All American Alex Meyer in action at the 2016 NCAA Championships
Hawkeye All-American Alex Meyer defeated teammate Burke Paddock by a 13-2 tech fall to win the title at 176 lbs. For the tournament, Meyer won four matches by Tech Fall, one by Fall, and another by DQ. Paddock had a very impressive tournament that saw him reach the finals with an impressive 15-4 Tech Fall over Geno Morelli of Penn State.
At 154 lbs, Brandon Sorensen lost two matches to Adam Hall in the best of three finals, both by Tech Fall. Hall graduated in 2011 and apparently was still eligible for the University Nationals. Still a solid tournament for Sorensen.
Sammy Brooks dropped two matches by Tech Fall to Morgan McIntosh of Penn State in the finals at 189 lbs. McIntosh was an NCAA Runner-Up at 197 this past season. Brooks reached the finals by winning all five of his matches by Tech Fall.
True freshman Michael Kemerer placed third at 154lbs. His only setback on the tournament was a 4-1 loss to teammate Brandon Sorensen in the semis. Kemerer had four Tech Falls, one Fall, and one decision that included a Tech Fall over Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State who placed fourth at 149 lbs. this past March.
Phillip Laux placed sixth at 134lbs. with a 5-3 record that included four tech falls. True freshman Cash Wilke placed eighth at 189 lbs with a 4-2 record for the tournament.
Overall, I thought this was a good showing for the Hawkeye wrestlers. The hype of Kemerer will only grow after his showing at this tournament with the big win over Collica, and it should. This kid is really good. I was also impressed with Paddock reaching the finals with a quality win over Geno Morelli that was a National Qualifier at 165lbs. this year for Penn State.
It will be interesting to see where all of these wrestlers end up competing at next season. Meyer and Brooks are already penciled in. I must admit, I was wondering who would win between Sorensen and Kemerer. The results show how good Kemerer is. They will both definitely be in the lineup, it is just a matter of where. The emergence of Burke Paddock in this tournament also thickens the plot about where he will end up next season. Can Paddock still make 165 and be effective? Time will tell. Us fans have too much time on our hands to go over the lineup possibilities.
