The University of Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling team welcomed the Ohio State Buckeyes to Carver Hawkeye Arena with a near dominant win.  Outside of a couple questionable calls in the 149 match-- Iowa wrestled extremely well.

The dual started at 165 pounds, and Iowa opened with decisions from Alex Marinelli, Michael Kemerer, and Abe Assad. Marinelli used six takedowns to win, 14-10, at 165. Kemerer used two takedowns and two minutes, 50 seconds of riding time to earn a top 10 win at 174. Assad put the 13th largest crowd in Carver history (13,405) on its feet with a deciding takedown in the final minute at 184.

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Iowa took a 12-3 lead going into the break.  Spencer Lee (125) and Austin DeSanto (133) came out of the tunnel with bottle rockets strapped to their motor.

Spencer Lee scored a 1st period technical fall victory over Buckeyes Junior Hunter Lucas. Lee has outscored his opponents 85-1 in the first period in his last 5 matches.

Despite giving up the first take down of the match to OSU's Decatur, Austin DeSanto put on a takedown clinic for the rest of the match. The #2 ranked 133 pounder scored 12 takedowns before the match ended in a 27-12 technical fall victory.

"Leaner. Meaner. And hungry like the wolf," said DeSanto said of his recent performance.

“He is awesome. I told him that is how it’s done,” said Iowa coach Tom Brands. “You want a definition of how to wrestled a dominating wrestling match. That is how it’s done. Twenty-seven points.”

The only real blemish on the Hawkeyes night was at 149 where Iowa's #1 ranked Pat Lugo lost in overtime 2-1 to the Buckeyes #6 Sammy Sasso.

Although Brands thought a couple of calls were questionable in the Lugo-Sasso match, the Iowa Hawkeye head wrestling coach said that, "maybe I should 'chill out' a bit. Be a little more political. I'm ready to take on the world right now and I just need to chill out". Brands, and the Carver crowd, thought Lugo had a takedown on a near cradle in overtime.  Also in overtime, the referee signaled "locked hands" and then waved it off.

#1 IOWA 24, #4 Ohio State 10
165 -- #2 Alex Marinelli (IA) dec. #13 Ethan Smith (OSU), 14-10; 3-0
174 -- #2 Michael Kemerer (IA) dec. #8 Kaleb Romero (OSU), 7-1; 6-0
184 -- #7 Abe Assad (IA) dec. #22 Rocky Jordan (OSU), 3-1; 9-0
197 -- #1 Kollin Moore (OSU) dec. Cash Wilcke (IA), 8-3; 9-3
285 -- #3 Tony Cassioppi (IA) dec. #24 Gary Traub (OSU), 9-3; 11-3*
125 -- #1 Spencer Lee (IA) tech. fall #28 Malik Heinselman (OSU), 18-0; 16-3
133 -- #2 Austin DeSanto (IA) tech. fall 18 Jordan Decatur (OSU), 27-12; 21-3
141 -- #1 Luke Pletcher (OSU) major dec. Carter Happel (IA), 14-5; 21-7
149 -- #6 Sammy Sasso (OSU) dec. #1 Pat Lugo (IA), 2-1 TB1; 21-10
157 -- #6 Kaleb Young (IA) dec. #32 Elijah Cleary (OSU), 4-1; 24-10
*Iowa was deducted one team point for control of the mat following the 285-pound match

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