ST. LOUIS - Heavyweight wrestler Matt Fields is the prized recruit that so much was expected from when he signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Now a senior and down to his final college tournament, Fields is wrestling the best he has in his career and has one last chance to make an impact. His performance may hold the key to Iowa's title hopes at the 2008 NCAA Championships.

The fourth-seeded Fields capped a superb Thursday night session for top-ranked Iowa, downing Indiana's Nathan Everhart in the second round. Fields was the seventh Hawkeye in as many second-round matches to advance to Friday morning's quarterfinals.

"We've just been working really hard," said Fields, a two-time national qualifier who stands one win from being an All-American. "All the stuff we've done this year is minor compared to this, it is minor. This is the big time."

Iowa has the lead after Day 1 of the three-day tournament, compiling 29.5 points before a Thursday night crowd of 15,170 fans at the Scottrade Center.

"It's a great feeling to go back to the hotel tonight on a positive note," Fields said. "In past years, we've gone back thinking we've got to wrestle better just to catch up with everybody. But now we just have to keep wrestling well to keep the lead."

Iowa did suffer one setback when No. 8 seed Dan LeClere lost twice on Thursday at 141 pounds and was eliminated from the tournament. Hawkeye sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) is still alive in the wrestlebacks. Iowa has 8 of its 9 qualifiers still going in the tournament. The Hawkeyes were 15-3 Thursday.

"We won 15 out of 18?" Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "This sets us up. We have seven in the quarters and we have some firepower in the quarters. We have to be ready to go tomorrow morning and it really starts all over again for those seven. We put ourselves in a decent position."

Fifth-ranked Nebraska, which placed second to Iowa at the National Duals, stayed within striking distance by placing six wrestlers in the quarterfinals. The Huskers were in second place with 26.5 points. Nebraska also has two other wrestlers still alive in the wrestlebacks.

Fourth-ranked Iowa State is third with 25 points, followed by seventh-ranked Central Michigan and second-ranked Minnesota with 24 points apiece.

Nebraska was sparked by unseeded Vince Jones, who knocked off No. 3 seed Tyrel Todd of Michigan by a 7-5 score in the second round at 184 pounds. Todd scored on two first-period takedowns before Jones rallied with an escape and takedown in the final period. Jones then rode Todd out and collected an additional point for riding time to secure the win.

"We've got a great team," Jones said. "Nobody is really picking us to contend for the title, but we don't really care what the media or anybody else says about us. We know we can wrestle with anybody in this tournament. We're like a family on the Nebraska team and we really push each other and support each other."

Jones, a junior who did not wrestle last season for academic reasons, was a national qualifier in 2006. He fell just short of placing in his first NCAA meet.

"I am very determined after missing last year," Jones said. "My teammates got on a roll before me and that really got me going. I had beaten (Todd) before, so I felt real confident going into that match. I wasn't too worried that he was the No. 3 seed, I knew I could do it."

2007 team champion Minnesota suffered a setback when No. 5 seed C.P. Schlatter dropped a 5-4 second-round decision to No. 12 Josh Zupancic of Stanford at 157. Schlatter, an All-American, has been slowed by injuries this season.

Iowa State senior David Bertolino pulled off a huge upset at 197 after knocking off No. 3 seed Mike Tamillow of Northwestern in the second round.

Top seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State outlasted unseeded Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in a marathon battle in the second round at 133. The match went through three cycles of overtime before Gomez won with a slight advantage in riding time.

"(Humphrey) is a tough kid, but I pretty much had the match under control and just made a mistake," Gomez said. "I had a body lock on him and was trying to finish, and then he caught me to send it into overtime. I just kept telling myself in the overtime, 'I am going to be victorious, I am going to be victorious.' We were both tired, but I felt like I could have kept wrestling even longer if I would've had to."

North Carolina State sophomore Darrion Caldwell had the crowd buzzing after he put his explosive style on full display in pinning Central Michigan's Brandon Carter just 42 seconds into their second-round match at 149. Caldwell used a headlock to record the fall.

Next up for Caldwell is 2006 NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Schlatter is the No. 2 seed.

"I've never been more excited about a tournament in my life," Caldwell said. "Last year I got my feet wet a little bit. This year I'm ready to accomplish something and really make a name for myself. I just have to keep my poise and not get sloppy. These are the best of the best out here."

Caldwell was part of one of the most memorable matches of the 2007 NCAA Championships when he and eventual runner-up Ryan Lang of Northwestern hooked up in Auburn Hills, Mich. Caldwell nearly pinned Lang and built a big early lead before Lang came back to pin Caldwell with a twister maneuver.

Caldwell is seeded seventh, but is the only wrestler to beat top seed Brent Metcalf of Iowa this season. Metcalf has won 29 straight matches since the setback.

"I would love another chance to face him, but I've obviously got some tough matches ahead of me before I get to the finals," Caldwell said. "I watched the (video) of the match I had against Metcalf. I don't disagree with the ref, but I actually kind of questioned whether his back was on the mat or not. He's a great wrestler and it would be a dogfight if we meet again. Hopefully, we can meet on Saturday night."