ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Cash Wilcke’s season was supposed to be over 10 days ago.
That he won a first-round match at Thursday’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships was an upset to Iowa fans and the entire 197-pound field.
The redshirt freshman was added to the 33-man bracket after an injury forced West Virginia’s Jake Smith to withdraw, and he made the most of his second chance with a 4-2 overtime win against Bucknell’s Tom Sleigh.
“That’s a big win for him,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said after the tournament’s first session. “It helps our team, definitely.