota
12. Travis Ford-Melton, Purdue
13. King Sandoval, Maryland
14. Jordan Decatur, Ohio State
 
141 lbs.
1. Nick Lee, Penn State (1/1/1)
2. Luke Pletcher, Ohio State (2/2/2)
3. Max Murin, Iowa (4/6/3)
4. Chad Red, Nebraska (5/5/4)
5. Tristan Moran, Wisconsin (11/13/5)
6. Mitch McKee, Minnesota (6/8/6)
7. Dylan Duncan, Illinois (21/UR/20)
8. Parker Filius, Purdue (27/UR/25)
9. Cole Mattin, Michigan (29/UR/UR)
10. Alec McKenna, Northwestern
11. JoJo Aragona, Rutgers
12. Matt Santos, Michigan State
13. Eddie Bolivar, Indiana
14. Hunter Baxter, Maryland
 
149 lbs.
1. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State (1/5/1)
2. Pat Lugo, Iowa (2/1/2)
3. Brayton Lee, Minnesota (7/7/7)
4. Kanen Storr, Michigan (11/14/11)
5. Graham Rooks, Indiana (19/UR/17)
6. Cole Martin, Wisconsin (15/UR/13)
7. Collin Purinton, Nebraska (16/19/15)
8. Jarod Verkleeren, Penn State (18/15/16)
9. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern (14/UR/18)
10. Griffin Parriott, Purdue (21/20/19)
11. Gerard Angelo, Rutgers (31/UR/UR)
12. Alex Hrisopoulos, Michigan State
13. Mousa Jodeh, Illinois
14. Ryan Garlitz, Maryland
 
157 lbs.
1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern (1/1/1)
2. Kaleb Young, Iowa (6/6/6)
3. Kendall Coleman, Purdue (7/7/7)
4. Will Lewan, Michigan (8/11/8)
5. Ryan Thomas, Minnesota (32/UR/UR)
6. Jake Tucker, Michigan State (21/20/20)
7. Peyton Robb, Nebraska (17/16/UR)
8. Eric Barone, Illinois
9. Michael VanBrill, Rutgers
10. Jahi Jones, Maryland (31/UR/UR)
11. Elijah Cleary, Ohio State
12. Garrett Model, Wisconsin
13. Bo Pipher, Penn State
14. Fernie Silva, Indiana
 
165 lbs.
1. Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State (1/1/1)
2. Alex Marinelli, Iowa (2/2/2)
3. Evan Wick, Wisconsin (4/3/4)
4. Isaiah White, Nebraska (5/4/5)
5. Ethan Smith, Ohio State (11/12/15)
6. Shayne Oster, Northwestern (             10/UR/12)
7. Danny Braunagel, Illinois (12/15/16)
8. Bailee O'Reilly, Minnesota (26/UR/UR)
9. Drew Hughes, Michigan State (28/UR/UR)
10. Kyle Cochran, Maryland
11. Brett Donner, Rutgers (22/UR/UR)
12. Tyler Meisinger, Michigan
13. Tanner Webster, Purdue
14. Diego Lemley, Indiana
 
174 lbs.
1. Michael Kemerer, Iowa (1/1/1)
2. Mark Hall, Penn State (2/2/2)
3. Dylan Lydy, Purdue (4/4/4)
4. Devin Skatzka, Minnesota (7/9/6)
5. Mikey Labriola, Nebraska (8/6/7)
6. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State (6/6/8)
7. Joey Gunther, Illinois (26/13/20)
8. Layne Malczewski, Michigan State (20/UR/23)
9. Tyler Morland, Northwestern (25/UR/24)
10. Willie Scott, Rutgers
11. Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin
12. Philip Spadafora, Maryland (28/UR/UR)
13. Max Maylor, Michigan
14. NO ENTRY, Indiana
 
184 lbs.
1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State (7/6/6)
2. Cameron Caffey, Michigan State (8/9/7)
3. Abe Assad, Iowa (9/11/9)
4. Taylor Venz, Nebraska (10/15/10)
5. Billy Janzer, Rutgers (20/19/15)
6. Rocky Jordan, Ohio State (12/20/12)
7. Zac Braunagel, Illinois (27/UR/16)
8. Owen Webster, Minnesota (16/UR/18)
9. Johnny Sebastian, Wisconsin (22/12/20)
10. Jelani Embree, Michigan (23/17/22)
11. Max Lyon, Purdue (29/UR/UR)
12. Jack Jessen, Northwestern
13. Jake Hinz, Indiana
14. Kyle Jasenski, Maryland
 
197 lbs.
1. Kollin Moore, Ohio State (1/1/1)
2. Eric Schultz, Nebraska (7/7/8)
3. Jacob Warner, Iowa (3/3/3)
4. Christian Brunner, Purdue (4/8/5)
5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern (11/11/10)
6. Shakur Rasheed, Penn State (14/20/18)
7. Jordan Pagano, Rutgers (15/19/14)
8. Jackson Striggow, Michigan (30/UR/UR)
9. Jaron Smith, Maryland (25/UR/23)
10. Hunter Ritter, Minnesota (23/UR/UR)
11. Matt Wroblewski, Illinois
12. Nick May, Michigan State
13. Taylor Watkins, Wisconsin
14. Nick Willham, Indiana
 
285 lbs.
1. Mason Parris, Michigan (2/2/2)
2. Gable Steveson, Minnesota (1/1/1)
3. Tony Cassioppi, Iowa (3/3/3)
4. Trent Hillger, Wisconsin (7/6/5)
5. David Jensen, Nebraska (UR/15/16)
6. Gary Traub, Ohio State (18/UR/17)
7. Seth Nevillis, Penn State (19/16/18)
8. Thomas Penola, Purdue (32/UR/23)
9. Luke Luffman, Illinois
10. Alex Esposito, Rutgers
11. Christian Rebottaro, Michigan State
12. Jake Kleimola, Indiana
13. Jack Heyob, Northwestern
14. Parker Robinson, Maryland

2019 All-Americans returning
Spencer Lee (1st at 125), Sebastian Rivera (3rd at 125), Luke Pletcher (4th at 133), Austin DeSanto (5th at 133), Roman Bravo-Young (8th at 133), Nick Lee (5th at 141), Mitch McKee (6th at 141), Chad Red (8th at 141), Pat Lugo (8th at 149), Kaleb Young (5th at 157), Ryan Deakin (6th at 157), Vincenzo Joseph (2nd at 165), Evan Wick (4th at 165), Isaiah White (5th at 165), Alex Marinelli (7th at 165), Mark Hall (2nd at 174), Mikey Labriola (6th at 174), Devin Skatzka (8th at 174),  Kollin Moore (2nd at 197), Jacob Warner (7th at 197), Gable Steveson (3rd at 285), Trent Hillger (8th at 285)

2019 Big Ten champions returning
125 – Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), now competing at 133
165 – Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
174- Mark Hall (Penn State)

2019 Big Ten standings
1. Penn State - 157.5,
2. Ohio State - 122.5 ,
3. Iowa - 107.5,
4. Minnesota - 101.5,
5. Nebraska - 96.5
6. Michigan - 76.5
7. Wisconsin - 76.0
8. Northwestern - 53.5
8. Rutgers - 53.5
10. Purdue - 42.0
11. Illinois - 39.5
12. Indiana - 31.0
13. Michigan State - 29.5
14. Maryland - 13.0

Event Schedule (Eastern time)
Saturday, March 7
9:00 a.m. – Doors open to the public
10:00 a.m. – Session I
(Arena Closed Between Sessions)
5:30 p.m. – Doors Open to Public
6:30 p.m. Session II

Sunday, March 8
11:00 a.m. – Doors open to the public
12:00 p.m. – Session III
3:30 pm – Session IV