UNI wrestling: Keckeisen secures fourth All-American nod with three advancing in consolations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Parker Keckeisen made program history on Friday afternoon as the 184-pound wrestler advanced to the semifinal round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Championships, earning his fourth All-American honor in the process.

The first four-time All-American for the Panther program since Ken Gallagher in 1982 and the sixth UNI wrestler to earn four honors, Keckeisen also became Northern Iowa's first-ever four-time Division I All-American, a feat no other Panther wrestler has achieved in the 100-year history of the program. This season also marks the seventh straight year UNI has had at least one All-American performer at the national tournament.

Three other Panthers also went 2-0 in the consolation brackets on Friday, as Cael Happel (141 pounds), Ryder Downey (157 pounds) and Jared Simma (174 pounds) will all have the chance to secure a top-eight finish and earn All-American status tonight with a blood round win.

In the team standings, UNI sits in 13th place with 26.5 points.

UNI WRESTLERS WITH AT LEAST FOUR ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS

6 - Kirk Myers | 1978 (2), 79 (2), 80 (DII), 82 (DI) (Earned both D-I and D-II honors in 1978, 79)
5 - Jim Miller | 1973, 74 (2), 75 (Earned both D-I and D-II honors in 1974, 75)
4 - Parker Keckeisen | 2021, 22, 23, 24 (All D-I)
4 - Ken Gallagher | 1979 (D-II), 80 (D-II), 81 (D-I), 82 (D-1)
4 - Keith Poolman | 1976, 77, 78, 79 (All D-II)
4 - Randy Omvig | 1971, 73, 74, 75 (All D-II)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Keckeisen showed off his offensive skills from the opening whistle with a dominant performance against 25-seed David Key (Navy). Racking up five takedowns in the first two periods, Keckeisen's speed and elusive maneuvers helped him stave off virtually all attacks from Key as he cruised to a 22-6 technical fall over his quarterfinal challenger. The win, his 29th of the season, third bonus-point win of the tournament and 26th bonus-point victory of the season, sets up a semifinal match with 4-seed Trey Munoz (Oregon State) tonight, a rematch of last year's semifinal round in Tulsa that saw Keckeisen win 4-1.

Simma, entering the day as the lowest remaining seed in the championship bracket in any weight class in the tournament, jumped out to a quick 5-0 advantage with a takedown and two-point nearfall against 4-seed Shane Griffith (Michigan). Despite riding Griffith well for much of the match, Simma's opponent turned the tables and scored on a reversal and takedown of his own to tie the match and ultimately take the lead for an 8-7 win over Simma despite the Panther controlling riding time. Simma drops to the consolation bracket but still has the chance to earn All-American honors with a win tonight, facing off against the winner of 10-seed Nick Incontrera (Penn) and 18-seed Benjamin Pasiuk (Army).

Looking to stay alive in the consolation bracket, Happel jumped out to an early lead against 8-seed Sergio Lemley (Michigan), building a 10-2 lead into the second period. Riding out his opponent for much of the bout, Happel scored his fourth takedown of the match in the final 25 seconds and added riding time for a 14-5 major decision and his ninth career win over a top-ten challenger. Seeking a spot in the blood round, Happel overcame a scoreless first period with an escape to begin the second frame against 18-seed Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), followed by a takedown for a 4-0 lead. Staving off an aggressive attack, Happel would hold on for a 4-2 win and advance to Friday night's session, where he will face 3-seed Real Woods (Iowa).

Downey posted an impressive day in the 157-pound consolation bracket with a pair of bonus-point victories, beginning against 22-seed DJ McGee (George Mason). Grabbing the lead with a takedown in the final seconds of the opening period, Downey extended his lead with four nearfall points and escape and another takedown as part of a 15-0 technical fall. Facing off with 13-seed Michael Blockhus (Minnesota), Downey set the tone early with a 6-2 advantage on his Big Ten challenger, staying aggressive and rolling to an 11-3 major decision. Downey will take on 10-seed Jared Franek (Iowa) in the blood round tonight with a chance to earn All-American honors with a win.

Voelker would split his two matches on the second day of competition, besting 20-seed Evan Bockman (Utah Valley) in a Big 12 Championship second round rematch. After a scoreless first frame, Voelker escaped and rode out Bockman to flip riding time in his favor before holding off his opponent late for a 3-2 victory. Fifth-seeded Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) would take advantage of Voelker after a scoreless first period with three takedowns in the final four minutes, handing the redshirt freshman Panther an 11-2 major decision loss. Voelker finishes the season with a 19-9 record.

The fourth session of this year's national championships will begin on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT with semifinal round and consolation matches. Fans can catch all the action on the networks of ESPN with links to all matches on UNI's NCAA Championship Hub.

UNI RESULTS (THROUGH SESSION 3)

[Seed] (NCAA Coaches rank) #Intermat/FloWrestling ranking listed

133 | [19] (19) #25/25 Julian Farber (0-2) | DNP

L - [15] (15) #10/10 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), 5-1
L - [32] Cayden Rooks (Indiana), Inj. def. 3:17

141 | [7] (6) #6/6 Cael Happel (3-1)

L - [26] (27) #24/22 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota), 8-5 SV-1
W - [10] (8) #10/11 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State), 4-2
W - [8] (10) #7/7 Sergio Lemley (Michigan), 14-5 MD
W - [18] (14) #13/9 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 4-2

157 | [5] (4) #4/4 Ryder Downey (3-1)

W - [28] (31) #29/28 Jared Hill (Oklahoma), 4-1
L - [12] #10/11 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), 9-6
W - [22] (23) #25/26 DJ McGee (George Mason), 15-0 TF [7:00]
W - [13] (3) #5/5 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota), 11-3 MD

165 | [33] Jack Thomsen (1-2) | DNP

W - [32] (31) #33/27 Jake Logan (Lehigh), 14-3 MD
L - [1] (1) #1/1 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri), Fall 2:55
L - [23] #19/23 Tyler Lillard (Indiana), Fall 7:43

174 | [28] (30) #29/25 Jared Simma (2-1)

W - [5] (5) #12/9 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard), 7-0
W - [21] (23) #19/19 Tyler Eischens (North Carolina), 6-4
L - [4] (3) #3/3 Shane Griffith (Michigan), 8-7

184 | [1] (1) #1/1 Parker Keckeisen (3-0)

W - [32] #26/31 Anthony D'Alesio (Long Island), 10-0 MD
W - [17] (10) #12/10 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State), 19-4 TF [6:52]
W - [25] #23/26 David Key (Navy), 22-6 TF [6:21]

197 | [19] (22) #21/19 Wyatt Voelker (2-2) | DNP

L - [14] (17) #20/21 John Poznanski (Rutgers), 4-2
W - [30] (28) #30/30 Sam Mitchell (Buffalo), 19-3 TF [6:22]
W - [20] (14) #23/24 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley), 3-2
L - [5] (8) #6/5 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), 11-2 MD

TEAM SCORES (TOP-20 THROUGH SESSION 3)

1st - Penn State (86.5)
2nd - Michigan (50.5)
3rd - Arizona State (44.5)
4th - Iowa State (42)
5th - Iowa (41.5)
6th - Ohio State (36)
7th - Virginia Tech (35.5)
8th - NC State (33.5)
T9th - Missouri (33)
T9th - Oklahoma State (33)
11th - Cornell (32.5)
12th - Nebraska (29)
13th - UNI (26.5)
14th - South Dakota State (24)
15th - Stanford (20.5)
16th - Wisconsin (20)
17th - Lehigh (18.5)
18th - Minnesota (17.5)
19th - Air Force (15)
T20th - Oregon State (13.5)
T20th - Rutgers (13.5)

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