CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The first day of the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships is in the books and the Hounds are alive and kicking, with Derek Blubaugh, Logan Bailey and Cale Gray all earning All-American status after the first day of competition. The trio of honorees all were triumphant in the quarterfinals and will wrestle on Saturday for a shot at the title.
 
Bailey was the first Hound to earn his status this year, making it his second career All-American honoree. At 157, Bailey was efficient in his first match of the day, winning via a 5-4 decision over Lake Erie's Jack Haskin. That win set Bailey, the No. 5-seed, up against the No. 4-seed Casey Barnett of Tiffin, and once again Bailey was excellent, taking the victory and the trip to semifinals via a 6-4 decision.
 
No. 2-seed Blubaugh, to very little surprise, was the second Hound to All-American. The methodical Blubaugh was calm in the face of pressure in his opening bout vs. Matt Kaylor of Mary. He would give up a second period escape, but prevailed nonetheless, grabbing his own escape and picking up a penalty point, moving him on.
 
Facing Kash Anderson of Colorado Mesa, there was more action than in Blubaugh's first match with the redshirt junior grabbing two takedowns in the first period to go up 4-1. Another takedown and an escape in the third was all that the Hounds 197lber needed to grab his 8-3 victory. The one through four seeds are all that remain in the champions bracket the 197 class with Blubaugh set to face the No. 3-seed Tereus Henry of Fort Hays State tomorrow in the semis.
 
Cale Gray was the highlight story of the night for the Hounds. Coming in with a lot of ground to cover, Gray got to work quick, picking up a win over Nico Ramirez of Mount Olive 3-1 to move into the championship bracket. That is just where it started for Gray's day, as he went onto upset the No. 7-seed with a 10-2 major victory.
 
Just when it seems Gray's miracle run was coming to an end with him facing the No. 2-seeded Lee Herrington of Nebraska-Kearney, it got even better. Gray was on the aggressive early, grabbing the first takedown of the match. After the first period he was down 5-3 but with room to battle. After a quiet second, the third is where Gray exploded, nabbing two more takedowns and a clutch reversal to find himself on the right side of an upset victory and a seat in Saturday's semi-final.
 
Breyden Bailey, Jack Eiteljorge, Ray Rioux and Owen Butler also saw competition on Friday, but were unable to find a way to make it to Saturday competition.
 
UP NEXT
The final day of wrestling is upon us, with the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships coming to a close tomorrow in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Action is set to begin at 11 a.m. ET where three Greyhounds have their eyes set on national championships.