PITTSBURGH — The 2019 NCAA wrestling tournament is just getting started, and already these wrestlers have created enough highlight reels to keep wrestling fans exciting until next year's tournament. Let's take a look at some of the best moments of the national championship so far. We'll keep this updated throughout the tournament, bringing you the latest highlights and top moments during each session.
TRACK LIVE RESULTS:
Jason Nolf pins Ben Anderson in 45 seconds
"Nolf, next topic," has become the saying among college wrestling fans and analysts this year, as the 157-pound defending national champion has shown complete and utter dominance in his final year wearing the Blue and White. He leads the Most Dominant Wrestler rankings and has two more pins than Penn State teammate Bo Nickal. Nolf is the top seed in this year's tournament and seems to be one of the most assured finalists. Anything can happen in these next few rounds of course, but Nolf's highlights from the first night of action only reinforce his elite skill level.
Jason Nolf erupts the faithful here in Pittsburgh after a fall!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
Austin DeSanto pulls down Penn State true freshman Roman Bravo-Young in the scrappiest of matches
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Fiery Iowa sophomore Austin DeSanto fought with his typical rapid pace against Penn State's true freshman favorite Roman Bravo-Young in a battle that went all over the mat...and even off the mat at one point. DeSanto survived to advance to the quarterfinals, and here's just one look at how DeSanto scored against his formidable Penn State opponent.
The Hawkeye faithful explode as Austin DeSanto keeps undefeated through 11 matches!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
Justin Thomas gets things done the Sooner way
Oklahoma Sooner Dom Demas made the highlight reel after delivering two back-to-back inside trips against Kaid Brock in the Big 12 tournament, and now, at nationals, Justin Thomas is here to add his performance to the Top Moments list. Check out this video of Justin Thomas putting his opponent on his back in the first session of the NCAA tournament.
Justin Thomas of ends the match in fashion!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
Ryan Blees makes it look easy
Virginia Tech's Ryan Blees pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Session I when he beat No. 7 Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State in sudden victory. His entire match could have been worthy of this list, but this moment is particularly impressive as he puts Gfeller on his back, secures the takedown and walks away with the W.
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Ryan Blees takes out Kaden Gfeller in sudden victory.
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling)
Northern Iowa rolls into the quarterfinals with two highlight-worthy wins
Okay, we had a hard time choosing between these top moments from the Northern Iowa Panthers. Bryce Steiert and Taylor Lujan advance to the quarterfinals after unleashing their strength against opponents in the Round of 16.
Taylor Lujan with a fall in the second and scores bonus points for !
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
Army's Ben Harvey makes everyone in the arena wonder 'how did he do that?'
Not only did Ben Harvey put up one of those wild moves that always finds its way on Twitter post-match, but he also made history for Army West Point with his Round of 16 win against David McFadden of Virginia Tech. Watch exactly how Harvey executed his win and booked his ticket to the quarterfinals.
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Chase Straw scrambles his way to a bloody victory
A late reversal helps Chase Straw of fight back for an overtime win!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
The Iowa Cyclone fell behind in his match against Quincy Monday of Princeton and nearly ended up with his eyes facing the ceiling, but the Straw refused to quit. He flipped Monday, earned a reversal, picked up near fall points and changed the momentum of the match. Want to see what grit looks like? Watch this video and check out what Straw’s face looked like after his battle.
Sean Fausz pulls of the W to stay alive in the Session II
Sean Fausz of stays alive on the backside!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
After North Carolina State's Sean Fausz dropped a major decision against defending national champion Spencer Lee, he worked his way through the consolation brackets in style. Fausz secured the fall over Gabe Townsell of Stanford before picking up decision over Jay Schwarm of UNI who put up some highlight-worthy moments of his own. This clip of Fausz doing his thing couldn't be left off this list of insane move. Just look at that control.
Bridges flips, rolls and battles his way through the consoles
Warning: this clip is better to watch in slow motion. For a moment, Wyoming's Montorie Bridges looked like he might be in some trouble, but the golden rule is to never doubt a Cowboy. Bridges stayed focused and took care of business in the consolation bracket on Friday morning, and his efforts allowed him to continue to fight for All-American honors.
Returning All-American, Montorie Bridges of hangs on to advance!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
Tristan Moran's first period pin puts up big points for the Badgers
Tristan Moran of getting crafty during his win in the consolations!
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling)
The Wisconsin junior decided to get funky in his second-round consolation match against Cameron Kelly of Ohio. In just 45 seconds, Moran had the Bobcat on his back, eyes looking up to the ceiling. Moran is still alive in the consolations, and he's dangerous.
