B1G Session I: Rivera Advances to Big Ten Championship Semifinals
Mar 05 | Wrestling
LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 3 seed Sebastian Rivera (141) punched his ticket to nationals and advanced to the semifinals after Session I of the 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rivera will face No. 2 seed Jayden Eiermann (Iowa) Saturday night for a chance to advance to Sunday's 141-pound championship bout.
With three sessions to go, all 10 Scarlet Knights remain alive for placement opportunities. Rivera, No. 9 seed Dylan Shawver (125), No. 6 seed Michael VanBrill (149) and No. 7 seed Greg Bulsak (197) all won their opening-round championship bouts Saturday morning. No. 8 seed Joseph Olivieri (133), No. 8 seed Robert Kanniard (157) and No. 7 seed John Poznanski (184) all received first-round byes on the backside of the bracket, while No. 12 seed Andrew Clark, No. 13 seed Connor O'Neill (174) and No. 12 seed Boone McDermott (HWT) won their first-round consolation bouts.
Session I
Rutgers picked up four wins in the first round, as Shawver provided the Scarlet Knights their first victory of the championships with a 7-4 decision over No. 8 seed Patrick McKee (Minnesota). Shawver used two takedowns in the first period, a ride out in the second and 3:30 of riding time to take out the reigning NCAA bronze medalist and advance to the championship quarterfinals. It also marked the second consecutive tournament Shawver upset McKee, as he opened the 2021 Big Ten Championships with a 6-5 decision over the Gopher.
Rivera registered his third fall of the season when he caught No. 14 seed Danny Bertoni (Maryland) on his back midway through the third period in his first-round match. VanBrill followed with a second-period pin against No. 11 seed Kanen Storr (Michigan) to give RU two falls in its first four matches of the day.
Bulsak registered the fourth and final win of the opening round for Rutgers with his 9-2 decision over No. 10 seed Andrew Davison (Northwestern). Trailing 2-1 in the first period, Bulsak landed a takedown at the buzzer to regain the lead and never looked back, as he added takedowns in each of the final two periods to advance.
Shawver opened the quarterfinals with a loss by major decision to No. 1 seed Nick Suriano (Michigan), but Rivera followed with a dominant 15-5 major over 11-seed Parker Filius (Purdue). Up 5-3 in the second period, Rivera added a takedown in the second and seven points in the third to advance to the championship semifinals.
VanBrill wrestled hard in his quarterfinal bout with No. 3 seed Ridge Lovett (Nebraska). VanBrill conceded a takedown in the first period before he rode out Lovett for the duration of period two. However, Lovett was able to hold VanBrill off the scoreboard in the final three minutes.
Bulsak closed out the championship portion of the day with a rematch against No. 2 seed Max Dean and lost by decision, 6-2.
Session I Results
125: (9) Dylan Shawver (1-1)
133: (8) Joseph Olivieri (0-1)
141: (3) Sebastian Rivera (2-0)
149: (6) Michael VanBrill (1-1)
157: (8) Robert Kanniard (0-1)
165: (12) Andrew Clark (1-1)
174: (13) Connor O'Neill (1-1)
184: (7) John Poznanski (0-1)
197: (7) Greg Bulsak (1-1)
HWT: (12) Boone McDermott (1-1)
With three sessions to go, all 10 Scarlet Knights remain alive for placement opportunities. Rivera, No. 9 seed Dylan Shawver (125), No. 6 seed Michael VanBrill (149) and No. 7 seed Greg Bulsak (197) all won their opening-round championship bouts Saturday morning. No. 8 seed Joseph Olivieri (133), No. 8 seed Robert Kanniard (157) and No. 7 seed John Poznanski (184) all received first-round byes on the backside of the bracket, while No. 12 seed Andrew Clark, No. 13 seed Connor O'Neill (174) and No. 12 seed Boone McDermott (HWT) won their first-round consolation bouts.
Session I
Rutgers picked up four wins in the first round, as Shawver provided the Scarlet Knights their first victory of the championships with a 7-4 decision over No. 8 seed Patrick McKee (Minnesota). Shawver used two takedowns in the first period, a ride out in the second and 3:30 of riding time to take out the reigning NCAA bronze medalist and advance to the championship quarterfinals. It also marked the second consecutive tournament Shawver upset McKee, as he opened the 2021 Big Ten Championships with a 6-5 decision over the Gopher.
Rivera registered his third fall of the season when he caught No. 14 seed Danny Bertoni (Maryland) on his back midway through the third period in his first-round match. VanBrill followed with a second-period pin against No. 11 seed Kanen Storr (Michigan) to give RU two falls in its first four matches of the day.
Bulsak registered the fourth and final win of the opening round for Rutgers with his 9-2 decision over No. 10 seed Andrew Davison (Northwestern). Trailing 2-1 in the first period, Bulsak landed a takedown at the buzzer to regain the lead and never looked back, as he added takedowns in each of the final two periods to advance.
Shawver opened the quarterfinals with a loss by major decision to No. 1 seed Nick Suriano (Michigan), but Rivera followed with a dominant 15-5 major over 11-seed Parker Filius (Purdue). Up 5-3 in the second period, Rivera added a takedown in the second and seven points in the third to advance to the championship semifinals.
VanBrill wrestled hard in his quarterfinal bout with No. 3 seed Ridge Lovett (Nebraska). VanBrill conceded a takedown in the first period before he rode out Lovett for the duration of period two. However, Lovett was able to hold VanBrill off the scoreboard in the final three minutes.
Bulsak closed out the championship portion of the day with a rematch against No. 2 seed Max Dean and lost by decision, 6-2.
Session I Results
125: (9) Dylan Shawver (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (8) Patrick McKee (Minnesota) | W-D, 7-4 |
| Quarterfinals | (1) Nick Suriano (Michigan) | L-MD, 18-6 |
| Consolation Round 2 | (10) Justin Cardani (Illinois) |
133: (8) Joseph Olivieri (0-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (9) Matt Ramos (Purdue) | L-D, 7-5 |
| Consolation Round 1 | Bye | |
| Consolation Round 2 | (7) Chris Cannon (Northwestern) |
141: (3) Sebastian Rivera (2-0)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (14) Danny Bertoni (Maryland) | W-Fall (5:32) |
| Quarterfinals | (11) Parker Filius (Purdue) | W-MD, 15-5 |
| Semifinals | (2) Jayden Eiermann (Iowa) |
149: (6) Michael VanBrill (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (11) Kanen Storr (Michigan) | W-Fall (4:26) |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) | L-D, 2-0 |
| Consolation Round 2 | (13) Peyton Omania (Indiana) |
157: (8) Robert Kanniard (0-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (9) Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) | L-D, 10-6 |
| Consolation Round 1 | Bye | |
| Consolation Round 2 | (2) Kaleb Young (Iowa) |
165: (12) Andrew Clark (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (5) Caleb Fish (Michigan State) | L-D, 8-3 |
| Consolation Round 1 | (13) Kasper McIntosh (Indiana) | W-D, 2-0 |
| Consolation Round 2 | (11) David Ferrante (Northwestern) |
174: (13) Connor O'Neill (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (4) Michael Kemerer (Iowa) | L-Fall (2:31) |
| Consolation Round 1 | (12) Nick South (Indiana) | W-SV1, 3-1 |
| Consolation Round 2 | (6) Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) |
184: (7) John Poznanski (0-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (10) Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) | L-D, 8-3 |
| Consolation Round 1 | Bye | |
| Consolation Round 2 | (8) Kyle Cochran (Maryland) |
197: (7) Greg Bulsak (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (10) Andrew Davison (Northwestern) | W-D, 9-2 |
| Quarterfinals | (2) Max Dean (Penn State) | L-D, 6-2 |
| Consolation Second Round | (8) Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) |
HWT: (12) Boone McDermott (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| First Round | (5) Lucas Davison (Northwestern) | L-TF, 15-0 |
| Consolation Round 1 | (13) Brad Wilton (Michigan State) | W-Inj. (0:45) |
| Consolation Round 2 | (6) Christian Lance (Nebraska) |
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