St. Louis—After a wild morning session, the ISU wrestling team finds itself locked up in a heated four-way battle for the team lead heading into tonight’s semifinals.

The Cyclones sit in second place overall, and are in a tight race with Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska, with each team having multiple semifinalists.

Iowa State’s Jon Reader (165), Jake Varner (197) and David Zabriskie (HWT) earned spots into the final four with their victories in the quarterfinals.

The Buckeye’s of Ohio State and the Nebraska Cornhuskers have the most semifinalists with four each, respectively.

Iowa only has two semifinalists, but the Hawkeyes still could rake in a huge amount of team points by having five individuals still in the consolation bracket.

Bonus points are awarded to individuals placing in the top eight, which is all-American status. By winning and advancing to the semifinals, the lowest any wrestler can finish is sixth place, good enough for a minimum six team points.

A victory in the semifinals advances each wrestler into Saturday night’s championship bout and a minimum 12 team points for a runner-up finish.

A big shift in the team race will be on the line when wrestlers from two of the four teams teams meet up for a spot in the finals. Iowa’s top-ranked Brent Metcalf (149) will go head-to-head with Ohio State’s No. 4 Lance Palmer. Metcalf is undefeated this year and has beaten Palmer in their only two meetings last year.

Team points are scored differently in the championship bracket and wrestlebacks. Advancement in the championship bracket is worth one team point, while advancement in the consolations only gives a team a half a point.

 

Breakdown:

 Ohio State (61.5 points)-The Buckeyes corralled big points in the quarterfinals, and can guarantee themselves a minimum 24 more points, should all four advance to the finals. In the consolation bracket, Ohio State still has a one individual capable of adding to the team total in Colt Sponseller (165). The Buckeye’s are led by two defending national champions in J Jaggers (141) and Mike Pucillo (184), and can put a strangle-hold on the competition with four finalists.

Iowa State (57.5 points)-The Cyclones, with their three semifinalists, can pick up a guaranteed 18 team points, should all three advance to the finals. More intriguing is the battle in the consolation bracket. Iowa State still has Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149) and Cyler Sanderson (157) alive, and with a win by each, would garner at least an eighth-place finish and all-American honors, respectively.

Nebraska (54 points)-The Cornhuskers sit in a favorable position going into the semifinals. Two of their wrestlers, Jordan Burroughs (157) and Craig Brester (197), are the top-ranked individuals in their respective weight class. A minimum 24 points will be added to the team score if all four semifinalists advance. Consolation-wise, Nebraska could be hurt after losing both Stephen Dwyer (165) and Tucker Lane (HWT), which knocked out all of their individuals in wrestlebacks.

Iowa (53.5 points)-Top-ranked Iowa finds itself in a position many didn’t think it would be in at this point in the tournament—fourth place. With defending national champion Brent Metcalf, as well as Ryan Morningstar (165) in the semifinals, the Hawkeyes still have plenty of firepower. Should both advance to the finals, the team would be guaranteed 12 additional points. However, a possible repeat team title rests in the consolation bracket, where the Hawkeye’s have five wrestlers only one win away from all-American status.