NCAA Wrestling Championships 2021: Results, Updated Standings After Thursday

The best Division I wrestlers from across the country descended upon Enterprise Center in St. Louis for the 2021 NCAA championships.

As was the case with multiple sports, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 installment. That left national champion Penn State unable to defend its title.

Based on how the first round unfolded Thursday, the Nittany Lions could encounter some serious resistance in their quest for a fifth straight championship. Iowa's 19 points gave it a slim two-point edge on its Big Ten rival.

Team Standings

1. Iowa (19.0)

2. Penn State (17.0)

3. Missouri (14.0)

T4. Arizona State (13.0)

T4. North Carolina State (13.0)

6. Oklahoma State (12.5)

7. Michigan (12.0)

8. Nebraska (11.5)

9. Virginia Tech (9.0)

T10. Minnesota (8.0)

T10. Northern Iowa (8.0)

Full standings available at NCAA.com

Round 1 Recap

The second session of the first round saw a pair of big upsets.

In the 197-pound class, North Dakota State's Owen Pentz took down Nebraska's Eric Schultz, the No. 2 seed in the championship bracket. Pentz secured a fall at the 4:51 mark.

In the same bracket, Oklahoma's Jake Woodley earned a 4-1 decision over No. 7 seed Rocky Elam from Missouri.

Earlier in the day, No. 7 seeds Ian Parker (Iowa State) and Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) suffered their first defeats well before they expected. Parker was unable to overcome Northwestern's Colin Valdiviez in the 141-pound class, while Jacques was stymied by Central Michigan's Johnny Lovett in the 157-pound class.

Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis was the biggest Cinderella story of the 2019 championships. The No. 8 seed in the 165-pound class, the Hokies grappler worked his way toward a national title and took down Vincenzo Joseph in the final. 

Lewis won't be taking anybody by surprise this time around. The redshirt sophomore encountered little trouble getting the better of Lehigh's Brian Meyer.

Iowa might be up on Penn State now, but the Hawkeyes may not be able to enjoy that position for very long.

The Nittany Lions had nine wrestlers compete in the first round, and eight were victorious.

Robert Howard made strong impression in his first career NCAA tournament match. He beat Ohio State's Malik Heinselman, the 10th-seed in the 125-pound class, by a 6-4 score. As expected, Roman Bravo-Young (No. 2 at 133), Nick Lee (No. 2 at 141), Carter Starocci (No. 3 at 174) and Aaron Brooks (No. 1 at 184) all punched their ticket to the second round.