University of Iowa senior Tony Ramos advanced to the NCAA finals for the second straight year following a dramatic 5-1 win in the semifinals of the 2014 NCAA Championships on Friday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Ramos used a five-point move in the final 30 seconds to defeat second-seeded A.J. Schopp of Edinboro. Schopp  had riding time locked up when Ramos followed a leg-sweep with a cow-catcher, putting Schopp on his back and keeping him flat as time expired.

“It was exciting and I’m ready for Saturday night,” said Ramos. “I’ve got one more match to go. I’m counting them down. I came here to get to five and I’ve got one left.”

Ramos will face fifth-seeded Tyler Graff of Wisconsin in the 133-pound finals. Ramos topped Graff, 2-1, in the finals of the Big Ten Championships on March 9.

“I expect to break it open,” said Ramos. “. Let's go score some points tomorrow night… Saturday night.”

The Hawkeyes were 6-3 overall during Session IV and advanced six wrestlers to tomorrow’s All-America round.

Freshman Cory Clark and sophomore Nathan Burak each won in the round of 12 to earn the first All-America honors of their careers, and Derek St. John won a pair of matches on the back side of the bracket to become the 18th Hawkeye in program history to earn four All-American honors.

“We did some good things in the beginning but didn’t do some good things in the end,” said UI head coach Tom Brands. “But it’s not because of lack of effort.

“We had six total All-Americans, so we won five-of-six matches on the back. That’s big, but I think it goes without saying we didn’t come here to be in fourth place at the end of the second day.”

Iowa has 67 team points, trailing Penn State (91), Minnesota (90.5), and Oklahoma State (87.5).

Juniors Mike Evans and Bobby Telford each dropped into the consolation round following semifinal losses. Evans nearly had defending champion Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) on his back at the end of sudden victory, but he was unable to get the fall or the two-point takedown and eventually fell, 3-2, in the first tiebreak.

Telford fell behind Tony Nelson, 3-0, before eventually dropping a 4-2 decision. Telford scored on an escape and a stalling point.

Clark, St. John, Evans and Telford compete Saturday morning in the consolation semifinals. Burak lost, 4-2, in sudden victory in the consolation quarters and will wrestle for seventh place Saturday morning.

Action resumes when the medal round begins at 10 a.m. (CT).The Saturday morning session is televised on ESPNU and streamed online at ESPN3.

 

TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION IV

  • 1.            Penn State          91
  • 2.            Minnesota          90.5
  • 3.            Oklahoma St.     87.5
  • 4.            IOWA                    67
  • 5.            Ohio State           52
  • 6.            Edinboro              48.5
  • 7.            Cornell                  46.5
  • 8.            Virginia Tech      45.5
  • 9.            Oklahoma           45
  • 10.          Illinois                   37

 

IOWA’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS

  • 133 - #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. #2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 5-1
  • 174 - #1 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. #4 Mike Evans (Iowa), 3-2 (TB1)
  • 285 - #1 Anthony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. #5 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 4-2

 

IOWA’S CONSOLATION ROUND RESULTS

  • 125 - #8 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. #14 Edward Klimara (Oklahoma State), 7-6 (TB1)
  • 125 - #8 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. Earl Hall (ISU), 10-4
  • 157 - #2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. #12 Luke Smith (CMU), 11-4
  • 157 - #2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 6-5
  • 197 - #11 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), 5-2
  • 197 - Connor Hartmann (Duke) dec. #11 Nathan Burak (Iowa), 4-2 (SV1)

 

IOWA’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUPS

  • 133 - #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. #5 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)

 

IOWA’S CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS MATCHUPS

  • 125 - #8 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. #3 Nico Megaludis (PSU)
  • 157 - #2 St. John (Iowa) vs. #4 Ian Miller (Kent State)
  • 174 - #4 Mike Evans (Iowa) vs. #3 Robert Kokesh (Neb.)
  • 285 - #5 Bobby Telford (Iowa) vs. #7 Mike McClure (MSU)

 

IOWA’S CONSOLATION (7th PLACE MATCHUP)

  • 197 - #11 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. #3 Morgan McIntosh (PSU)

 

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