NCAA champs Megaludis, Martinez, Gadson, Gwiazdowski cruise to freestyle semifinals at University Nationals

Two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) won four matches to advance to 74 kg semifinals in Akron. Photo: Sam Janicki.

AKRON, Ohio – NCAA champions Nico Megaludis, Isaiah Martinez, Kyven Gadson and Nick Gwiazdowski all advanced to the semi-final round of the 2016 Men’s Freestyle ASICS University Nationals in Akron, Ohio on Saturday.

This dynamic foursome headlines one of the deepest fields University Nationals has seen in recent memory. 17 of the 36 semifinalists have earned NCAA Div. I All-American honors with a handful of others either NCAA qualifiers or expected to be Div. I contenders soon.

Penn State’s 2016 NCAA champion and four-time NCAA All-American Megaludis picked up three technical falls on his way to the semifinals. He will face Minnesota’s young gun Skyler Petry for a spot in the 57 kg/125.5 lbs. finals.

The potential is there for Megaludis to face NCAA All-American David Terao in tomorrow’s best-of-three championship finals. Terao, who will wrestle Joseph Deangelo in the second 57 kg semifinal, finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championships in March and was a crowd favorite at Madison Square Garden due to his electrifying style. Megaludis bested Terao in the NCAA semifinals, 8-2.

Days after announcing he would compete at 165 pounds next year for Illinois, two-time NCAA champion Martinez finds himself in the 74 kg/163 lbs. semifinals in Akron. Martinez blistered his four opponents on the day with scores of 13-2, 12-2, 10-0 and 10-0. He will go up against Columbia’s Tyrel White in the semifinals.

NCAA All-American Thomas Gantt and Chance Marsteller sit in the bottom-side semi-final at 74 kg.

A 2015 NCAA champion for Iowa State, Gadson picked up four wins to advance to the 97 kg/213 lbs. semifinals. He outscored his opponents 34-0 on the day, including a 10-0 technical fall over recent North Carolina transfer Daniel Chaid in the quarterfinals.

Two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA All-American Nick Gwiazdowski hasn’t skipped a beat in Akron. The North Carolina State product owns four technical falls from Saturday’s competition at 125 kg/275 lbs. Gwiazdowski opens tomorrow with Columbia’s NCAA qualifier Garrett Ryan.

Should Gwiazdowski get past Ryan, he could see ACC rival Ty Walz of Virginia Tech in the best-of-three championship series. Walz, who finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championships, will face NCAA Qualifier Tanner Hall in the heavyweight semifinals.

Champions in every weight class except 80 kg/176 lbs. qualify for the U.S. University Men’s Freestyle World Team that will compete at the World University Championships in Corum, Turkey, Oct. 25-30.

The 86 kg/189 lbs. semifinals feature plenty of firepower with four NCAA All-Americans doing battle. NCAA runner-up Morgan McIntosh will take on Jack Dechow in the top-side semifinal while Pete Renda and Sammy Brooks will square off in the bottom-side semifinal.

U.S. National Team member Tyler Graff went for four technical falls on the day at 61 kg/134 lbs. Standing in his way of a return trip to the University Nationals finals is Penn State youngster Jered Cortez.

Wrestlers eligible to compete in the University age group range from ages 17-28 and must have graduated from high school.

The University Nationals will conclude on Sunday with day two of the men’s freestyle competition. This event will be held alongside the UWW Cadet Nationals. Both tournaments are U.S. World Team qualifiers.

The remaining action from Akron can be viewed live on Flowrestling.com tomorrow at 9 a.m. (ET). 

For complete brackets and results from the UWW Cadet and University Nationals visit Trackwrestling.com.

ASICS Men’s Freestyle University Nationals
June 4 in Akron, Ohio

Semifinal Match-ups
57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Nico Megaludis (Nittany Lion WC) vs. Skyler Petry (Minnesota Storm)
Joseph Deangelo (Blue and Gold) vs. David Terao (American)

61 kg/134 lbs.
Tyler Graff (New York AC) vs. Jered Cortez (Nittany Lion WC)
Zane Richards (Illinois RTC) vs. Mark Grey (Cornell)

65 kg/143 lbs.
Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. Kevin Jack (Wolfpack WC)
Mitch Bengston (BWC) vs. Kyle Ayersman (Boilermaker RTC)

70 kg/154 lbs.
Adam Hall (Wolfpack WC) vs. Maaziah Bethea (PARTC)
Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. Michael Kemerer (Iowa)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Isaiah Martinez (Illinois RTC) vs. Tyrel White (NYCRTC)
Thomas Gantt (Wolfpack WC) vs. Chance Marsteller (MatTown USA)

80 kg/176 lbs.
Alex Meyer (Iowa) vs. Phillip Bakuckas (Scarlet Knight WC)
Burke Paddock (Iowa) vs. Geno Morelli (Nittany Lion WC)

86 kg/189 lbs.
Morgan McIntosh (Nittany Lion WC) vs. Jack Dechow (Virginia Beach RTC)
Peter Renda (Wolfpack WC) vs. Sammy Brooks (Iowa)

97 kg/213 lbs.
Kyven Gadson (Cyclone WC) vs. Kyle Conel (Golden Pride)
Nikko Reyes (Northern Colorado) vs. Blaize Cabell (Panther WC)

125 kg/275 lbs.
Nick Gwiazdowski (New York AC/Wolfpack WC) vs. Garrett Ryan (Sunkist Kids)
Tanner Hall (Sunkist Kids) vs. Ty Walz (VA/Southeast)

Quarterfinal Results
57 kg/125.5 lbs.
Nico Megaludis (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Jens Lantz (Wisconsin), 10-0
Skyler Petry (Minnesota Storm) dec. Lorenzo Bently (Pittsburgh), 2-1
Joseph Deangelo (Blue and Gold) dec. Eli Hale (Cowboy WC), 10-4
David Terao (American) tech fall Ben Thornton (Boilermaker RTC), 10-0

61 kg/134 lbs.
Tyler Graff (New York AC) tech. fall Keegan Moore (MRTC), 10-0
Jered Cortez (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Phillip Laux (Iowa), 15-4
Zane Richards (Illinois RTC) dec. Shelton Mack, 7-6
Mark Grey (Cornell) dec. George Carpenter (Nittany Lion WC), 6-2

65 kg/143 lbs.
Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. AC Headlee (TarHeel WC), 12-3
Kevin Jack (Wolfpack WC) dec. Colton McCrystal (NWTC), 7-4
Mitch Bengston (BWC) fall Zachary Moore (WVU), 5:52
Kyle Ayersman (Boilermaker RTC) fall Jamel Sharp (Packer WC), 4:10

70 kg/154 lbs.
Adam Hall (Wolfpack WC) tech. fall Logan Ryan (Iowa), 10-0
Maaziah Bethea (PARTC) dec. Marcus Scheidel (NYCRTC), 7-7
Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan), 3-1
Michael Kemerer (Iowa) fall Anthony Collica (Titan Mercury WC), 4:03

74 kg/163 lbs.
Isaiah Martinez (Illinois RTC) tech. fall Nate Higgins (Southern Illinois), 10-0
Tyrel White (NYCRTC) tech. fall Colston Diblasi (Iowa State), 12-1
Thomas Gantt (Wolfpack WC) dec. John Clark (TarHeel WC), 8-1
Chance Marsteller (MatTown USA) tech. fall Chad Welch, 12-2

80 kg/176 lbs.
Alex Meyer (Iowa) tech. fall Chase Nelson (Bison Legends), 12-2
Phillip Bakuckas (Scarlet Knight WC) tech. fall Devin Skatzka (Hoosier WC), 12-2
Burke Paddock (Iowa) fall Christia Brucki (Central Michigan), 0:25
Geno Morelli (Nittany Lion WC) dec. Jonathan Viruet (Bears WC), 6-0

86 kg/189 lbs.
Morgan McIntosh (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Canaan Bethea (PARTC), 11-0
Jack Dechow (Virginia Beach RTC) dec. Nathan Jackson (Hoosier WC), 4-4
Peter Renda (Wolfpack WC) dec. Riley Lefever (Wabash WC), 8-7
Sammy Brooks (Iowa) tech. fall Jakob Hinz (Hoosier WC), 10-0

97 kg/213 lbs.
Kyven Gadson (Cyclone WC) tech. fall Daniel Chaid (TarHeel WC), 10-0
Kyle Conel (Golden Pride) fall Jared Haught (Big Springs), 2:10
Nikko Reyes (Northern Colorado) dec. Timmy McCall (Wolfpack WC), 10-7
Blaize Cabell (Panther WC) dec. Kevin Beazley (Virginia Beach RTC), 6-4

125 kg/275 lbs.
Nick Gwiazdowski (New York AC/Wolfpack WC) tech. fall Nolan Terrance (Buffalo RTC), 12-2
Garrett Ryan (Sunkist Kids) dec. Michael Kroells (Minnesota Storm), 10-1
Tanner Hall (Sunkist Kids) dec. Michael Hughes (Blue and Gold), 8-3
Ty Walz (VA/Southeast) tech. fall Jake McKiernan (Southern Illinois), 10-0