OMAHA, Neb. — Even without two crucial knee ligaments, Ryan Morningstar is a Division-I All-American.

The 165-pound senior proved that much Saturday afternoon inside the Qwest Center, finishing to his No. 7 seed without the use of his medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right leg at the NCAA championships.

Yet even though he took pride in overcoming an agonizing obstacle moments after his last collegiate match, Morningstar said he still should be vying for a national championship.

The only thing that prevented him from advancing to the semifinals Friday morning was the pain shooting through his knee during his bout with Edinboro No. 2-seed Jarrod King Friday morning.

“I know if I am on, I am pretty tough to beat,” Morningstar said. “I just didn’t have any drive off it in the quarters, so I think made a difference there. It’s pretty tough to swallow — especially in the match, knowing it was because of my injury.”

Morningstar managed to overcome the discomfort later in the day in the consolation bracket. He scored a late reversal in a tie-break period against Cornell’s Justin Kerber to clinch All-American status for the second straight season before losing in the wrestleback quarterfinals.

“I don’t know how many guys could have gone out there like Morningstar did,” Iowa heavyweight Dan Erekson said. “Few guys could accomplish that.”

Iowa head coach Tom Brands labeled the endeavor as “very gutsy.” But over the past three days he had asserted that Morningstar’s mind was in the right place.

“You’re dealt those cards, and you’re in that situation, you make the best of it,” Brands said. “And he made the best of the best of it. It’s a tribute to him and his head strength and his faith.”

As of now, however, Morningstar is unsure when he will undergo surgery to repair his appendage. He said he put off scheduling an operation over the last two weeks to focus on winning a NCAA title instead.

He is also unsure of his recovery time.

In the mean time, he is just glad he managed to avoid increased injury. In the future, he hopes to continue competing internationally.

“Without two ligaments, I mean definitely if it got hit right, I could have blown everything out,” Morningstar said. “I’m grateful that it didn’t happen like that.”

David Scrivner/The Daily Iowan Iowa 165-pounder Ryan Morningstar wrestles West Virginia's Donald Jones during the first round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Thursday, March 18, 2010.

OMAHA, Neb. — Prior to Thursday morning, Ryan Morningstar didn’t know what to expect from his banged-up knee.

Neither did anybody else inside the Qwest Center.

During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Iowa head coach Tom Brands added to the mystery, ducking and dodging Morningstar’s injury status as though he were Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder avoiding a Cliff Lee bean ball.

But a 4-2 overtime win answered the question, and the senior is using the postseason success of one recently departed Hawkeye as motivation.

“Mark Perry won a national title on a bad knee,” he said referring to his former teammate who managed a second straight NCAA championship two years ago after re-injuring his right knee in the 165-pound finals.

“Different injury, but I mean, anything can happen,” he added. “You’ve just got to give yourself a chance.”

Morningstar left nothing to chance after his first-round matchup with West Virginia redshirt junior Donnie Jones went into sudden victory overtime.

Depsite being warned for stalling early in the extra period, Morningstar shot in on Jones’ leg and quickly turned the offensive endeavor into a win-clinching takedown.

But the victory didn’t come without overcoming preliminary apprehensions, which showed in a scoreless first period. Morningstar said he saw limited mat time in practice over the past 10 days leading up to the NCAA championships and admitted to being a little timid initially.

He also acknowledge feeling some slight pain during a first-period scramble. Although, his adrenaline served as a quick pain killer.

Practically his only hindrance, he said, is the bulky black knee brace enveloping his right leg.

“It’s hard to move sometimes,” Morningstar said. “That’s the only thing I really notice when I am out there wrestling.”

Later tonight, the Lisbon, Iowa native is scheduled to face No. 10 seed Alex Meade of Oklahoma State, who beat Morningstar, 5-3, during the Hawkeyes’ dual meet with the Cowboys in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 16.

And while the All-American grappler holds a 27-6 overall record heading into the second session, he also carries a reputation for winning close matches.

Brands said Morningstar’s latest win is a testament to the seasoned Hawkeye, and it should help him mentally as he advances further into the tournament.

“I think it just reinforces what he’s about and what he believes he is about,” the fourth-year Iowa head coach said. “He learned he is pretty tough in duress … But you know, let’s save the praise for now because that’s not what he’s about — winning one match.”

Sophomore Montell Marion (141), junior Jake Kerr (157), and senior Ryan Morningstar (165) will all vie for third place at the Big Ten championships later today.

Both Marion and Kerr needed to win their first consolation bouts, while Morningstar only needed to place fifth or better.

Meanwhile, Iowa top-seeded 197-pounder Chad Beatty, who already qualified for the national meet, forfeited both of his consolation matches.

Marion earned his NCAA ticket with a 11-6 win against eighth-seeded 141-pounder Cole Schmitt of Wisconsin.

The Des Moines native broke a 6-6 tie with under 10 seconds to go in the third period on a takedown and a three-point near-fall. He will face Purdue’s No. 6 seed Juan Archuleta in the 141-pound third-place bout.

Marion defeated Archuleta, 7-5, on Saturday during the championship quarterfinals.

At 157, Kerr also clinched a spot in the national tournament with a 5-3 win over No. 6 seed David Johnson of Michigan. The Oskaloosa, Iowa native held a 5-0 advantage heading into the third period, but a third-period takedown by Johnson eliminated the shutout.

Kerr will go toe-to-toe with unseeded Anthony Jones of Michigan State. The two did not wrestler during Iowa’s regular-season road dual with the Spartans.

Junior Aaron Janssen took the mat for the Hawkeyes at 157 in the meet.

Morningstar’s consolation semifinal with No. 5 seed Paul Young turned into a thriller. The second-seeded Hawkeye broke a 3-3 tie on an escape with 30 seconds left in the third period.

An evasive Morningstar picked up a stall warning with five seconds left.

For more coverage of the Big Ten wrestling championships, be sure to read Monday’s edition of The Daily Iowan.

— by Ryan Young

Consolation Semifinals:
141 — No. 3 Montell Marion (I) dec. No. 8 Cole Schmitt (Wis), 11-6
157 — No. 4 Jake Kerr (I) dec. No. 6 David Johnson (Mich), 5-3
165 — No. 2 Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. No. 5 Paul Young (Ind), 4-3
197 — No. 7 Logan Brown (Pur) wins by forfeit No. 1 Chad Beatty (I)