OUInsider - Owen Field

(OU Sports Information)

Kendric Maple and Nick Lester advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2012 NCAA Championships, helping the Sooners close out session II with a 5-4 record.

Both wrestlers earned second-round wins in front of 18,695 fans at the Scottrade Center, earning spots in Friday-morning’s quarterfinals.

“Being in the top ten right now is pretty nice,” Mark Cody said. “I think we can come back and get a lot of points tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get up there were we want to be in trophy contention.”

Jarrod Patterson and Bubby Graham suffered second round losses in the championships to PSU’s Nicholas Megaludis and Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh, respectively. The duo will compete in the consolation bracket tomorrow.

Matt Lester, Erich Schmidtke and Keldrick Hall also picked up wins in the consolation bracket to earn a right to compete Friday and keep their All-American hopes alive.

After the first day, Oklahoma sits at seventh with 19.5 points. Penn State leads the pack with 38.5 points, while Minnesota is close behind with 33. Oklahoma State is third with 28.5 points.

Maple moved on to Friday’s quarterfinals after he disposed of Cornell’s Michael Nevinger, 13-2, marking his second win of the tournament with bonus points. The second overall seed will take on Virginia Tech’s Zach Neibert who he defeated earlier this season 13-1.

Lester, one of seven unseeded wrestlers to advance in the championship bracket, continued his winning ways after he tormented American’s Kevin Tao, 16-0, to earn the technical fall victory. The Sooner will take on Hofstra’s Justin Accordino on Friday.

“Maple dominated and Nick Lester finally wrestled up to his ability the last couple matches. He is capable of wrestling like that every time he steps out on the mat. He has a lot of weapons and we have been telling him that all year long.

“I think he and his brother (Matt) both stepped it up. His brother could have pulled out a first round win if he hadn’t been taken down early. All of them wrestled with a lot of fire.”

Jordan Keller suffered back-to-back losses and was eliminated from NCAA contention. The senior ended his OU career with a record of 38-20.

“I want to acknowledge Jordan Keller’s contribution to the team this year. To see him go out like that was tough, but he has done a lot of great things for this program.”

Session III action picks back up at 10:00 a.m. Friday and can be seen live on ESPN3.com. For the latest in OU wrestling news and updates be sure to follow @OUWrestling on twitter.

Session II 2nd Round Championship Results

125: No. 10 Nicholas Megaludis (PSU) dec. No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU), 7-3
141: No. 2 Kendric Maple (OU) MD. Michael Nevinger (CORN), 13-2
149: Nick Lester (OU) TF5 Kevin Tao (AMER), 16-0; 5:58
165: No. 8 Robert Kokesh (NEB) dec. Bubby Graham (OU), 5-4

Session II Wrestleback Results

133: Nathan McCormick (MIZZ) dec. Jordan Keller (OU), 5-0
157: Matt Lester (OU) MD. Colton Palmer (NCSU), 13-0
174: Seth Creasy (LOCKH) dec. Kyle Detmer (OU), 8-2
184: Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Boaz Beard (ISU), 11-5
197: Keldrick Hall (OU) dec. Keith Witt (KENT), 8-5

Session III Championship Matchups

141: No. 2 Kendric Maple (OU) vs. Zach Neibert (VATECH)
149: Nick Lester (OU) vs. Justin Accordino (HOFS)

Session III OU Wrestleback Matchups

125: No. 7 Jarrod Patterson (OU) vs. Joe Roth (CMICH)
157: Matt Lester (OU) vs. No. 9 Justin Lister (BING)
165: Bubby Graham (OU) vs. Pierce Harger (NW)
184: Erich Schmidkte (OU) vs. No. 8 Ryan Loder (UNI)
197: Keldrick Hall (OU) vs. No. 12 Joseph Kennedy (LEHIGH)

Team Leaders Entering Session III

1. Penn State (38.5)
2. Minnesota (33)
3. Oklahoma State (28.5)
4. Cornell (27.5)
5. Iowa (26)
6. Illinois (23)
7. Oklahoma (19.5)
8. Ohio State (19)
T9. Lehigh (18)
T9. Nebraska (18)
T9. Northwestern (18)