Nebraska wins team title at 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Diakomihalis beats Sasso in 149-pound final
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by Joe Wedra, USA Wrestling
Photo of Yianni Diakomihalis and Sammy Sasso by Tony Rotundo
The 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational wrapped up on Saturday night as Nebraska scored 125 points to win the team title. Ohio State finished second with 104 points, while Michigan took home the third spot with 94.5 points.
Both the Huskers and the Buckeyes had three finalists and an individual champion.
The night’s main event took place at 149 pounds, where Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in a convincing 6-2 win. Diakomihalis, a two-time NCAA champion, held momentum throughout the match and kept control throughout the full seven minutes. He was dominant this weekend in Las Vegas, now looking to make a run at his third NCAA championship and up a weight at 149. Sasso was a finalist at 149 pounds at the 2021 NCAAs.
The night's action kicked off with 157 pounds, where Northwestern’s three-time NCAA All-American Ryan Deakin knocked off Princeton’s Quincy Monday, 8-3. Monday scored in the third period and made it a one-point match, but a strong second-period ride and a late third-period takedown secured the CKLV title for Deakin.
One of the top stories of the tournament was Gary Traub, the No. 10 seed in the tournament who ultimately won the heavyweight bracket. Traub earned the top spot at the weight after his opponent, Yaraslau Slavikouski of Harvard, had to injury default following a leg injury in the first period. Winning the weight, Traub knocked off No. 2 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), No. 3 Christian Lance (Nebraska), No. 7 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) and Slavikouski over the weekend.
Capping off a standout tournament, Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero knocked off Taylor Venz, 7-3 in the finals to win the event at 184 pounds. Romero, the fifth seed in the tournament, knocked off Oklahoma’s No. 4 Darrien Roberts and Wyoming’s No. 1 Tate Samuelson en route to the finals.
At 133 pounds, Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin turned heads with a dominant 9-5 win over Northwestern’s top-seeded Chris Cannon. Ragusin, who owned the third seed in the tournament, impressed all weekend and will rise in the national rankings following his performance in Las Vegas. A Montini Catholic (Ill.) graduate, Ragusin was a finalist at the 2020 Senior Nationals and was an NCAA qualifier last season.
South Dakota State’s Clay Carlson (141 pounds) pinned Andrew Alirez late in the third period to secure his CKLV title. After defeating Purdue’s Parker Filius earlier in the day, the top-seeded Carlson wrestled a back-and-forth match with his Northern Colorado opponent in the finals before finding a takedown and ultimately securing the fall at the edge.
Cal Poly’s Evan Wick earned an impressive title at 165 pounds with a dominant 6-2 finals win over Stanford’s 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith. Wick accumulated over three minutes of riding time in the win. Wick is a redshirt senior at Cal Poly – he was a two-time NCAA All-American at Wisconsin.
At 174 pounds, Nebraska’s Michael Labriola was taken to overtime by Ohio State’s Ethan Smith, but secured a hard-fought takedown in a scramble in sudden victory to win, 7-5, and lock up the weight class title for the Huskers. Labriola, a three-time NCAA All-American, is looking for his first career Big Ten title this season.
Third-seeded Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming won at 197 pounds. An NCAA All-American last season, Buchanan won his CKLV title with a 7-3 decision over Nebraska’s Eric Schultz. Buchanan scored multiple times late in the match and secured the win with a takedown, ride out and a riding time point.
Princeton’s two-time NCAA All-American Pat Glory was dominant in his finals match against Purdue’s Devin Schroder, winning courtesy of a 13-0 major decision with 5:09 of riding time on top. Over the course of this weekend, Glory outscored his competition, 33-2.
Below, you can find the match results from the finals session as well as placements for all ten weight classes.
You can find brackets for complete results on FloArena.
2021 CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
At Las Vegas, Nevada, December 3-4
Finals results
125 pounds
First place match: No. 1 Pat Glory (Princeton) maj. dec. No. 2 Devin Schroder (Purdue), 13-0
Third place match: No. 6 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) dec. No. 4 Jack Medley (Michigan), 7-2
133 pounds
First-place match: No. 3 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) dec. No. 1 Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 9-5
Third-place match: No. 7 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) dec. No. 4 Devan Turner (Oregon State), 6-4 SV1
141 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) fall No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), 6:55
Third-place match: No. 3 Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Cole Mattin (Michigan), 6-1
149 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 6-2
Third-place match: No. 5 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) MFF No. 3 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern)
157 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. No. 2 Quincy Monday (Princeton), 8-3
Third-place match: No. 5 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) dec. No. 7 Will Lewan (Michigan), 3-2
165 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Evan Wick (Cal Poly) dec. No. 2 Shane Griffith (Stanford), 6-2
Third-place match: No. 3 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), 5-2
174 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Michael Labriola (Nebraska) dec. No. 2 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 7-5
Third-place match: No. 3 Chris Foca (Cornell) vs. No. 5 Cade Devos (South Dakota State), 8-2
184 pounds
First-place match: No. 5 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 7-3
Third-place match: No. 3 Jonathan Loew (Cornell) dec. No. 1 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 6-4
197 pounds
First-place match: No. 3 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 7-3
Third-place match: No. 6 Thomas Penola (Purdue) dec. No. 1 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 6-5
285 pounds
First-place match: No. 10 Gary Traub (Oregon State) inj. def. No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard)
Third-place match: No. 3 Christian Lance (Nebraska) dec. No. 1 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State), 10-4
Final placements
125 pounds
1. Patrick Glory, Princeton
2. Devin Schroder, Purdue
3. Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State
4. Jack Medley, Michigan
5. Antonio Lorenzo, Cal Poly
6. Jake Svihel, Wyoming
7. Jake Ferri, Kent State
8. Jacon Allen, Navy
133 pounds
1. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
2. Chris Cannon, Northwestern
3. Haiden Drury, Utah Valley
4. Devan Turner, Oregon State
5. Joshua Koderhandt, Navy
6. Jake Gilva, Minnesota
7. Anthony Sobotker, Binghamton
8. Matt Ramos, Purdue
141 pounds
1. Clay Carlson, South Dakota State
2. Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado
3. Chad Red, Nebraska
4. Cole Mattin, Michigan
5. Grant Willits, Oregon State
6. Parker Filius, Purdue
7. Jake Bergeland, Minnesota
8. Angelo Martinori, Cal State Bakersfield
149 pounds
1. Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell
2. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
3. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
4. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern
5. Jaden Abas, Stanford
6. Mitch Moore, Oklahoma
7. Legend Lamer, Cal Poly
8. Michael Blockhus, Minnesota
157 pounds
1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern
2. Quincy Monday, Princeton
3. Jacob Wright, Wyoming
4. Will Lewan, Michigan
6. Peyton Robb, Nebraska
6. Kendall Coleman, Purdue
7. Justin Thomas, Oklahoma
8. Andrew Cerniglia, Navy
165 pounds
1. Evan Wick, Cal Poly
2. Shane Griffith, Stanford
3. Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
4. Julian Ramirez, Cornell
5. Cameron Amine, Michigan
6. Philip Conigliaro, Harvard
7. Joshua Ogunsanua, Columbia
8. Clayton Wilson, Nebraska
174 pounds
1. Michael Labriola, Nebraska
2. Ethan Smith, Ohio State
3. Chris Foca, Cornell
4. Cade Devos, South Dakota State
5. Troy Fisher, Northwestern
6. Adam Kemp, Cal Poly
7. Hayden Hastings, Wyoming
8. Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue
184 pounds
1. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
2. Taylor Venz, Nebraska
3. Jonathan Loew, Cornell
4. Tate Samuelson, Wyoming
5. Darrien Roberts, Oklahoma
6. Travis Stefanik, Princeton
7. Max Lyon, Purdue
8. Jacob Armstrong, Utah Valley
197 pounds
1. Stephen Buchanan, Wyoming
2. Eric Schultz, Nebraska
3. Thomas Penola, Purdue
4. Jake Woodley, Oklahoma
5. Luke Stout, Princeton
6. Patrick Brucki, Michigan
7. Lou Deprez, Binghamton
8. Evan Bockman, Utah Valley
285 pounds
1. Gary Traub, Oregon State
2. Yaraslau Slavikouski, Harvard
3. Christian Lance, Nebraska
4. Tate Orndorff, Ohio State
5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern
6. AJ Nevills, South Dakota State
7. Michael McAleavey, Citadel
8. Joe Doyle, Binghamton
Final team scores
1. Nebraska, 125
2. Ohio State, 104
3. Michigan, 94.5
4. (tie) Northwestern and Wyoming, 91.5
6. Purdue, 85.5
7. Cornell, 81
8. Oregon State, 79
9. Princeton, 63.5
10. Cal Poly, 60.5
11. Oklahoma, 57.5
12. South Dakota State, 55
13. Stanford, 41
14. Navy, 39.5
15. Utah Valley, 34.5
16. Minnesota, 34
17. Northern Colorado, 33
18. Harvard, 32.5
19. Binghamton, 28.5
20. Columbia, 22.5
The 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational wrapped up on Saturday night as Nebraska scored 125 points to win the team title. Ohio State finished second with 104 points, while Michigan took home the third spot with 94.5 points.
Both the Huskers and the Buckeyes had three finalists and an individual champion.
The night’s main event took place at 149 pounds, where Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in a convincing 6-2 win. Diakomihalis, a two-time NCAA champion, held momentum throughout the match and kept control throughout the full seven minutes. He was dominant this weekend in Las Vegas, now looking to make a run at his third NCAA championship and up a weight at 149. Sasso was a finalist at 149 pounds at the 2021 NCAAs.
The night's action kicked off with 157 pounds, where Northwestern’s three-time NCAA All-American Ryan Deakin knocked off Princeton’s Quincy Monday, 8-3. Monday scored in the third period and made it a one-point match, but a strong second-period ride and a late third-period takedown secured the CKLV title for Deakin.
One of the top stories of the tournament was Gary Traub, the No. 10 seed in the tournament who ultimately won the heavyweight bracket. Traub earned the top spot at the weight after his opponent, Yaraslau Slavikouski of Harvard, had to injury default following a leg injury in the first period. Winning the weight, Traub knocked off No. 2 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), No. 3 Christian Lance (Nebraska), No. 7 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) and Slavikouski over the weekend.
Capping off a standout tournament, Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero knocked off Taylor Venz, 7-3 in the finals to win the event at 184 pounds. Romero, the fifth seed in the tournament, knocked off Oklahoma’s No. 4 Darrien Roberts and Wyoming’s No. 1 Tate Samuelson en route to the finals.
At 133 pounds, Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin turned heads with a dominant 9-5 win over Northwestern’s top-seeded Chris Cannon. Ragusin, who owned the third seed in the tournament, impressed all weekend and will rise in the national rankings following his performance in Las Vegas. A Montini Catholic (Ill.) graduate, Ragusin was a finalist at the 2020 Senior Nationals and was an NCAA qualifier last season.
South Dakota State’s Clay Carlson (141 pounds) pinned Andrew Alirez late in the third period to secure his CKLV title. After defeating Purdue’s Parker Filius earlier in the day, the top-seeded Carlson wrestled a back-and-forth match with his Northern Colorado opponent in the finals before finding a takedown and ultimately securing the fall at the edge.
Cal Poly’s Evan Wick earned an impressive title at 165 pounds with a dominant 6-2 finals win over Stanford’s 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith. Wick accumulated over three minutes of riding time in the win. Wick is a redshirt senior at Cal Poly – he was a two-time NCAA All-American at Wisconsin.
At 174 pounds, Nebraska’s Michael Labriola was taken to overtime by Ohio State’s Ethan Smith, but secured a hard-fought takedown in a scramble in sudden victory to win, 7-5, and lock up the weight class title for the Huskers. Labriola, a three-time NCAA All-American, is looking for his first career Big Ten title this season.
Third-seeded Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming won at 197 pounds. An NCAA All-American last season, Buchanan won his CKLV title with a 7-3 decision over Nebraska’s Eric Schultz. Buchanan scored multiple times late in the match and secured the win with a takedown, ride out and a riding time point.
Princeton’s two-time NCAA All-American Pat Glory was dominant in his finals match against Purdue’s Devin Schroder, winning courtesy of a 13-0 major decision with 5:09 of riding time on top. Over the course of this weekend, Glory outscored his competition, 33-2.
Below, you can find the match results from the finals session as well as placements for all ten weight classes.
You can find brackets for complete results on FloArena.
2021 CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
At Las Vegas, Nevada, December 3-4
Finals results
125 pounds
First place match: No. 1 Pat Glory (Princeton) maj. dec. No. 2 Devin Schroder (Purdue), 13-0
Third place match: No. 6 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) dec. No. 4 Jack Medley (Michigan), 7-2
133 pounds
First-place match: No. 3 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) dec. No. 1 Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 9-5
Third-place match: No. 7 Haiden Drury (Utah Valley) dec. No. 4 Devan Turner (Oregon State), 6-4 SV1
141 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) fall No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado), 6:55
Third-place match: No. 3 Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Cole Mattin (Michigan), 6-1
149 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 6-2
Third-place match: No. 5 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) MFF No. 3 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern)
157 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. No. 2 Quincy Monday (Princeton), 8-3
Third-place match: No. 5 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) dec. No. 7 Will Lewan (Michigan), 3-2
165 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Evan Wick (Cal Poly) dec. No. 2 Shane Griffith (Stanford), 6-2
Third-place match: No. 3 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) dec. No. 6 Julian Ramirez (Cornell), 5-2
174 pounds
First-place match: No. 1 Michael Labriola (Nebraska) dec. No. 2 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 7-5
Third-place match: No. 3 Chris Foca (Cornell) vs. No. 5 Cade Devos (South Dakota State), 8-2
184 pounds
First-place match: No. 5 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 7-3
Third-place match: No. 3 Jonathan Loew (Cornell) dec. No. 1 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming), 6-4
197 pounds
First-place match: No. 3 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming) dec. No. 4 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 7-3
Third-place match: No. 6 Thomas Penola (Purdue) dec. No. 1 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 6-5
285 pounds
First-place match: No. 10 Gary Traub (Oregon State) inj. def. No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard)
Third-place match: No. 3 Christian Lance (Nebraska) dec. No. 1 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State), 10-4
Final placements
125 pounds
1. Patrick Glory, Princeton
2. Devin Schroder, Purdue
3. Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State
4. Jack Medley, Michigan
5. Antonio Lorenzo, Cal Poly
6. Jake Svihel, Wyoming
7. Jake Ferri, Kent State
8. Jacon Allen, Navy
133 pounds
1. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
2. Chris Cannon, Northwestern
3. Haiden Drury, Utah Valley
4. Devan Turner, Oregon State
5. Joshua Koderhandt, Navy
6. Jake Gilva, Minnesota
7. Anthony Sobotker, Binghamton
8. Matt Ramos, Purdue
141 pounds
1. Clay Carlson, South Dakota State
2. Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado
3. Chad Red, Nebraska
4. Cole Mattin, Michigan
5. Grant Willits, Oregon State
6. Parker Filius, Purdue
7. Jake Bergeland, Minnesota
8. Angelo Martinori, Cal State Bakersfield
149 pounds
1. Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell
2. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
3. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
4. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern
5. Jaden Abas, Stanford
6. Mitch Moore, Oklahoma
7. Legend Lamer, Cal Poly
8. Michael Blockhus, Minnesota
157 pounds
1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern
2. Quincy Monday, Princeton
3. Jacob Wright, Wyoming
4. Will Lewan, Michigan
6. Peyton Robb, Nebraska
6. Kendall Coleman, Purdue
7. Justin Thomas, Oklahoma
8. Andrew Cerniglia, Navy
165 pounds
1. Evan Wick, Cal Poly
2. Shane Griffith, Stanford
3. Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
4. Julian Ramirez, Cornell
5. Cameron Amine, Michigan
6. Philip Conigliaro, Harvard
7. Joshua Ogunsanua, Columbia
8. Clayton Wilson, Nebraska
174 pounds
1. Michael Labriola, Nebraska
2. Ethan Smith, Ohio State
3. Chris Foca, Cornell
4. Cade Devos, South Dakota State
5. Troy Fisher, Northwestern
6. Adam Kemp, Cal Poly
7. Hayden Hastings, Wyoming
8. Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue
184 pounds
1. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State
2. Taylor Venz, Nebraska
3. Jonathan Loew, Cornell
4. Tate Samuelson, Wyoming
5. Darrien Roberts, Oklahoma
6. Travis Stefanik, Princeton
7. Max Lyon, Purdue
8. Jacob Armstrong, Utah Valley
197 pounds
1. Stephen Buchanan, Wyoming
2. Eric Schultz, Nebraska
3. Thomas Penola, Purdue
4. Jake Woodley, Oklahoma
5. Luke Stout, Princeton
6. Patrick Brucki, Michigan
7. Lou Deprez, Binghamton
8. Evan Bockman, Utah Valley
285 pounds
1. Gary Traub, Oregon State
2. Yaraslau Slavikouski, Harvard
3. Christian Lance, Nebraska
4. Tate Orndorff, Ohio State
5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern
6. AJ Nevills, South Dakota State
7. Michael McAleavey, Citadel
8. Joe Doyle, Binghamton
Final team scores
1. Nebraska, 125
2. Ohio State, 104
3. Michigan, 94.5
4. (tie) Northwestern and Wyoming, 91.5
6. Purdue, 85.5
7. Cornell, 81
8. Oregon State, 79
9. Princeton, 63.5
10. Cal Poly, 60.5
11. Oklahoma, 57.5
12. South Dakota State, 55
13. Stanford, 41
14. Navy, 39.5
15. Utah Valley, 34.5
16. Minnesota, 34
17. Northern Colorado, 33
18. Harvard, 32.5
19. Binghamton, 28.5
20. Columbia, 22.5
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