CLEVELAND - Fifth-year senior Nathan Butler went 2-0 to advance to the heavyweight quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships, Thursday, at Quicken Loans Arena.
Butler, who is seeded seventh, scored a late takedown in the overtime period against No. 10 seed Jordan Wood of Lehigh to remain on the championship side of the bracket for the Cardinal. The Leavenworth, Kansas native will meet No. 2 seed Adam Coon of Michigan on Friday morning in his first NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
Sophomore 125-pounder Gabriel Townsell picked up a 9-7 decision over Oklahoma's Christian Moody in the consolation bracket on Thursday night to stay alive in the tournament after falling in his first-round match. Townsell will wrestle Michigan's Drew Mattin on Friday morning.
Paul Fox (157), Keaton Subjeck (174) and Nathan Traxler (197) all won opening round matches, but dropped into the consolation brackets Thursday evening.
Seeded ninth, Subjeck trailed No. 8 seed Jadaen Bernstein of Navy into the third period, where he fought back to tie it 10-10 and send the match into overtime. Subjeck went in on a shot, but Bernstein countered and was able to score two to end it. Subjeck will meet Army's Ben Harvey in the consolation round Friday morning.
Traxler, who upset No. 11 seed Corey Griego of Oregon State in the first round, hung tough with No. 6 seed Willie Miklus of Missouri, but was unable to convert any of his shots. Miklus would hold on for a 2-0 decision. Up next for Traxler is Drexel's Stephen Loiseau, the No. 12 seed at 197 pounds.
Fox, who also scored a win over a seeded wrestler in the first round, was pinned by Iowa's Michael Kemerer late in the second period. Fox will take on Lehigh's Ian Brown on Friday morning.
The quarterfinals and consolation rounds will begin at 8 a.m. PT on Friday. Coverage to be provided on ESPNIU and the WatchESPN app.
Gabriel Townsell, 125 pounds | 1-1
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to (2) Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) | F2:19 |
| dec. Christian Moody (Oklahoma) | 9-7 |
Mason Pengilly, 133 pounds | 0-2
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to (3) Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) | 2-1 |
| lost to Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers) | 8-4 |
Paul Fox, 157 pounds | 1-1
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. (11) Clayton Ream (NDSU) | 4-2 |
| lost to (6) Michael Kemerer (Iowa) | F4:52 |
(9) Keaton Subjeck, 174 pounds | 1-1
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. Devin Skatzka (Indiana) | 8-4 |
| lost to (8) Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) | 12-10 (SV) |
Nathan Traxler, 197 pounds | 1-1
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. (11) Corey Griego (Oregon State) | 9-3 |
| lost to (6) Willie Miklus (Missouri) | 2-0 |
(7) Nathan Butler, 285 pounds | 2-0
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| tech. fall Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) | 15-0 (5:56) |
| dec. (10) Jordan Wood (Lehigh) | 3-1 (SV) |