DETROIT, Mich. — Here’s a reminder for those who may have forgotten: the NCAA Championships, often referred to as the biggest, baddest wrestling tournament in the country, is really freaking hard.
That was the prevailing theme Thursday at Little Caesars Arena, where the first two sessions of the 2022 national championships unfolded. All three of Iowa’s Division I teams, and many others around the country, learned that lesson in one form or another.
Consider:
- 16 past All-Americans lost in the first round;
- another 15 past All-Americans lost in the second round;
- 5 wrestlers that made last year’s NCAA finalist lost;
- 2 won titles: Iowa State’s David Carr and North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor;
- 5 wrestlers seeded 15th or higher made the quarterfinals;
- and 3 of them are seeded 20th or higher.