The Big Ten tournament always produces wild, unexpected and unpredictable matches. Well — this year was no different. Only four of the ten No. 1 seeds wrestled to a title, and four undefeated wrestlers picked up a loss. The results from this tournament show off what the top athletes in the country can do, and now all the attention will be on the next big stage: the NCAA tournament in Minneapolis.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will enter the national tournament as Big Ten champions, having picked up the team win at the conference level for the first time since 2010, led by three winners in 125-pound Spencer Lee, 141-pound Pat Lugo and 165-pound Alex Marinelli. Lee’s performance led him to be named Big Ten wrestler of the Year, and head coach Tom Brands picked up Big Ten coach of the year honors.

Nebraska finished second as a team in the Big Ten with one finalist and five third-place finishers. The Ohio State Buckeyes took third with two champs in Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher, while Penn State took fourth with two champs in Aaron Brooks and Mark Hall. Northwestern also had two champs in Sebastian Rivera and Ryan Deakin and finished sixth as a team. Rivera’s performance also earned him Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, while Brooks won Freshman of the Year for his win. Minnesota had the final champion at 285 pounds in Gable Steveson and finished eighth as a team.

Before the bright lights of the national tournament shine, let’s take a look back at how each of the Big Ten champions accomplished their goals.

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP

125: Spencer Lee dominates Devin Schroder 16-2

Spencer Lee started the first period with full force and scored two quick takedowns with a long ride against Devin Schroder. He was up 4-1 after the first two minutes, and then rode out the rest of the first period in complete control. Lee needed just seconds in the following period to score two more points and take a 6-1 lead as Schroder is warned for stalling.

Lee is a machine on top, and he hasn’t given Schroder a break all match. There’s one story of this match, and it’s been Lee’s top game. Schroder choose neutral to start the third period, but Lee immediately followed the third-period starting whistle with a takedown. He then went up 8-1 with riding time in good position for bonus in this championship match. Schroder is a fighter though, and he looks for the takedown, but Lee turns it into a takedown for the 10-2 lead. Bonus must be Spencer Lee’s middle name.

Both athletes are warned for stalling, but Lee is fighting on top. Lee with a last-second near fall for back points to finish out with a 16-2 major decision.

125: No. 1 Spencer Lee is your champion at 125 following a 16-2 win vs. Purdue’s No. 2 Devin Schroder. #B1GWrestle pic.twitter.com/e35veONq6d — Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) March 8, 2020

Spencer Lee is a Big Ten Champion!

133: Sebastian Rivera beats Roman Bravo-Young 7-2

Oh boy, oh boy! This is one of the biggest matchups of the night, as two fighters go head-to-head for their first Big Ten title at 133 pounds. Sebastian Rivera won the conference last year at 125 pounds, but he’s bumped up now and will take on Penn State superstar Roman Bravo-Young. Get ready, folks!

𝐓𝐰𝐨-𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 🏆@Cbass_Rivera does it in front of his hometown crowd. pic.twitter.com/0Zole9JZCg — Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) March 8, 2020

Rivera is sporting the Gothic-style singlets while Bravo-Young is in the classic Penn State Blue singlet, for those of you who are interested.

Bravo-Young makes the first move and picks up two with an early takedown. He’s looking for more control, but Rivera is fighting hard to get out. And he escapes for one! A little bit of handfighting and Bravo-Young goes for another two, leading the men into a scramble. The referee calls potentially dangerous, and we’re back to the middle of the mat.

Rivera chooses down to start the second and escapes to tie the match. We’re back to the handfighting and Rivera looks for seomthing, possible a headlock to a turn, but he’s unsuccessful with Bravo-Young countering everything. Oh, but there’s a leg! Rivera puts Brvavo-Young down and looks for backpoints. He takes the two, and that’s a 4-2 lead for the Wildcat.

Bravo-Young will choose down to start the third, and he’ll either need an escape and long ride or a takedown. Rivera has put all the pressure on his opponent, and he’s picking up more riding time making things more difficult for Bravo-Young. One minute remaining. Twenty seconds remaining. Rivera has 1:02 riding time. And now he’s a winner.

Sebastian Rivera is a Big Ten Champion!

141: Luke Pletcher earns revenge against Nick Lee in a 6-5 win

A big rematch is in front of us! Here we go.

Scrambling, scrambling, scrabling! This match starts with tons of action, but it’s Pletcher with the first two points. Lee picks up the escape, and it’s 2-1 Pletcher. Lee secures a leg and finishes despite Plectcher’s attempt to roll through the takedown just like he did in the dual. Lee leads 3-2 after the first two minutes.

Pletcher escapes, and it’s 3-3 with thirty seconds left in the first period. Pletcher picks up an early escape to take the lead in the second period. It’s 4-3 with 1:30 to go in the period. Lee looks for a leg, but Pletcher is too fast. These men equally talented and putting on a show! It’s been an action-packed match, but both guys have been called for stalling, suggesting that the referee wants to see more movement.

Escape for Lee to start the third, and we’re all tied up at 4-4. Pletcher has kept this match closer than he did in State College. The Ohio State veteran then goes for double leg, but is countered, only to prompt Pletcher to shoot again. He takes the 6-5 lead with a takedown after Lee’s escape. Thirty seconds left. Pletcher looks for shot, but they go out of bounds. But it doesn’t matter, this one belongs to the Buckeye.