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2022 NCAA Championships Watch Party

2022 NCAA Championship Match Notes Finals!

2022 NCAA Championship Match Notes Finals!

Real updates in REAL TIME of the 2022 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships, LIVE from Detroit!

Mar 19, 2022 by Andrew Spey
2022 NCAA Championship Match Notes Finals!
This is it. These are the final 10 matches of the 2021-22 season. How'd it get to this? Mostly through the passage of time, I'd say.

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This is it. These are the final 10 matches of the 2021-22 season. How'd it get to this? Mostly through the passage of time, I'd say. 

2022 NCAA Championships Watch Party


The set up looks beautiful, as expected. The Little Caesars Arena and the city of Detroit have been excellent hosts.

Let's take a look at these finals matchups, which will be wrestled in weight class order and end with Gable Steveson's final collegiate match. 

More 2022 NCAA Match Notes: 1st Round | 2nd Round | Quarters | Semis | Medal Round | Finals

125 #1 Nick Suriano, (Michigan) vs #3 Pat Glory, (Princeton) 

133 #1 Roman Bravo-Young, (Penn State) vs #2 Daton Fix, (Oklahoma State) 

141 #1 Nick Lee, (Penn State) vs #14 Kizhan Clarke, (North Carolina) 

149 #1 Yianni Diakomihalis, (Cornell) vs #5 Ridge Lovett, (Nebraska)

157 #2 Ryan Deakin, (Northwestern) vs #4 Quincy Monday, (Princeton) 

165 #2 Keegan O'Toole, (Missouri) vs #3 Shane Griffith (Stanford)

174 #1 Carter Starocci, (Penn State) vs #3 Mekhi Lewis, (Virginia Tech)

184 #1 Myles Amine, (Michigan) vs #2 Aaron Brooks, (Penn State) 

197 #1 Max Dean, (Penn State) vs #5 Jacob Warner, (Iowa) 

285 #1 Gable Steveson, (Minnesota) vs #5 Cohlton Schultz, (Arizona State) 

Oh baby. Now that's what I call a star-studded slate of awesome bouts!

All that's left to do now is do the parade of champions and sing the national anthem. And now that's happened as well. So let's do this!

125: #1 Nick Suriano, (Michigan) defeats #3 Pat Glory, (Princeton), 5-3

1st period:  Glory runs out to Glory Days by Bruce. Suriano runs out to an Eminem song about Detroit, I forget the name. The battle for New Jersey is on. Nick gets a hand on a knee but nothing. Some hand fighting and distance checks. Now a level change and committed shot but Glory fends him off. Another scramble but no points. Pace is solid. One minute to go. Nick down on a single, and he's his ferocious with his finish. Get's two and needs to ride for about 20 more seconds. Gets the ride out and it's 2-0 going into the second. 

2nd period: Surino chooses down. Nick sits out, turns in and pounces on Glory for the reversal. Big mat return and Suriano has the RT up to 59 seconds before they go out of bounds. Restart, no change in position. Nick putting on a nice ride but without throwing in boots, as is his style. Nick gets the rideout but Glory is hurt. My guess, from the vantage of the literal top of the rafters five floors up, is a stinger, but that's just a guess. 

3rd period: Nick also picked up a stall call while getting that second-period rideout. Forgot to mention. Anyway, Glory choose top. Not a bad idea to switch things up. Runs RT clock under a minute. Nick gets another stall call to make it 4-1. And a caution, apparently his third, to make it 4-2. 45 seconds to go in the bout. Fans want stalling, Nick is on his stomach. And there it is, 4-3. 25 seconds to go. Glory cuts him, 5-3. Fans want more stalling as Glory chases Nick around the mat. No calls and no points. Nick Suriano is a two-time NCAA champion!

We don't get to hear the post match interviews but that's happening right now. 

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, (Penn State) defeats #2 Daton Fix, (Oklahoma State), 3-2

1st period: Couldn't place RBY's walkout song. Sounded good tho! Fix came out to Run This Town by Rihanna. The rematch of 2021 is on. This is Fix's third time to the NCAA finals, he was unsuccessful in both previous instances. RBY won last year, over Fix, in his first appearance in the finals. RBY attacks, inside trip counter from Fix. Oohs and aahs from the crowd but no points. Now a shot by RBY that he converts cleanly. He goes up 2-0. Now 2-1. Fix taking ground and winning the hand fights but RBY still looks relaxed. Period ends still 2-1.

2nd period: Fix starts underneath. Mat return, another stand attempt, and Fix is out, RT at 0:38. Go behind counter from Fix came close but a whizzer just in time saved a takedown. Fix drives RBY to the boundary and we stalemate. 30 seconds left in the period. Handfighting, no shots. 2-2 going into the third. 

3rd period: RBY takes down. Fix attempts to ride. RBY stands, throws a whizzer/over hook, spins the opposite direction and is out. Nice flurry on the edge, dueling single legs. No scores. Shot by RBY, comes close but Fix fights for a stalemate. Down to the final 30 seconds. They wrestle out of bounds. 16 seconds is all the time left. Fix chases, RBY eludes, and ROman Bravo-Young is a two-time NCAA champion! 

Devastation for Fix as he is now a three-time runnerup. He's got one more crack at it next season. But will RBY return? He's been ambivalent in public statements. Does this title help or hurt the odds he returns? We will wait and see. Until then, Penn State fans can celebrate the victory!

141: #1 Nick Lee, (Penn State) defeats #14 Kizhan Clarke, (North Carolina), 10-3

1st period: Nick Lee runs out to a Blink-182 I recognize but don't remember the name of. Kizhan Clarke's song is one I can't place, but the bass sounds superb here in the arena. Does Nick Lee extinguish Clarke's Cinderella run? We shall soon find out. And we get action right off the whistle! Clarke chases down Lee and scores the first points. Lee is out almost immediately. They mix it up upper body, Lee hooks a leg and goes big. They tumble through the air, Clarke scrambles to his feet and its a non-scoring sequence but the crowd loves it, as they should. Lee is relentless though and scores on the next exchange to take the lead, 3-2. Lee riding with a minute to go in the period when we get a stoppage for blood time. Looks like Nick's blood. Now the blood is no longer a problem and we return to wrestling. Lee gets the ride out.

2nd period: Lee chooses down, sits, goes for a switch and is out. 4-2 with 1:37 of RT. Lee go behind, 6-2. Lee putting on a hellacious ride. Parallel ride but Lee has Clarke flat. That tight waist looks miserable. 3:09 of RT for Lee when the period ends. Clarke wisely chooses neutral for the final period of regulation.

3rd period: Clarke shoots in but Lee sprawls and then hits a go behind for two more. Clarke also got hit for a second stall call in the 2nd so its 9-2 now. Also RT is locked, so it's major decision territory. Lee dominating on top but Clarke not quitting. He gets the escape with 1 second left on the clock to keep things a decision. Like RBY its back to back titles for Nick Lee!

And now I remember the Blink-182 song since they're playing the whole thing on the arena speakers. It's The Rock Show. FYI. Solid tune imo. 

149: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis, (Cornell) defeats #5 Ridge Lovett, (Nebraska), 11-5

1st period: The Black Key's I'm a Lonely Boy ushers Yianni to the stage. A song I can't remember ever hearing before (but sounds cool!) plays as Lovett climbs the stage's steps. This was a wild one at CKLV, much closer than people expected. Yianni going for title #3 and hasn't lost since December 2017. Yianni reaches for a single. Keeps fighting through Lovett's defenses and scores the first takedown. Nice horseshoe wipe. Lovett immediately out. First takedowns won 125 and 133, though Clarke has the first TD at 141. In the close bouts though, first TD mattered a lot. Short time down block go behind for Yianni and he makes it 4-1 as we head to the second.

2nd period: Yianni underneath. This is a position where Lovett could gain some ground. Theoretically anyway, as Yianni is out in about 20 seconds. Now a perfectly timed ankle pick and Yianni collects two more. Not much for riding as Lovett escapes easily. 7-2 with 40 to go in the period. SHot by Yianni, stalemate. Low level double and two more for Yianni. Ultra clean finish. Lovett out before time runs out in the period, 9-3. 

3rd period. Lovett chooses down, Yianni tries to hold him for about a second and then Lovett is out, 9-4. Yianni has super natural timing. He is clairvoyent. He sees the future and times another perfect ankle pick and makes it 11-4. Now 1--5. 1:15 to go, RT not a factor. Yianni offense is the only factor that has mattered much in this bout. They both dance a bit in neutral, which works to Yianni's favor as it chews up clock. And Yianni celebrates as the clock ticks over to zeroes. Diakomihalis is a three-timer with one more year to go! 

Who's stopping Yianni next year? Does Yianni bump up? Maybe he focuses on freestyle? He did take two years off of folkstyle because of the Olympics and covid. We will have to wait and see. Until then, party time in Ithaca!

157: #2 Ryan Deakin, (Northwestern) defeats #4 Quincy Monday, (Princeton), 9-2 

1st period: Need a young person to help me with these walk out songs. Unfamiliar with Quincey's. Deakin runs out to one of the most classic rocks anthems of them all, Thunderstruck, by AC/DC. Monday fires off a double right off the whistle. He is stymied by Deakin. Deakin gets a single leg. Monday whizzers down hard. Monday slaps on a side headlock. Can he slip the leg in as well? He does, just barely, to counter for two. Deakin escapes almost immediately to make it 2-1. Period ends. 

2nd period: Deakin chooses bottom. The Wildcat is out almost immediately. Blast double that has Deakin desperately sprawling and he just manages to avoid a takedown. Looked like Quincy's brother Kennedy in the background jumped up in anticipation of that potential score. Deakin back in on a single, Monday clamps down same as before. This time it's stalemated. Another shot by Deakin, sprawl stops him. Another shot by Deakin, stall warning on Monday. Shot by Monday, Deakin scrambles. Time expires in the scramble. Still 2-2.

3rd period: Monday chooses neutral. Deakin shoots in deep. Monday lounges over the back. They're scrambling. Deakin has Monday in neutral danger. Ref slow to count but there is the two. Deakin leads 4-2. Monday doesn't belly out. Deakin keeps him in danger. Nearfall swipes coming. Monday finally bellies out but Deakin gets four more. It's 8-2 and Deakin is on top. Monday looks spent. Deakin rides out the match and redemption for Ryan Deakin!

Coming back for a super senior season pays off and Northwestern earns another title!

Also might have to enlist Gilpin full-time as my walk-out music spotter. 

165 #2 Keegan O'Toole, (Missouri) defeats #3 Shane Griffith (Stanford), 6-5

1st period: Shane walks out to a song I don't recognize but it definitely has a lot of bop to it. Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue is Keegan's headbanging track. One minute in and we got some half shots and collar ties. Griffith a low shot about 90 seconds in. Brief scramble and Griffith comes out on top, 2-0 lead for Shane. Griffith rides for 30 before O'Toole escapes. O'Toole with an under hook. Hooks a leg and starts working his way over Griffith's hips. Runs out of time to complete the sequence. 

2nd period: O'Toole underneath. He's out in about 15 seconds. 2-2 is the score. Sneaky slide by and Griffith is behind the arms with a leg and he collects two more. Stalemate when it looked like O'Toole was out and the fans boo. RT over a minute. Keegan starts scrambling from underneath and pops out behind Griffith for a reversal. He rides the RT clock under a minute. 4-4 with 11 seconds left in the period. No change. 

3rd period: Griffith chooses neutral. Tie ballgame, RT not a factor. Flurry at the boundary. Keegan has a single leg, he drags Shane back toward the center and pounces for two. Clutch takedown. Keegan trying for the rideout but that's a lot of time and Griffith gets out with a little over 30 seconds to go. O'Toole tries a slide by but they go out of bounds. It was close though and Coach Brian Smith of Mizzou will challenge. The no call is confirmed. Neutral with 30 seconds to go. Griffith on the attack. O'Toole ties him and and runs down the clock. True sophomore Keegan O'Toole is a national champion for Mizzou!

Great bout. Highly entertaining. Can't say enough good things about either kid. 


174: #1 Carter Starocci, (Penn State) defeats #3 Mekhi Lewis, (Virginia Tech), 5-5

1st period: Need some help on Carter's walk-out song. Mekhi's is Bring Em Out by T.I. This is one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the evening. Two NCAA champs squaring off. Quick single leg by Lewis but Starocci keeps one of the arms from climbing too high and then I then crunches down on a shin whizzer to earn a stalemate. A couple nice exchanges but nothing as close to a score at the first sequence. 0-0 first period. 

2nd period: Starocci takes bottom. He's out in 10 seconds. Lewis chase down Starocci at the boundary and snags both of Carter's legs. Did he drag his toes though? Rule on the mat is no two. VT corner immediately throws the challenge brick. Jared Haught, Jared Frayer and head coach Tony Robie in Mekhi's corner. Call is reversed, two it is! Don't see a lot of overturned calls. Most of the arena save the Penn State contingent cheers. Some good mat returns as neither wrestler slows their pace on the restart. Eventually Starocci fights his way free with the RT clock at 0:41 for Lewis. 2-2 is the score. Nice exchange at the end but no more scores. 

3rd period: Lewis takes bottom. Can Starocci ride him? He's got a hellacious top game. Lewis is out in 15 seconds. 3-2 the score. Riding time not a factor. Shot by Starocci. Good scramble but Starocci too strong and converts the double. 4-3 lead for Starocci with a little over a minute to go. Mekhi is out again with 49 seconds on the clock. 4-4, RT won't be a factor. Will anyone risk it? Or do we go to overtime? Shot by Starocci, defended by Lewis. We go to sudden victory!

Sudden victory: Two minutes on the clock. 90 seconds. One minute. Lewis gets hit for stalling. Good exchange from both wrestlers. Restart. 30 seconds. SHot by Starocci but only 5 seconds to go and its tiebreaker time. 

Tiebreaker 1: Starocci on bottom. He's out in 6 seconds. That's a huge advantage for Starocci. No scores for the rest of the period.

Tiebreaker 2: Lewis takes bottom to try and get out in five seconds. He gets to his feet but Starocci drives him out of bounds and they restart, RT clock at 0, and the odds are very much in Carter's favor now. Mekhi can't escape in the next exchange. He does on the third but now needs a takedown. Starocci eludes him and wins via criteria, by dint of 15 seconds of riding time. 

Carter Starocci is a two-time NCAA champ and the Penn State championship train keeps rolling!

Wow, tough to follow up that 165 bout but I think 174 may have topped it. Superb wrestling all around. 

184: #2 Aaron Brooks, (Penn State) defeats #1 Myles Amine, (Michigan), 5-3

1st period: Whoa baby. Can't wait to see how this rematch of the Big Ten finals goes. It was Amine by a nose last time. Does the Penn State finals streak end here? When was the last loss even? Need to do the research, but no time for that, match started! I missed the walk out songs too! Ankle pick by Brooks, Amine somehow wiggles out of danger. No scores after 90 seconds. Shot by Amine, Brooks reshoots, knee slides thru Amine's defenses and collects two. First score could be big! Brooks puts on a smothering ride. He keeps Amine down for the rest of the period, racking up 1:09 of RT in the process. 

2nd period: Amine takes bottom. We'll see if the fresh start helps. First two stand attempts are thwarted. Brooks refuses to let Amine slip free. He's dropping down to Amine's legs and climbing up at just the right time. After the 6th attempt or so Brooks gets a stall warning as he drives a standing Amine out of bounds. 28 seconds left in the period. Riding time at 2:42 for Brooks. Amine brought down at the edge. He reaches out to touch the stage and gets dinged for stalling. Huge ride out for Brooks. RT is locked before the third starts. 

3rd period: Brooks takes down, Amine tries a mat returns and Brooks switches and reverses Amine. More punishing top work for Brooks. Finally Amine stands and is out with a minute to wrestle. 4-1 but 5-1 with RT. Long scramble that chews up a ton of clock. Amine gets the takedown but it's moot. Aaron Brooks is going to win. Time expires while Brooks is on bottom. Amine rolls off dejectedly. Amine rises to his knees triumphantly. That ride was what made the difference. Aaron Brooks goes back to back and Penn State goes four for four so far!

197: #1 Max Dean, (Penn State) defeats #5 Jacob Warner, (Iowa), 3-2

1st period: Warner kept the Hawkeyes steak of consecutive NCAA finalists going at over 30 years. Dean will try and keep Penn State NCAA finals win streak going at like, maybe a dozen? Gotta check. But again, no time! Alhough two minutes and there's not a lot of action. Three minutes down and mostly handfighting. No scores. 

2nd period: Warner chooses down. Warner stands and is out in 14 seconds. No more scores. We go to the third and final period of the penultimate match of the season. 

3rd period: Dean's turn underneath. He's up and out in 16 seconds. Pretty evenly matched bout so far. Dean in on a shot, he chases Warner down. And there's the two! Very clutch takedown to say the least. Warner escapes with under 10 seconds left in the bout! Max Dean is the fifth NCAA champ for the Penn State National Champions!

Five for Five, the Nittany Lion magic is in full effect here in Detroit. Tremendous efforts by Warner (and Amine, if I didn't say that enough before), but this a night for State College, PA. 

285: #1 Gable Steveson, (Minnesota) defeats #5 Cohlton Schultz, (Arizona State), 6-2

1st period: This is it! None more matched after this one for the 2021-22 season! Here's the man of the hour, walking out to Big Poppa but the Notorious B.I.G. A country song for Schultz. That genre is mostly beyond my ken. Steveson coming out firing. Big takedown on a big man. 2-0 Gable. Escape for Schultz. Gable is announced as an Olympic gold medalist on the PA and the crowd erupts. A double for Steveson but this time Schultz' hips stop him. Low double for Steveson, this time wisely avoiding Cohlton's hips, and it's another takedown for Steveson. 4-1 with a minute of RT. Period ends. 

2nd period: Gable is out to make it 5-1. Schultz putting pressure on and they had an interesting exchange but it ultimately came to nothing. Hand fighting and collar ties for the rest of the period.

3rd period: Schultz takes down. He's out to cut the lead down to three. Final period of Gable's wrestling career? Riding time is at 1:14 in Gable's favor. Schultz will need to get on his offense to have a chance. Schultz can't find his offense, and who can blame him? Steveson wins 6-2. The Olympic Gold medalist is now a two-time NCAA Champion as well!

Gable working the crowd. There's the back flip, and the largest applause of the weekend! 

And Gable takes his shoes off too. Off to WWE. What an impact to make in the sport in such a short period of time. Wonderful stuff. 

Okay that's a wrap. Some trophies to hand out but its time to close up this blog. Quite a weekend. Especially for Penn State! Appreciate everyone following along. You're the most outstanding readers of the tournament imo. Sorry for the typos, will try to do better int he 2022-23 season! Good night!