Four Beaver Wrestlers In Championship Round After Day One At NCAA Championships

By Press release submission

Mar 17, 2022

Hunter Willits picked up one of the biggest upsets at the NCAA Championships on Thursday, defeating the top-seeded wrestler at 157 pounds to highlight Oregon State's first day at Little Caesars Arena.

Willits, seeded 17th, defeated No. 1 David Carr of Iowa State, 2-1 in overtime, to advance as one of eight wrestlers still in the championship round at 157 pounds. Not only did Willits advance, he snapped a 55-match win streak for Carr.

Joining Willits in the championship round after day one is No. 11 Brandon Kaylor (125 pounds), No. 8 Grant Willits (141) and No. 6 Trey Munoz (184). No. 11 Devan Turner (133), No. 27 Cory Crooks (149), No. 33 Matthew Olguin (165) and No. 11 Gary Traub (heavyweight) enter Friday's action in wrestlebacks of their respective weight classes.

As a team, OSU finished day one tied for ninth. The Beavers have 14 team points, just half a team point shy of Nebraska and Virginia Tech, which are both tied for seventh.

Hunter Willits advanced to the second day with a pair of upsets. He first defeated No. 16 Brady Berge of Penn State, 2-1, to advance to the match with the top-ranked Carr. Willits will square off with No. 8 Will Lewan Friday morning.

Kaylor joined Hunter Willits with an upset in the championship bracket Thursday, downing sixth-seeded Eric Barnett of Wisconsin, 9-3, in the second round. He finished 2-0 after opening with a 16-4 win over No. 22 Ryan Miller (Pennsylvania) and will open Friday's action versus No.3 Pat Glory of Princeton.

Grant Willits needed overtime to continue on in the championship bracket, prevailing over No. 9 Allan Hart of Missouri, 3-1. He opened the day with a 5-3 decision over No. 25 Carter Young (5-3). He will take on top-ranked Nick Lee (Penn State) on Friday.

Munoz, the top-seeded Beaver, at No. 6, rolled to a pair of victories on Thursday. He defeated No. 27 Keegan Moore (Oklahoma), 8-3, then finished with a major decision against Cornell's No. 11 Jonathan Loew, 12-2. Munoz gets No. 3 Trent Hidlay (North Carolina State) to open Friday.

Turner, Crooks and Traub all finished 1-1 Thursday, while Olguin had to wrestle an additional match and went 2-1. Turner, seeded 11th, defeated Joe Olivieri (Rutgers), 10-4, but then dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), 4-2. Turner gets Air Force's Sidney Flores, seeded 28th, on Friday.

Crooks held on for a 7-6 decision over No. 22 Max Brignola of Lehigh via an upset. Crooks, seeded 27th at 149, was edged by No. 6 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State), 3-0, to open his day. Crooks will take on No. 21 Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State) to open Friday.

Olguin opened with a preliminary round bout against No. 32 David Ferrante (Northwestern), coming out with a win at 11-3. He then lost 11-3 to No. 1 Evan Wick (Cal Poly), 11-3, but advanced to Friday's action with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 17 Brian Meyer (Lehigh), 2-1. Olguin squares off with No. 18 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) Friday.

Traub also won his first bout of the day, via a 7-4 overtime decision over No. 22 AJ Nevills (South Dakota State). Traub, however, was pushed to the consolation round with a 6-0 loss to No. 6 Jordan Wood (Lehigh). Traub takes on North Carolina State's Tyrie Houghton (seeded 21st) on Friday.

#11 Brandon Kaylor – 125 pounds

Win via major decision over #22 Ryan Miller (Pennsylvania), 16-4

Win via decision over #6 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), 9-3

#11 Devan Turner – 133 pounds

Win via decision over #22 Joe Olivieri (Rutgers), 10-4

Loss via decision to #6 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), 4-2

#8 Grant Willits – 141 pounds

Win via decision over #25 Carter Young (Oklahoma State), 5-3

Win via decision over #9 Allan Hart (Missouri), 3-1 (TB1)

#27 Cory Crooks – 149 pounds

Loss via decision to #6 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State), 3-0

Win via decision over #22 Max Brignola (Lehigh), 7-6