Wrestling Big Ten Championships: Deakin Headed to Finals

3/3/2022 5:20:00 PM | Wrestling

NORTHWESTERN WRESTLING: BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION
DATE	Session	TIME (CT)	Watch	Live Stats
Saturday, March 5	Session I (First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks)	10 am	Big Ten Network/B1G+	Results
Saturday, March 5	Session II (Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks)	5:30 pm	B1G+	Results
Saturday, March 5	Session II (Semifinals)	7:30 pm	Big Ten Network	Results
Sunday, March 6	Session III (Consolation Semifinals, 7th-Place Matches)	11 am	B1G+	Live Stats
Sunday, March 6	Session IV (1st-, 3rd- and 5th-Place Matches)	3:30 pm	Big Ten Network B1G+ (3rd/5th place)	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NUWrestle \| Instagram: @NUWrestle

SESSION TWO SUMMARY:
Seven Northwestern wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Tournament on Day One of the Big Ten Championships, headlined by Ryan Deakin qualifying for his third-straight Big Ten title. Deakin will wrestle for a Big Ten Championship on Sunday at 3:30 pm CT on Big Ten Network.

Deakin locked up a berth in the 157 lb finals with a 5-3 decision over Nebraska's Peyton Robb. He will face No. 3 seed Will Lewan of Michigan. It marks the third-ever meeting between Deakin and Lewan, with Deakin coming out on top in both previous meetings during his undefeated 2020 campaign.

Additionally, six other Wildcat wrestlers secured their spot in the NCAA Championships, taking place March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Michael DeAugustino, Chris Cannon, David Ferrante, Troy Fisher, Lucas Davison, Jack Jessen and Deakin all punched their tickets and will be in action tomorrow as they look to climb the final podium. Session Three wrestlebacks kick off at 11 am, live on B1G+.

SESSION ONE SUMMARY:
Northwestern saw seven wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals in Saturday's first session at Pinnacle Bank Arena, headlined by a pair of clutch third period takedowns in the final second by Michael DeAugustino and Troy Fisher to defeat Illinois wrestlers Justin Cardani and DJ Shannon. Both Yahya Thomas (14-6 maj. dec.) and Lucas Davison (15-0 tech fall) earned bonus points in their round one victories.

TROY FISHER! What a finish at 174!

He beats the buzzer with a last-second takedown to lock up a 4-3 decision over DJ Shannon (Illinois) and punch his ticket to the quarterfinals!#GoCats | #B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/tU5QuCZOQK
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) March 5, 2022

DeAugustino stole the show in the 125 lb quarterfinals, forcing overtime with No. 2 seed Drew Hidebrandt (Penn State) and picking up a dramatic sudden victory takedown to advance to the Big Ten Semifinals taking place tonight. DeAugustino will face off against No. 3 seed Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) in the semis, earlier this season during the program's dual in Madison DeAugustino defeated Barnett by a 9-5 decision.

DeAUGUSTINO. FOR THE WIN.

He takes down No. 2 seed Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) in sudden victory and is headed to tonight's semifinals!#GoCats | #B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/l5Cn2iceId
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) March 5, 2022

After receiving a bye in the first round, No. 1 seed Ryan Deakin announced his presence in the 157 lb. bracket with authority, picking up a second-period pin over Bryce Hepner (Ohio State). Deakin will face off against Nebraska's Peyton Robb in the semifinals, whom Deakin defeated by a 4-2 decision in the program's dual in Evanston earlier this season.

.@RyanDeakinn has entered the chat ??

Second period PIN sends him to tonight's semis! #GoCats | #B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/Q6Jz8B7o1C
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) March 5, 2022

Session Two kicks off at 5:30 pm CT with wrestleback action starting back up live on B1G+. The semifinal matches will air live on Big Ten Network beginning at 7:30 pm CT.

Full results below:
125
Champ. Round 1 - Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) won by decision over Justin Cardani (Illinois) (Dec 3-1)
Quarterfinal - Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) won in sudden victory over Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) (SV-1 5-3)
Semifinal - Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) won by decision over Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) (Dec 3-0)

133
Champ. Round 1 - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) won by decision over Dominick Serrano (Nebraska) (Dec 7-3)
Quarterfinal - Austin DeSanto (Iowa) won by decision over Chris Cannon (Northwestern) (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) won by decision over Joe Olivieri (Rutgers) (Dec 4-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) won by major decision over Jake Gliva (Minnesota) (MD 9-0)

141
Champ. Round 1 - Dylan D`Emilio (Ohio State) won by decision over Frankie Tal Shahar (Northwestern) (Dec 7-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Frankie Tal Shahar (Northwestern) received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Frankie Tal Shahar (Northwestern) won by decision over Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) (Dec 5-0)
Cons. Round 3 - Stevan Micic (Michigan) won by decision over Frankie Tal Shahar (Northwestern) (Dec 4-3)

149
Champ. Round 1 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) won by major decision over Michael North (Maryland) (MD 14-6)
Quarterfinal - Max Murin (Iowa) won by decision over Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) (Dec 6-5)
Cons. Round 2 - Kanen Storr (Michigan) won by decision over Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) (Dec 8-7)

157
Champ. Round 1 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) received a bye
Quarterfinal - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) won by fall over Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) (Fall 4:14)
Semifinal - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) won by decision over Peyton Robb (Nebraska) (Dec 5-3)

165
Champ. Round 1 - David Ferrante (Northwestern) won by injury default over Dan Braunagel (Illinois)
Quarterfinal - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) won by tech fall over David Ferrante (Northwestern) (TF-1.5 7:00 (18-3))
Cons. Round 2 - David Ferrante (Northwestern) won by decision over Andrew Clark (Rutgers) (Dec 7-2)
Cons. Round 3 - David Ferrante (Northwestern) won by major decision over Cael Carlson (Minnesota) (MD 12-2)

174
Champ. Round 1 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 13-8 won by decision over DJ Shannon (Illinois) 7-8 (Dec 4-3)
Quarterfinal - Logan Massa (Michigan) won by decision over Troy Fisher (Northwestern) 13-8 (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) won by decision over Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) (Dec 7-4)
Cons. Round 3 - Troy Fisher (Northwestern) won by decision over Connor ONeill (Rutgers) (Dec 7-4)

184
Champ. Round 1 - Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) won by major decision over Jack Jessen (Northwestern) (MD 18-5)
Cons. Round 1 - Layne Malczewski (Michigan State) won by major decision over Jack Jessen (Northwestern) (MD 13-4)

197
Champ. Round 1 - Greg Bulsak (Rutgers) won by decision over Andrew Davison (Northwestern) (Dec 9-2)
Cons. Round 1 - Andrew Davison (Northwestern) received a bye
Cons. Round 2 - Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State) won by decision over Andrew Davison (Northwestern) (Dec 5-2)

285
Champ. Round 1 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) won by tech fall over Boone McDermott (Rutgers) (TF-1.5 5:27 (16-0))
Quarterfinal - Mason Parris (Michigan) won by decision over Lucas Davison (Northwestern) (Dec 7-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) won by decision over Michael Woulfe (Purdue) (Dec 9-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Lucas Davison (Northwestern) won by fall over Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) (Fall 0:46)

---

LINCOLN, Neb. – Postseason wrestling is back. Northwestern wrestling heads to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend for the Big Ten Championships.

10 Wildcat wrestlers will look to punch their ticket in the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships, taking place March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

For a program that frequently emphasizes the importance of postseason wrestling, Northwestern is certainly peaking at the right time. The Wildcats closed the regular season on a five-dual winning streak–with wins over #23 Illinois, Maryland, #14 Michigan State, Northern Illinois and #15 Purdue. It marks the Wildcats' longest winning streak since 2017, and the first time the 'Cats have won four-consecutive Big Ten duals in the last 30 years.

Head coach Matt Storniolo brings a balanced and dangerous lineup to Big Tens in his sixth season at the helm of Chicago's Big Ten Team, including five returning All-Americans. Annually considered the most-competitive wrestling conference in the country, Storniolo's group has finished in the top-half of the conference standings in each of the last two Big Ten Tournaments (7th place in 2021, 6th place in 2020). In the latest NWCA Coaches poll, the Big Ten currently boasted 11 teams in the Top-25, five teams in the Top-10 and each of the Top-3 programs in the country.

Big Ten Network will be providing linear coverage of each of every championship-round session (quarterfinals, semifinals, finals) throughout the weekend, while every match on every mat can be streamed live on B1G+.

Pre-seeds for the tournament were announced by the conference on Monday and can be found below for each Wildcat wrestler taking the mat in Lincoln, along with the qualifying spot needed to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships:

All eyes on Lincoln ??

?? #B1GWrestle Championships
?? March 5-6
?? Pinnacle Bank Arena
?? @BigTenNetwork #GoCats | @B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/y9xEDEIwbT
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) March 4, 2022

Northwestern Lineup (Sorted by Seed)

157 lbs - Ryan Deakin (No. 1 Seed): Earning a No. 1 seed for the third-straight Big Ten Championships, Deakin enters the Big Ten Championships as dangerous as ever, boasting a perfect 10-0 record on the season with his two most recent wins coming via a first-period pin over No. 4 seed Kendall Coleman (Purdue) and a second-period pin oveer No. 6 seed Chase Saldate (Michigan State). A two-time Big Ten Champion already, Deakin is looking to become just the third Northwestern wrestler to ever win three Big Ten titles, joining Wesley Brown (1931-33) and Jake Herbert (2006-07, 09). With a title, Deakin would also become just the second Big Ten Wrestler ever (and first in 65 years) to be a three-time Big Ten champion in the 157 lb weight class.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 4 (1st in 2020-21, 5th in 2019, 6th in 2018)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-7 finish

149 lbs - Yahya Thomas (No. 5 seed): Thomas enters Big Tens ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 5 in the Big Ten with a 12-4 record on the year. No matter the competition, Thomas is known to keep matches close (each of his four losses this year have come by two points or fewer), but he is currently riding a five-match winning-streak to close out the regular season. Thomas is a reigning All-American, having placed third in the 149 lb weight class at last season's NCAA Championships as an at-large #25 seed with five wins over the Top-10 seeds in his weight class.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 2 (8th in 2021, DNP in 2020)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-7 finish

285 lbs - Lucas Davison (No. 5 seed): In his redshirt junior season, Davison has taken the conference by storm in a brand new weight class for him. He wrestled the past two seasons at 197 lbs (placing 5th in the Big Ten in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21). The 197lb slot in the NU lineup is now occupied by his older brother, Andrew; but with an 18-4 record on the year (8-3 vs. Big Ten opponents) and a No. 10 ranking nationally, Lucas has had plenty of success in the heavyweight division. Davison won six-straight matches to close out the regular season, including three-straight by technical fall vs. Maryland, Michigan State to close out NU's conference dual slate. Since the start of the new year, Davison's only losses have come to the Top-2 seeds in his weight class: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) and No. 2 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa).
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 2 (5th in 2020-21)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-9 finish

125 lbs - Michael DeAugustino (No. 7 seed): Making his third appearance at the Big Ten Championships, DeAugustino is no stranger to the 125 lb divison. As a redshirt first-year in 2020, he captured a third place finish at Big Tens and followed that up with a fifth-place finish in 2021. He is currently ranked 13th in his weight class nationally, with wins in five of his last six matches to close out the regular season.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 2 (3rd in 2020, 5th in 2021)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-10 finish

133 lbs - Chris Cannon (No. 7 seed): Cannon makes his second appearance at the Big Ten Championships after an impressive debut in his rookie season. In last year's championships, Cannon finished fourth with a 3-2 record while making an appearance in the 133 lb semifinals. His only losses at the championships came to Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) and Lucas Byrd (Illinois), the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in this year's, respectively. Cannon's strong postseason wrestling didn't stop there, as he ultimately finished 7th at the 2021 NCAA Championships on his way to securing All-American honors.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 1 (4th in 2021)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-10 finish

174 lbs - Troy Fisher (No. 7 seed): Fisher earns a Top-7 seed at Big Tens after posting a 13-7 record on the year and a 6-3 record vs. Big Ten opponents. Earlier this season, Fisher went 4-0 and placed first in the 174 lb bracket at the 2021 Michigan State Open. He continued that strong tournament wrestling with a 5th place finish at the 2021 CKLV Invitational.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 1 (DNP in 2021)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-8 finish

197 lbs - Andrew Davison (No. 10 seed): In his first season wrestling at Northwestern after transferring from Michigan, Davison will make his first appearance in the Big Ten Championships. Davison has a 10-7 record on the season, including a 6-5 record against Big Ten opponents.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: First-ever appearance
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-11 finish

141 lbs - Frankie Tal-Shahar (No. 10 seed): Tal-Shahar makes his Big Ten Championships debut following an impressive second half to his season. The Del Ray Beach, Florida native enters Lincoln with a 9-6 record and is riding a career-best four match winning streak.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: First-ever appearance
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-7 finish

165 lbs - David Ferrante (No. 11 seed): After qualifying for the NCAA Championships in his rookie season, Ferrante returns to the Big Ten Championships as a No. 11 seed in his class. Last year, he posted a 3-2 record at the Big Ten Championships, going 3-2 en route to a 7th place finish.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 1 (7th in 2021)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-7 finish

184 lbs - Jack Jessen (No. 14 seed): Jessen makes his second appearance at the Big Ten Championships after going 1-3 wrestling at 184 lbs at 2020 Big Tens.
Previous Big Ten Championship Appearances: 1 (DNP in 2020)
NCAA Auto-Qualifier Target Spot: Top-12 finish

*All rankings via Intermat