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PITTSBURGH - Redshirt senior Emery Parker will wrestle for All-America honors tonight at NCAA Championships after winning both of his wrestlebacks matches during Session III this afternoon to stay alive at 184-pounds. The No. 4 seed at 184-pounds, Parker wrestles No. 10-seed Samuel Colbray of Iowa State tonight with a spot on the podium and All-America honors on the line. Session IV begins at 7 p.m. CT and will air live on ESPN.
Parker started his day in wrestlebacks going against Missouri's Dylan Wisman, the No. 14 seed at 184-pounds. After a scoreless opening period, Wisman took the lead 1-0 early in the second with an escape. Parker responded not long after with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead over Wisman. Wisman, however, would escape to tie the match and then take a 4-2 lead into the third with a takedown late in the period.
The third period saw Parker tie the match back up at 4-4 early with a two-point reversal just 10 seconds into the frame. With Wisman regaining the lead 5-4 after an escape, Parker took the lead back with a takedown to make it 6-5. Wisman escaped with under 20 seconds left in the third to tie the bout at 6-6.
Tied at 6-6 after three periods, Parker and Wisman headed to sudden victory. Parker came through with the deciding takedown halfway through the overtime period to win the match in an 8-6 decision to advance in wrestlebacks at 184-pounds. This was the second win for Parker against Wisman this season, with Parker previously defeating Wisman in a 5-3 decision on Nov. 3, 2018 at Grapple in the Grove.
Parker's second match of the session was against No. 12 seed Cash Wilcke from Iowa. It would be the third matchup of the season between the two wrestlers, with Parker winning the first two meetings. He first defeated Wilcke in a 4-1 decision at Huff Hall on January 25, and then earned a 3-2 decision over Wilcke earlier this month at Big Ten Championships on March 8.
Parker was in control in his third matchup of the season against Wilcke. Though scoreless throughout the majority of the first period, Parker gained the momentum with a takedown in the final seconds of the opening period to take a 2-0 lead into the second. After he extended his lead to 3-1 with an escape in the second, Parker would finish strong in the third. Early in the final period, Parker recorded a takedown and then quickly had Wilcke on his back. Parker secured the win by fall at the 5:23 mark. The third period pin is Parker's second win by fall of the season and the ninth of his career.
With his two victories in Session III, Parker advances in wrestlebacks for a matchup with No. 10 seed Samuel Colbray of Iowa State. The winner of the match will earn a spot on the podium, and, subsequently, All-American honors. Parker is seeking the second All-America honor of his career after earning All-America honors last season with his third-place, NCAA Championships finish at 184-pounds.
Mike Carr (141), Eric Barone (157) and Joey Gunther (165) all won their first wrestlebacks matches on Friday, but were each eliminated from contention after dropping their second match of the session. After a 6-3 decision victory in his first matchup, No. 15 Barone pushed No. 10 Steve Bleise to the brink in their 157-pound consolation matchup. The match would go to tiebreaker-2, but Bleise would get the win over Barone 3-2 on riding time.
Session IV begins tonight at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the action from PPG Paints Arena live on ESPN.
Session IV Consolation Matchups:
184 Cons Round 4: #4 (4) Emery Parker vs. #11 (10) Samuel Colbray (Iowa State)
Full Illinois Results:
184: #4 (4) Emery Parker | 3-1
Champ Round 1: #4 (4) Emery Parker dec. #30 (29) Will Schany (Virginia), 5-2
Champ Round 2: #8 (13) Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec. #4 (4) Emery Parker, 9-7
Cons Round 2: #4 (4) Emery Parker SV-1 #15 (14) Dylan Wisman (Missouri), 8-6
Cons Round 3: #4 (4) Emery Parker Fall #13 (12) Cash Wilcke (Iowa), 5:23
125: #12 (11) Travis Piotrowski | 1-2
Champ Round 1: #12 (11) Travis Piotrowski dec. #25 (22) Cole Verner (Wyoming), 4-3
Champ Round 2: #6 (6) Sean Russell (Minnesota) major dec. #12 (11) Travis Piotrowski, 10-1
Cons Round 2: #22 (21) Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa) dec. #12 (11) Travis Piotrowski, 8-2
Travis Piotrowski is eliminated.
133: #22 (30) Dylan Duncan | 0-2
Champ Round 1: #3 (3) Nick Suriano (Rutgers) major dec. #22 (30) Dylan Duncan, 12-3
Cons Prelim: (32) Devan Turner (Oregon State) dec. #22 (30) Dylan Duncan, 7-5
Dylan Duncan is eliminated.
141: #9 (6) Mike Carr | 2-2
Champ Round 1: #9 (6) Mike Carr dec. #27 (7) Anthony Sparacio (Binghamton), 8-2
Champ Round 2: #18 (22) Max Murin (Iowa) dec. #9 (6) Mike Carr, 4-3
Cons Round 2: #9 (6) Mike Carr dec. #24 (21) Austin Headlee (North Carolina), 10-4
Cons Round 3: #16 (20) Matt Findlay (Utah Valley) Fall #9 (6) Mike Carr, 2:19
Mike Carr is eliminated.
157: #13 (15) Eric Barone | 2-2
Champ Round 1: #13 (15) Eric Barone dec. #19 (18) Logan Parks (Central Michigan), 5-3
Champ Round 2: #2 (2) Tyler Berger (Nebraska) Fall #13 (15) Eric Barone, 6:07
Cons Round 2: #13 (15) Eric Barone dec. #18 (17) BC LaPrade (Virginia Tech), 6-3
Cons Round 3: #7 (10) Steve Bleise (Minnesota) TB-2 #13 (15) Eric Barone, 3-2
Eric Barone is eliminated.
165: #27 (26) Joey Gunther | 2-2
Champ Round 1: #7 (7) Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. #27 (26) Joey Gunther, 5-1
Cons Round 1: #27 (26) Joey Gunther dec. #24 (23) Zach Finesilver (Duke), 6-3
Cons Round 2: #27 (26) Joey Gunther TB-2 #26 (24) Cael McCormick (Army), 5-4
Cons Round 3: #22 (18) Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) dec. #27 (26) Joey Gunther, 13-7
Joey Gunther is eliminated.
#-Coach's Poll Ranking
()- NCAA Championships Seed
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