UNI Wrestling: Parker Keckeisen secures second All-America honor

UNI wrestling at 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Little Caesars Arena (20,491) | Detroit, Michigan
March 17-19

Session 1 attendance: 17,207
Session 2 attendance: 17,433
Session 3 attendance: 17,497
Session 4 attendance: 17,592

March 19 (CT):

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. medal round - 4 mats (ESPNU)
6-9 p.m. championship (ESPN)

DETROIT, Mich. - UNI wrestling's Parker Keckeisen became the 35th Panther to earn two more Division I All-America honors at a contested NCAA championship.

With two wins in the last session on Friday, he will compete for a chance at third place Saturday morning.

"Parker leads the way for our team in just how he trains, how he lives, how he goes about things," said head coach Doug Schwab. "Those weren't perfect matches by any means, but he got his hand raised twice and he's in the top six in the country."

Keckeisen secured his podium spot in the 184-pound weight class by knocking off All-American Taylor Venz of Nebraska in a come-from-behind decision. Keckeisen had two escapes, but trailed 4-2 after the first period.

He earned an escape and notched a takedown of his own and whittled away much of Venz's riding time in the second period. Keckeisen completely erased his riding time in the third period and sealed the win with a takedown to win, 7-5.

"That blood round match, that was not my best performance ever," Keckeisen said. "I think a lot of weight came off my shoulders. It's not a fun round. Then a lot of fun came out. I was listening to music in the back and wanted to go out and have fun."

Keckeisen came out firing in his match against Cornell's Jonathan Loew. He struck first with a takedown and gave up an escape to lead 2-1 after the first period. A second-period takedown and reversal put Keckeisen up 4-2 after the second period. A final escape and riding time secured the 7-6 decision.

Keckeisen competes tomorrow at 10 a.m. for a chance to compete for third place. He will face (3) Trent Hidlay of NC State. The winner advances for the bronze medal match. The loser will compete for fifth place.

The championship round will start at 6 p.m. CT Saturday.

FROM SESSION 3

Keckeisen was bumped into the consolations with a 6-5 loss to All-American No. 5 seed Bernie Truax of Cal Poly. Truax was fourth at 174 pounds last year. Keckeisen was third at 184 pounds in 2021.

Brody Teske avenged two losses to Penn State's Drew Hildebrant at 125 pounds. Hildebrandt sent Teske into the consolations last year in a 6-4 decision that was decided in sudden victory. Teske was eliminated in the next match with a 7-0 loss to Patrick McKee of Minnesota, who ended Teske's championship run last year as well.

Colin Realbuto, seeded No. 20 at 149 pounds, knocked off No. 14 seed Josh Finesilver of Duke in an 8-4 decision before No. 6 seed Jonathan Millner of Appalachian State eliminated Realbuto with a 4-0 decision.

Austin Yant, who earned a No. 15 seed at 165 pounds, also opened with his third win of the season over No. 16 Luke Weber of North Dakota State, but wasn't able to get the win over Philip Conigliaro of Harvard.

At 174 pounds, Lance Runyon also opened the day with a win, beating No. 17 seed Nick Incontrera of Penn, 8-2. He slipped from the grasp of No. 8 seed Mickey O'Malley of Drexel once, but O'Malley got the fall in 3 minutes, 33 seconds.

Kyle Biscoglia was the first Panther to be eliminated with a 3-1 loss to the 133-pound Pac-12 runner-up Chance Rich of CSU Bakersfield.

RESULTS (seed) #NCAA rank

184 | (4) #4 Parker Keckeisen

W - (29) Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) 13-4 MD
W - (13) Kyle Cochran (Maryland) 9-3
L - (5) Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) 6-5
W - (10) Taylor Venz (Nebraska) 7-5
W - (11) Jonathan Loew (Cornell) 7-6
Next - (3) Trent Hidlay (NC State)

FROM EARLIER TODAY
125 | (15) #14 Brody Teske - DNP

W - (18) Noah Surtin (Missouri) 5-3
L - (2) Vito Arujau (Cornell) 9-3
W - (16) Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) 8-4
L - Patrick McKee (Minnesota) 7-0

133 | (14) #16 Kyle Biscoglia - DNP

W - (19) Brayden Palmer (Chattanooga Tennessee) 2:35 F
L - (3) Michael McGee (Arizona State) 10-4
L - (20) Chance Rich (CSUB) 3-1

149 | (20) #22 Colin Realbuto - DNP

L - (13) Beau Bartlett (Penn State) 5-4
W - (29) John Arceri (Buffalo) 2:16 F
W - (14) Josh Finesilver (Duke) 8-4
L - (6) Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State) 4-0

165 | (15) #12 Austin Yant - DNP

L - (18) Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) 6-3
W - (31) Caleb Fish (Michigan State) 6-2
W - Luke Weber (North Dakota State) 3-2
L - (8) Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) 7-2

174 | (18) #22 Lance Runyon - DNP

W - (15) Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) 4:14 F
L - (2) Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 8-5
W - (17) Nick Incontrera (Penn) 8-2
L - (8) Mickey O'Malley (Drexel) 3:33 F

TEAM SCORES

1. Penn State 108
2. Michigan 84.5
3. Arizona State 63.5
4. Iowa 62
5. Nebraska 54
6. Northwestern 49
7. Virginia Tech 48
8. Cornell 45
9. Missouri 42
9. Ohio State 42
20. UNI 24

PANTHER NOTES

Schwab took over the UNI wrestling program in the 2011 season. The highest finish for the Panthers under his helm was in 2019 with a 13th-place finish and six qualifiers.

The Panthers are on a four-tournament streak of having at least one All-American. It's the 14th-longest streak in the nation.

The Panthers qualified eight wrestlers, the most since UNI sent nine in 2008. UNI head coach Doug Schwab has taken seven qualifiers from 2020, 2017 and 2014.

Schwab at NCAAs:

2011: T41st - 4 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2012: 34th - 5 qualifiers / 0 All-Americans
2013: T15th - 4 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans
2014: 15th - 7 qualifiers / 3 All-American
2015: 34th - 4 qualifiers / 0 All-Americans
2016: 25th - 5 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2017: 18th - 7 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans
2018: T24th - 6 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2019: T13 - 6 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2020: N/A - 7 qualifiers / 5 All-Americans *
2021: 19th - 6 qualifiers / 1 All-American

* no tournament / seeded wrestlers earned All-America titles

Team scores under Schwab:

2021: 24.5 - 19th
2019: 40.5 points - 14th
2018: 20 points – T24th
2017: 25.5 points – 18th
2016: 17.5 points – T25th
2015: 9 points – 34th
2014: 40 points – 15th
2013: 34 points – T15th
2012: 12 points – 34th
2011: 5.5 points – 46th

FROM FIRST DAY

157 | (33) Derek Holschlag - DNP

W - (32) Jordan Slivka (Ohio) 10-4
L - (1) David Carr (Iowa State) 21-6 TF (7:00)
L - (16) Brady Berge (Penn State) 15-7 MD

285 | (33) #33 Tyrell Gordon - DNP

W - (32) Matt Cover (Princeton) 4-2
L - (1) Gable Steveson (Minnesota) 25-10 TF (6:09)
L - (17) Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) 8-0 MD

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