The Biggest Upsets At The 2018 NCAAs
The Biggest Upsets At The 2018 NCAAs
Relive the excitement as we run down 10 of the biggest upsets at the 2018 NCAAs.
Upsets are a common occurrence every year at NCAAs, but things got particularly crazy at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland last weekend. Relive all the shocks and awes as we run down the 10 biggest upsets from the 2018 NCAA Championships.
And don't forget to check out full brackets with links to matches on the redoubtable FloArena. Also please note all rankings below are NCAA seeds.
197 Pounds: Unseeded Kyle Conel (Kent State) vs. #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
Ladies and gentlemen, the new mayor of Cleveland, Kyle Conel from Kent State.
After losing to Aaron Naples of Ohio at the MAC Conference Championship, Conel, from nearby Ashtabula, Ohio, went ham in Cleveland, stringing together a series of upsets. First, he beat #9 Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State, who tech-smashed him into oblivion in a dual meet in under three minutes. Then Conel took out #8 Nate Rotert of South Dakota State and shocked the arena by PINFALLING #1 KOLLIN MOORE in the quarterfinals.
DUDE.
Then, so as to ensure that no one thinks it was a fluke, Conel beat Moore again, straight up, 5-3 for third place. Kyle Conel now runs Cleveland. It is his town.
Watch Conel stun the capacity crowd at the Q:
157 Pounds: Unseeded Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) vs. #2 Joey Lavallee (Missouri)
Monday helped turn the 157-pound bracket on its head when he defeated last year's runner-up in the first round.
133 Pounds: Unseeded Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) vs. #3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
Redshirt freshman Tariq Wilson Tariq’ed havoc on the entire 133-pound weight class. He beat #5 John Erneste of Missouri, #4 Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State, and #3 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State on his way to a third-place finish. Wilson pushed NCAA champ Seth Gross to sudden victory before eventually relenting to the #1 seed.
Wilson won the takedown battle against all of his opponents to the tune of 24-2. Against fellow All-Americans, it was 18-2 in his favor. Wilson has put the 133-pound field on notice for next season.
Watch Tariq nearly complete the come back against Gross in the semifinals:
149 Pounds: #15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) vs. #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
There is no margin for error at the NCAAs and four-time All-American Brandon Sorensen is living proof. Sorensen’s career concluded having gone fourth, second, third, and fifth at the NCAAs, whereas Ronnie Perry has gone 0-2 and BBQ in his last two trips to the NCAAs. But Perry didn't care about his opponents' credentials, buzz-sawing through the bracket and taking out the #2 seed in the round of 16. Perry kept the party going, becoming the first Lock Haven finalist since Cary Kolat.
141 Pounds: Sa'Darien Perry (Eastern Michigan) vs. #9 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa)
There was perhaps no unlikelier All-American in 2018 than Eastern Michigan's Sa'Darien Perry. Perry came to Cleveland with a losing record but will leave as an eighth-place finisher. He set up his run to become the first EMU All-American since the 1990s by taking out the #9 seed in the first round. But will he be the last EMU All-American? He could be, although the community is coming together to #SaveEMUwrestling as it always does in times like this.
125 Pounds: #12 Louie Hayes (Virginia) vs. #5 Sean Fausz (North Carolina State)
True freshman Louie Hayes went mixer with 13 seconds left to force OT against the #5 seed. Hayes then used a knee pick in sudden victory to complete the come-from-behind win and advance to the quarterfinals with a 10-4 victory.
This match really is a must-watch. Check it out:
141 Pounds: Unseeded Ryan Diehl (Maryland) vs. #8 Nick Lee (Penn State)
Although true freshman Nick Lee would get the last laugh, going through the wrestlebacks all the way to a fifth-place finish, Ryan Diehl electrified the Thursday afternoon crowd by going cement job city in the first round.
Watch the thunderous upset:
165 Pounds: Unseeded Jonathan Viruet (Brown) vs. #8 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State)
Rogers gave up a few takedowns and then couldn’t get his upper-body throws to land, despite ripping Viruet’s singlet to shreds. Rogers was able to battle back and win a blood-round match, however, while Viruet was unable to earn a step on the podium in a ridiculously stacked 165-pound bracket.
184 Pounds: Unseeded Chip Ness (North Carolina) vs. #7 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
It's all's well that ends well, as both guys still reached All-American status in a topsy-turvy 184-pound bracket. After getting upset 11-6 in the second round, Venz actually went on to out-place Ness. At the end of the tournament, it was the #7 seed Venz placing fourth and the unseeded Ness placing seventh.
285 Pounds: #12 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) vs. #5 Sam Stoll (Iowa)
Maryland hasn’t had an AA since Jimmy Sheptock, but Terrapins junior Youssif Hemida was determined to break that streak. Hemida reversed an 8-1 loss he took to Stoll in the Big Ten Tournament with a 7-2 victory in the round of 16. Hemida won his blood-round match with Lehigh's Jordan Wood to make Maryland history, while Stoll shook off his loss and was able to muster a fifth-place finish for the Hawkeyes.