TULSA, Okla. — Purdue’s Matt Ramos pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA Division I wrestling history, ending Iowa’s Spencer Lee’s run for four national titles with a pin in the final seconds of their semifinal match on Friday night.
Ramos got the No. 4 seed at 125 pounds, the fall with one second left in the third period to end the nation’s longest winning streak at 58 matches.
Ramos spoke about his belief that he can beat Lee.
“I really work hard and I believe in what I believe in, and I can say this by having — I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but if I can’t get it out into the world, then I don’t believe it’s going to happen,” he says.
That would leave Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis as the lone wrestler still in contention for a fourth title on Saturday. He defeated Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness 8-3 in his semifinal match at 149 pounds. If Diakomihalis defeats Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in the final, he will become the fifth wrestler to win four Division I national championships.
Diakomihalis knew very well that Lee had lost before his semifinal.
“At this moment it’s like, ‘Wow, I don’t know what to think,'” Diakomihalis said. “I mean, he was one of those guys who was dominant — probably more dominant than I was.”
Diakomihalis said he understands the pressure Lee faced.
“You must have feelings for him, right?” he said. “I’m kind of in a similar position. The whole arena is waiting for you to lose. Maybe they’re not cheering against you, but secretly in the back of their head, it gets a little louder when the other guy comes. so that- score.”
Penn State is closing in on its 10th national title in 12 years. The Nittany Lions have 116.5 points. Iowa is second with 77.5 points followed by Cornell (64) and Ohio State (62).
But Ramos was the story of the night. He led Lee 4-1 at the end of the first period, but Lee scored four near falls in the second period to take a 5-4 lead and set up drama in the third.
Ramos will face Princeton’s Pat Glory, who defeated Nebraska’s Liam Cronin 8-2 in the other semifinal, for the championship on Saturday. Glory, the No. 2 seed, is undefeated.
“This is a dream for me,” Ramos said. “The job isn’t done yet.”
The three Penn State wrestlers seeking their third national title — Roman Bravo-Young at 133, Carter Starocci at 174 and Aaron Brooks at 184 — all advanced to the finals.
Bravo-Young got a two-point takedown in sudden victory time against Arizona State’s Michael McGee. He now has the longest winning streak in the country at 56 matches.
“That was a fun match there,” Bravo-Young said. “Found a way to do it.”
Bravo-Young will face Cornell’s Vito Arujau, who defeated Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix 11-3 in the other semifinal. Fix lost three times in the finals, but was undefeated and seeded second.
Starocci beat Cornell’s Chris Foca in the semifinals and advanced to face Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola in the final. Starocci defeated Labriola 6-1 in the Big Ten final in a battle of the undefeated.
Brooks, seeded third, beat No. 2 seed Trent Hilday of North Carolina State 6-3 in the semifinal. He will face the top seed, Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, in the final.
Penn State earned a fourth finalist when freshman Levi Haines defeated No. 2 seed, Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the semifinals at 157. He will face Austin O’Connor of North Carolina in the final. The top seed remained undefeated after defeating Lehigh’s Josh Humphreys.
At 165, defeated by No. 1 seed David Carr of Princeton’s Quincy on Monday 6-5 in the semifinal. Monday’s father is 1988 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kenny Monday.
The other No. 1 seeds to advance to the finals are Michigan’s Mason Parris at 285, Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 and Iowa’s Real Woods at 141.