NCAA champion Matt McDonough of Iowa records a pin in the quarterfinal round on Saturday. Photo by Darren Miller, University of Iowa.

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Iowa Hawkeyes dropped their first match of the session.

But they didn’t lose again.

Iowa went 12-1 in the first session, including a sparkling 9-0 in the quarterfinals, to grab command as the Big Ten Championships kicked off on Saturday at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena

The third-ranked Hawkeyes, winners of the last three Big Ten wrestling titles and 34 overall, grabbed the early lead with 79 points. Iowa has just one wrestler seeded No. 1.

Second-ranked Penn State is second with 60 points and six wrestlers in the semifinals. No. 7 Minnesota is third with 57.5 points and six in the semifinals. No. 5 Wisconsin is fourth with 42 points and four in the semis.

The quarterfinals are set for 5 p.m. Saturday.

Iowa’s Mark Ballweg fell 5-3 in the first round to Michigan’s Eric Grajales at 149 pounds before the Hawkeyes embarked on their impressive 12-match winning streak.

Leading the way for Iowa is sophomore Matt McDonough, a returning NCAA champion who rolled into the semifinals at 125.

Penn State received a big win at 184 when No. 8 seed Quentin Wright knocked off No. 1 seed Travis Rutt of Wisconsin 4-3. Wright won the University World Team Trials last summer, but has been slowed by an injury this season.

Two-time Big Ten champion Andrew Howe of Wisconsin won his first two matches at 165. Howe, who had been out two months with a hamstring injury, looked strong in his return. He is a returning NCAA champion who won the U.S. Open in freestyle in 2010.

Badger teammate Trevor Brandvold reached the finals at 197. He is a returning Big Ten champion.

Two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell of Michigan reached the semis at 141 as did 2010 Big Ten champion Mike Thorn of Minnesota in the same weight class. Russell redshirted last season.

The Big Ten has earned 64 of 281 automatic qualifying spots for the NCAAs, set for March 17-19 in Philadelphia. An additional 49 at-large berths will be awarded on March 9.

The Big Ten finals are scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. Central and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS

125 pounds
No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Sean Boyle (Michigan)
No. 3 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Brandon Precin (Northwestern)

133 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Long (Penn State) vs. No. 4 B.J. Futrell (Illinois)
No. 3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)

141 Pounds
No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois)
No. 3 Mike Thorn (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Montell Marion (Iowa)

149 Pounds
No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Eric Terrazas (Illinois)
No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern)

157 Pounds
No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Paul Young (Indiana)
No. 3 Jason Welch (Northwestern) vs. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa)

165 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 Aaron Janssen (Iowa)
No. 3 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State)

174 Pounds
No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)
No. 6 Benjamin Jordan (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Nick Heflin (Ohio State)

184 Pounds
No. 8 Quentin Wright (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Tony Dallago (Illinois)
No. 3 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)

197 Pounds
No. 1 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) vs. No. 5 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota)
No. 3 Logan Brown (Purdue) vs. No. 2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa)

285 Pounds
No. 1 Cameron Wade (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota)
No. 3 Blake Rasing (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Joe Rizqallah (Michigan State)