TULSA, Okla. — After picking up All-American status for a third consecutive season during Friday’s morning quarterfinals, UNI’s Parker Keckeisen secured his spot in the 184-pound final with a semifinal victory on Friday night at the NCAA Championships inside the BOK Center.
“You just have to control what you can and be in the moment. That’s the goal every day of my life,” said Keckeisen after advancing to the NCAA finals. “In my match I can control my output, not so much the score on the board. You have to go out and give 100% all of the time. That Panther on your chest means something, and you’re representing all of the people who’ve come before you.”
Keckeisen, UNI’s 10th All-American in program history, will have the opportunity to win the program’s 45th individual national title as he faces off against 3-seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State. Drew Foster was the last Panther to win a national championship in 2019, also at 184 pounds.
“He’s been a leader for our program in setting the standard,” said head coach Doug Schwab on Keckeisen’s win. “He earned that spot in the finals. Now he’s got 420 seconds to go win a national title!”
Keckeisen and Brooks will face off at 6 p.m. CT tomorrow night live on ESPN. Both Keckeisen and Brooks have met three times in their careers, with Brooks claiming an exhibition win at the NWCA All-Star Classic in November in a 12-8 decision. Brooks won both other meetings at the 2021 NCAA Championships and last season in dual competition.
CONSOLATION BRACKETS
Chasing All-American status in his final NCAA Tournament, 15th-seeded Kyle Biscoglia (133 pounds) matched up with 5-seed and ACC champion Kai Orine of North Carolina State in the blood round, needing one win to secure a spot in the top-eight. Looking to avenge his loss to Orine at the Collegiate Duals back in December, Biscoglia struggled to take his opponent down after a scoreless first period, giving up an escape and takedown before Orine scored four nearfall points in a 7-1 decision. Biscoglia finishes the season with a record of 23-10.
In the 165-pound bracket, 17-seed Austin Yant looked to earn his first All-American honor during his final national championship tournament, facing the Big Ten champion and 3-seed Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin. Falling to Hamiti a month ago in dual competition, Yant struggled to find his footing in his attack as Hamiti quickly took the lead on the sixth-year Panther. Being well ridden throughout the match, Yant would give up 4 takedowns to Hamiti and score just a pair of escapes in a 10-2 major decision loss. Yant concludes the season with a final record of 22-8.
“They put everything they could into today,” said Schwab about Biscoglia and Yant. “You’re incredibly proud of them, you hurt with them and you celebrate them because of what they’ve done, how they’ve done it and how they’ve represented the program.”
UNI RESULTS (Session IV)
(Seed) #NCAA/RPI rank listed
133 | (15) #HM/18 Kyle Biscoglia (3-2)
Round 1 | W – (18) #17/(17 Jason Shaner (Oregon State), 6:02 Fall
Round 2 | L – (2) #2/2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), 8-4
Cons. Round 2 | W – (16) #15/16 Joe Heilmann (Rutgers), 6-1
Cons. Round 3 | W – (7) #6/6 Michael Colaiocco (Penn), 7-4
Cons. Round 4 | L – (5) #11/7 Kai Orine (North Carolina State), 7-1
165 | (17) #17/17 Austin Yant (3-2)
Round 1 | W – (16) #NR/16 Joshua Ogunsanya (Columbia), 8-1
Round 2 | L – (1) #1/1 David Carr (Iowa State), 15-4 MD
Cons. Round 2 | W – (31) #29/23 Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State), 10-5
Cons. Round 3 | W – (25) #24/16 Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), 10-0 MD
Cons. Round 4 | L – (3) #3/5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), 10-2 MD
184 | (1) #2/2 Parker Keckeisen (3-0)
Round 1 | W – (33) #HM/33 Anthony Carman (West Virginia), 12-3 MD
Round 2 | W – (17) #17/17 Tate Samuelson (Lehigh), 4-2
Quarterfinal | W – (9) #8/10 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota), 3-2
Semifinal | W – (4) #6/6 Trey Munoz (Oregon State), 4-1
TEAM STANDINGS (Top-20 thru Session IV)
1st – Penn State (116.5)
2nd – Iowa (77)
3rd – Cornell (64)
4th – Ohio State (62)
5th – Missouri (55)
T6th – Michigan (51)
T6th – Nebraska (51)
8th – Iowa State (44)
9th – North Carolina State (41.5)
10th – Virginia Tech (40.5)
11th – Arizona State (37.5)
12th – North Carolina (34.5)
13th – South Dakota State (34)
14th – Minnesota (29.5)
T15th – UNI (29)
T15th – Princeton (29)
18th – Purdue (27)
19th – Oklahoma State (25)
20th – Northwestern (23.5)
