Jacob Warner ends stellar run for Iowa Hawkeyes as national runner up

Jacob Warner’s sensational run at the NCAA wrestling championships ended with a national runner up finish. As a team, Iowa placed third.

Jacob Warner’s bid for a national championship came up just short. The Iowa senior led 1-0 after a second period escape, but Penn State’s Max Dean responded with a third period escape and a third period takedown to capture the title in the 197-pound weight class, 3-2.

It caps a sensational run at the NCAA wrestling championships for Warner. The four-time All-American topped No. 27 seed Alan Clothier from Northern Colorado, 11th-seeded Thomas Penola from Purdue, No. 3 seed Eric Schultz from Nebraska and second-seeded Stephen Buchanan from Wyoming. The national runner up finish is the best of Warner’s decorated career.

The 6-foot-1 wrestler from Tolono, Ill., finishes his Iowa career with a record of 75-20. Warner placed seventh at the NCAA championships in 2019 and fourth last year as the No. 5 seed. With Warner’s appearance in the national finals, Iowa’s streak of 32 consecutive NCAA tournaments with at least one wrestler in the national finals is still intact.

The Washington Community High School product arrived at Iowa as a three-time Illinois state champion in the 170, 182 and 195-pound weight classes. Warner didn’t allow any points to be scored against him his senior year. He ends his Iowa career on a memorable note.

Meanwhile, fellow Iowa wrestlers Austin DeSanto, Alex Marinelli, Michael Kemerer and Tony Cassioppi all finished up their 2022 NCAA Tournaments on Saturday inside Little Caesars Arena from Detroit, Mich. The group’s finishes helped move Iowa into third place in the team race. DeSanto placed third at 133, Kemerer placed fourth at 174, Marinelli placed fifth at 165 and Cassioppi placed seventh at 285.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Jacob Warner advances to NCAA wrestling finals

Here’s how to watch Jacob Warner in the 197-pound NCAA wrestling national championship on Saturday night and details about his opponent.

Iowa’s Jacob Warner topped Wyoming’s Stephen Buchanan in the 197-pound semifinals, 6-4, on Friday night inside Little Caesars Arena to advance into the finals of the 2022 NCAA championships. As the No. 6 seed, Warner managed to oust the No. 2 seed in Buchanan thanks to four points in the third period.

“You know, I wrestled him last year and turned him here, so I knew I could do something on top. My last two matches were won by being able to ride, so I knew it was going to be a big factor into this match. All week, all last week I was working on getting that wrist tight. Right before this were working on it at the hotel and we were focusing on it, and I got that wrist and I knew as soon as I got it seatbelted to his hip, I knew I could do something with it, I knew I could get it. And didn’t get it right away, had to stick with it, had to keep elevating, keep going into him and made the difference,” Warner said.

While he pulled off an upset according to seeding here, Warner wasn’t ready to chalk this run to the national finals up as any sort of miracle.

“I don’t know if I would call it a Cinderella run. I knew I was going to be here, I knew I could win this tournament and obviously I’m in the national finals for a reason. I’ve got to wrestle hard, score the whole time, don’t give up easy points, finish in matches. I know if I do that I can win this tournament,” Warner said.

In the process, the four-time All-American kept one of college wrestling’s most amazing streaks alive: Iowa has now had an NCAA finalist every year since 1990. Here’s a look at how to watch Warner in the NCAA finals against Penn State’s Max Dean.