Northwestern University Athletics
Deakin Advances to Finals at Big Ten Championships
3/6/2021 9:46:00 PM | Wrestling
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – For the second-straight year, Ryan Deakin will wrestle for a Big Ten championship at 157 lbs after two decisive victories at Day One of the Big Ten Championships on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The unanimous No. 1 wrestler in his class, Deakin earned an 8-0 major decision over Ohio State's Elijah Cleary in the afternoon before making a statement in the evening with a 14-1 major decision over Purdue's Kendall Coleman, last year's runner-up in the class, to advance to the finals. Deakin has now outscored Coleman, currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, by a 35-3 margin over the two's last three meetings dating back to last season.
Deakin will face off against the No. 2 seed, Iowa's Kaleb Young in the finals on Big Ten Network beginning at 3 pm CT.
In addition to Deakin, five Wildcats (Michael DeAugustino, Chris Cannon, Colin Valdiviez, David Ferrante and Lucas Davison) earned automatic qualifiers for the 2021 NCAA Championships.
After suffering a defeat in his first match of the day, DeAugustino responded with two wins over Nebraska's Liam Cronin (4-1 decision) and Minnesota's Patrick McKees (6-3 decision) to advance in the consolation ladder in the 125 lb division and qualify for NCAA's for a second-straight season. At 141 lbs, Colin Valdiviez followed a similar path in the consolation ladder with two major decisions over Michigan State's Matt Santos and Indiana's Cayden Rooks before taking a dramatic 2-0 decision over Michigan's Drew Mattin to punch his ticket to NCAA's.
Wrestling in his first Big Ten Championships, Cannon quickly put the rest of the conference on notice with a first period fall over Maryland's Jackson Cockrell followed by a 19-6 major decision over Indiana's Kyle Luigs. Wrestling in the evening semifinals, Cannon dropped an 8-3 decision to the No. 1 seed Roman Bravo-Young in a match that came down to the final minute.
At 165 lbs, David Ferrante continued an impressive true first-year campaign by punching his ticket to NCAA's with a 15-6 major decision over Maryland's Jonathan Spadafora in the consolation ladder of tonight's evening session. Ferrante also claimed a 7-6 decision over Rutgers' Brett Donner in the afternoon and sits at 2-2 in his first-ever appearance at the Big Ten Championships.
No. 12 Lucas Davison responed in tonight's consolation ladder as well with a 14-5 major decision over Minnesota's Garrett Joles, followed by a 7-4 decision over Rutgers' Billy Janzer to qualify for a spot at the NCAA Championships for a second-straight season.
The Wildcats return to the mat tomorrow beginning at 11 am CT for Session Three, which includes consolation semifinals and 7th-place matches. Session Four begins at 3 pm, headlined by the 1st, 3rd and 5th place matches.
Check back at NUSports.com for full, match-by-match results following tomorrow's sessions.
The unanimous No. 1 wrestler in his class, Deakin earned an 8-0 major decision over Ohio State's Elijah Cleary in the afternoon before making a statement in the evening with a 14-1 major decision over Purdue's Kendall Coleman, last year's runner-up in the class, to advance to the finals. Deakin has now outscored Coleman, currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, by a 35-3 margin over the two's last three meetings dating back to last season.
Deakin will face off against the No. 2 seed, Iowa's Kaleb Young in the finals on Big Ten Network beginning at 3 pm CT.
In addition to Deakin, five Wildcats (Michael DeAugustino, Chris Cannon, Colin Valdiviez, David Ferrante and Lucas Davison) earned automatic qualifiers for the 2021 NCAA Championships.
After suffering a defeat in his first match of the day, DeAugustino responded with two wins over Nebraska's Liam Cronin (4-1 decision) and Minnesota's Patrick McKees (6-3 decision) to advance in the consolation ladder in the 125 lb division and qualify for NCAA's for a second-straight season. At 141 lbs, Colin Valdiviez followed a similar path in the consolation ladder with two major decisions over Michigan State's Matt Santos and Indiana's Cayden Rooks before taking a dramatic 2-0 decision over Michigan's Drew Mattin to punch his ticket to NCAA's.
Wrestling in his first Big Ten Championships, Cannon quickly put the rest of the conference on notice with a first period fall over Maryland's Jackson Cockrell followed by a 19-6 major decision over Indiana's Kyle Luigs. Wrestling in the evening semifinals, Cannon dropped an 8-3 decision to the No. 1 seed Roman Bravo-Young in a match that came down to the final minute.
At 165 lbs, David Ferrante continued an impressive true first-year campaign by punching his ticket to NCAA's with a 15-6 major decision over Maryland's Jonathan Spadafora in the consolation ladder of tonight's evening session. Ferrante also claimed a 7-6 decision over Rutgers' Brett Donner in the afternoon and sits at 2-2 in his first-ever appearance at the Big Ten Championships.
No. 12 Lucas Davison responed in tonight's consolation ladder as well with a 14-5 major decision over Minnesota's Garrett Joles, followed by a 7-4 decision over Rutgers' Billy Janzer to qualify for a spot at the NCAA Championships for a second-straight season.
The Wildcats return to the mat tomorrow beginning at 11 am CT for Session Three, which includes consolation semifinals and 7th-place matches. Session Four begins at 3 pm, headlined by the 1st, 3rd and 5th place matches.
Check back at NUSports.com for full, match-by-match results following tomorrow's sessions.
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