Finals set for Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational; Nebraska, SDSU and NC State in close team race

Peyton Robb of Nebraska after winning 157-pound semifinals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Photo by Sam Janicki.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The finals have been set for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational., as 12 different colleges were able to secure at least one finalist.

Nebraska, which leads the team race, had three finalists, as did Arizona State. Teams with two finalists are South Dakota State, NC State, Cornell, Purdue and UNI.

Cornhuskers in the finals are Brock Hardy (141). Peyton Robb (157) and Mikey Labriola (174). Sun Devils in the finals are Richard Figueroa (125), Michael McGee (133) and Kyle Parco (149).

As the consolation rounds are finishing up, including the fifth-place and seventh-place matches, only a few points separate first place Nebraska, second place South Dakota State and third -place NC State.

Just four No. 1 seeds advanced to the finals:Vito Arujau of Cornell (133), Sammy Sasso of Ohio State (149), Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech (174) and Parker Keckeisen of UNI (184).

Only one 2021 CKLV Invitational champion has advanced to the finals this year, Mikey Labriola of Nebraska (174).

The finals at 125 will feature No. 2 seed Matt Ramos of Purdue against No. 5 seed Richard Figueroa of Arizona State. Ramos scored the only takedown in beating No. 3 Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State. Figueroa took a lead early and defeated unseeded Tanner Jordan of South Dakota State.

The 133-pound finals will feature No. 1 seed Vito Arujau of Cornell against No. 2 Michael McGee of Arizona State. Arujau jumped to a 4-0 lead and defeated No. 5 Sam Latona of Virginia Tech, 6-1. McGee broke open a tie in the third period to defeat No. 3 Dylan Ragusin of Michigan, 5-1. Ragusin was a returning CKLV champion.

The 141-pound bracket was the most volatile, with No. 8 Brock Hardy of Nebraska and No. 11 Cael Happel of UNI making the finals. Hardy scored a reversal on the buzzer to defeat No. 4 seed Ryan Jack of NC State, 5-4. Happel scored a clutch second-period takedown and secured riding time to beat No. 2 seed and returning CKLV champion Clay Carlson of South Dakota State.

No. 1 seed Sammy Sasso and No. 3 seed Kyle Parco reached the 149 pound finals. Sasso controlled the match throughout for an 8-2 win over Big Ten rival and No. 4 seed Yahya Thomas of Northwestern. Parco scored the only takedown and secured riding time, beating No. 2 Jon Jon Millner of Appalachian State.

At 157 pounds, No. 2 Peyton Robb of Nebraska scored a takedown with 10 seconds left to edge No. 3 Ed Scott of NC State, 5-3. His opponent will be No. 4 Kendall Coleman of Purdue, who scored a reversal and four-point turn and held on for a 9-5 win over No. 1 seed Will Lewan of Michigan.

The 165 pound finals will feature No. 2 seed Julian Ramirez of Cornell agains No. 9 seed Tanner Cook of South Dakota State. Ramirez jumped to a 6-0 lead on a takedown and beat No. 3 Josh Ogunsanya of Columbia, 8-2. Cook received a medical forfeit over No. 4 Austin Yant of UNI.

The top two seeds advanced at 174 pounds, where No. 1 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech will face No. 2 and returning CKLV champion Mikey Labriola of Nebraska. Lewis scored the only takedown in a 3-2 win over No. 5 Chris Foca of Cornell. Labriola advanced with a medical forfeit over No. 3 Demetrius Romero of Utah Valley.

Top seeds also advanced at 184 pounds, where No. 1 Parker Keckeisen of UNI will face No. 2 Trent Hidlay of NC State. Keckeisen jumped to a big early lead and secured an 11-2 major decision over unseeded Lenny Pinto of Nebraska. Hidlay scored the only takedown and added riding time to stop No. 3 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State.

The 197-pound finals will feature No. 2 Isaac Trumble of NC State and No. 5 Tanner Harvey of Oregon State. Trumble jumped to a 5-0 lead before beating No. 6 Silas Allred of Nebraska. Harvey had the only takedown in a 3-2 win over No. 9 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech.

The 285-pound final will feature No. 2 Mason Parris of Michigan and No. 4 Lucas Davison of Northwestern. Parris jumped to a 6-0 lead on the way to a 12-5 victory over No. 6 Wyatt Hendrickson. Likewise, Davison led 5-0 before finishing off No. 8 AJ Nevills of South Dakota State, 8-2

The Championship finals, which features first-place and third-place bouts, is set for 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. All of the action is live on FloWrestling

CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
At Las Vegas, Nevada, December 2, 2022

Finals pairings (with seeds listed)
125 - No. 2 Matt Ramos, Purdue, vs. No. 5 Richard Figueroa, ASU
133 - No. 1 Vito Arujau, Cornell, vs.No. 2 Michael McGee, ASU
141 - No. 8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska vs. No. 11 Cael Happel, UNI
149 - No. 1 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State vs. No. 3 Kyle Parco, ASU
157 - No. 2 Peyton Robb, Nebraska, vs. No. 4 Kendall Coleman, Purdue
165 - No. 2 Julian Ramirez, Cornell, vs. No. 9 Tanner Cook, SDSU,
174 - No. 1 Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech, vs. No. 2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska
184 - No. 1 Parker Keckeisen, UNI, vs. No. 2 Trent Hidlay, NC State
197 - No. 2 Isaac Trumble, NC State, vs. No. 5 Tanner Harvey, Oregon State
285 - No. 2 Mason Parris, Michigan, vs. No. 4 Lucas Davison, Northwestern

Semifinal results

125 pounds
No. 5 Richard Figueroa, ASU, dec. unseeded Tanner Jordan, SDSU, 6-3
No. 2 Matt Ramos, Purdue dec. No. 3 Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State, 3-2

133 pounds
No. 1 Vito Arujau, Cornell, dec. No. 5 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech, 6-1
No. 2 Michael McGee, ASU, dec. No. 3 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan, 5-1

141 pounds
No. 8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska dec. No. 4 Ryan Jack, NC State, 5-4
No. 11 Cael Happel, UNI dec No. 2 Clay Carlson, SDSU, 4-1

149 pounds
No. 1 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State, dec. No. 4 Yahya Thomas, Northwestern, 8-2
No. 3 Kyle Parco, ASU, dec. No. 2 Jon Jon Millner, App State, 4-1

157 pounds
No. 4 Kendall Coleman, Purdue, dec. No. 1 Will Lewan, Michigan, 9-5
No. 2 Peyton Robb, Nebraska, dec. No. 3 Ed Scott, NC State, 5-3

165 pounds
No. 9 Tanner Cook, SDSU, med. forfeit over No. 4 Austin Yant, UNI
No. 2 Julian Ramirez, Cornell, dec. No. 3 Josh Ogunsanya, Columbia, 8-2

174 pounds
No. 1 Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech, dec. No. 5 Chris Foca, Cornell, 3-2
No. 2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska, medical forfeit No. 3 Demetrius Romero, Utah Valley

184 pounds
No. 1 Parker Keckeisen, UNI, maj. dec. Unseeded Lenny Pinto, Nebraska, 11-2
No. 2 Trent Hidlay, NC State dec. No. 3 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State, 4-1

197 pounds
No. 5 Tanner Harvey, Oregon State dec. No. 9 Andy Smith, Virginia Tech, 3-2
No. 2 Isaac Trumble, NC State, dec. No. 6 Silas Allred, Nebraska, 6-1

285 pounds
No. 4 Lucas Davison, Northwestern dec. No. 8 AJ Nevills, SDSU, 8-2
No. 2 Mason Parris, Michigan, dec. No. 6 Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force, 12-5

Finalists by team
Arizona State – Richard Figueroa (125), Michael McGee (133), Kyle Parco (149)
Nebraska – Brock Hardy (141). Peyton Robb (157), Mikey Labriola (174)
Purdue – Matt Ramos (125), Kendall Coleman (157)
Cornell – Vito Arujau (133), Julian Ramirez (165)
UNI – Cael Happel (141), Parker Keckeisen (184)
South Dakota State – Tanner Cook (165)
NC State – Trent Hidlay (184), Isaac Trumble (197)
Ohio State – Sammy Sasso (149)
Virginia Tech - Mekhi Lewis (174)
Oregon State – Tanner Harvey (197)
Michigan – Mason Parris (285)
Northwestern – Lucas Davison (285)