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Update: Iowa punches 10 into Midlands semifinals, leading second place Northern Iowa by 46 points

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by K.J. Pilcher, Special to TheMat.com

No. 1 Alex Marinelli of Iowa has reached the semifinals at 165 pounds at the 57th Midlands. Photo by Mark Lundy, LutteLens.


HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Alex Marinelli’s dominant performance Sunday was indicative of the overall showing by the Iowa Hawkeyes.


Marinelli manhandled each of his opponents, posting four falls including two in the first period. The Hawkeyes as a whole recorded 26 bonus-point victories with 12 pins.


“It’s important for our team to get bonus points,” Marinelli said. “Spencer Lee, me, (Austin) DeSanto and all these guys thrive off of bonus points. We kind of want to 1-up guys.”


The toughest competition the top-ranked Hawkeyes may have been amongst each other. Iowa had little trouble Sunday, advancing 10 to the semifinals and building a commanding lead after the first day of the of the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Sunday at Sears Centre Arena.


Iowa amassed 115 1/2 points, leading University of Northern Iowa by 46. Wisconsin was third with 68 ½. The Panthers and Badgers each have four semifinalists.


“Bonus points is a prevalent discussion in our wrestling room,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “Bonus points come from dominant mentalities. It’s not an afterthought.


“Bonus points are hard to get. You have to work hard to dominate, to get lop-sided wins, to wrestle in the top, bottom and neutral position and be dominant in all three.”


Marinelli reached the semifinals for the third straight year, winning 165-pound titles in 2017 and 2018. He rolled through his first three foes, wrestling a total of 7:24. In the quarterfinal against Harvard’s Philip Conigliaro, Marinelli built a 17-4 lead before ending it in 6:08.


“After the first period, he is laying on his back,” Marinelli said. “I look at Tom and he’s smiling. I’m smiling. That’s just fun. That’s what he loves. That’s what I love. It’s a good time.”


Iowa’s Spencer Lee was just a week removed from his U.S. Nationals title in men’s freestyle, but that didn’t affect him at all. He rolled his way to the semifinals.


Lee opened with consecutive pins under a minute and added a 16-1 technical fall over Harvard’s Nolan Hellickson in the quarterfinal.


Iowa entered the tournament with top-two seeds in all but one weight. Counting redshirt Abe Assad quarterfinal victory at 184, the Hawkeyes have a representative in nine weights.


Lee and Marinelli were joined in the semifinals by DeSanto at 133, 141-pounder Max Murin, Pat Lugo (149), Kaleb Young (157), Jacob Warner at 197 and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi.


Iowa showed its depth with a tournament-best 12 quarterfinalists, including three at 149. In addition to second-seeded Lugo, Jeren Glosser and No. 12-seed Vince Turk advanced. Turk notched an 11-1 major decision over Virginia’s Michael Murphy to reach the semifinals.


He opened with a pin and notched a sudden-victory decision over Michigan’s fifth-seeded Kanen Storr in the quarters.


“The work’s not done yet,” Turk said. “Tom and (Iowa associate head coach) Terry (Brands) preach going for gold, so that’s what I’m out here doing. The hay is not in the barn yet.”


Turk was a national qualifier at 141 two years ago. He remained at 141 a year and has moved up to 149 this season. Even though he remains a reserve, he trains to be the best wrestler in the country each day.


“Ever since I moved up to 149 I’ve felt a lot better,” Turk said. “The weight cut is less of a hassle. More just focusing on wrestling now.


“Every time I step on the mat I’m trying to prove my place, trying to earn it.”


The Panthers have eight alive and went 4-1 in the quarterfinals. They were runners-up here last season.


“It’s really important we come back tomorrow and put four guys in the finals and get four third (place finishes),” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said. “Score as many points as a team and build momentum as a group.


“I think we beat a lot of guys we were supposed to beat. We have to go beat a bunch of guys that we’re not supposed to beat on paper and do it one at a time.”


Top-seeded 184-pounder Taylor Lujan, returning Midlands finalist Max Thomsen (149), second-seeded Bryce Steiert (174) and heavyweight Carter Isley all advanced.


Isley closed the round with an 8-3 victory over Campbell’s No. 4 seed Jere Heino.


“It was a great match by Carter,” Schwab said. “He went and scored multiple attacks.


“I think Carter is competing as well as anyone on our team, right now. You can see the confidence in him.”


Wisconsin was led by second-seeded quartet of Seth Gross (133), Tristan Moran (141) and Evan Wick at 165 and heavyweight Trent Hilger. Like the Panthers, Wisconsin has four alive in consolation competition.


Action resumes Monday at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time). All of the action is live on Flowrestling.

MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Hoffman Estates, Ill.



Semifinal pairings (with seeds)



125 pounds

No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern)

No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. No. 3 Brock Hudkins (Indiana)


133 pounds

No. 1 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois)

No. 2 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)


141 pounds

No. 1 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Shakur Laney (Ohio)

No. 2 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Joshua Heil (Campbell)


149 pounds

No. 1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) vs. No. 12 Vincent Turk (Iowa)

No. 2 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa)


157 pounds

No. 4 Anthony Artalona (Penn) vs. Markus Hartman (Army West Point)

No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Kendall Coleman (Purdue)


165 pounds

No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Zachary Hartman (Bucknell)

No. 2 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 David McFadden (Virginia Tech)


174 pounds

No. 1 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) vs. No. 4 Ben Harvey (Army West Point)

No. 2 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 3 Joey Gunther (Illinois)


184 pounds

No. 1 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 5 Andrew Morgan (Campbell)

No. 7 Zachary Braunagel (Illinois) vs. No. 11 Abe Assad (Iowa)


197 pounds

No. 1 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Jay Aiello (Virginia)

No. 2 Pat Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 3 Christian Brunner (Purdue)


285 pounds

No. 1 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa)

No. 2 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs. No. 3 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan)

Quarterfinal results (with seeds)


125 pounds

No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech. fall Nolan Hellickson (Harvard), 16-1 3:32

No. 5 Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), 6-4 SV

No. 3 Brock Hudkins (Indiana) dec. No. 6 Michael Colaiocco (Penn), 5-2

No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) tech fall No. 10 Chris Cannon (Northwestern), 17-0, 6:36


133 pounds

No. 1 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Carmen Ferrante (Penn), 20-8

No. 4 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Noah Gonser (Campbell), 5-3

No. 3 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) maj. dec. No. 6 Louie Hayes (Virginia), 14-5

No. 2 Seth Gross (Wisconsin) maj. dec. No. 10 Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern), 13-2


141 pounds

No. 1 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. No. 9 Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 8-4

No. 5 Shakur Laney (Ohio) dec. No. 4 Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa), 3-1, SV

No. 3 Joshua Heil (Campbell) dec. No. 11 Salvatore Profaci (American), 2-1, TB

No. 2 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) dec. No. 7 Zach Sherman (North Carolina), 5-3, TB2


149 pounds

No. 1 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec. Jeren Glosser (Iowa), 6-5

No. 12 Vincent Turk (Iowa) maj. dec. Michael Murphy (Virginia), 11-1

No. 3 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) dec. Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 4-3

No. 2 Pat Lugo (Iowa) maj. dec. Tres Leon (U. of the Cumberlands), 16-3


157 pounds

Markus Hartman (Army West Point) pin No. 8 Logan Parks (Central Michigan), 4:07

No. 4 Anthony Artalona (Penn) dec. No. 5 Justin Ruffin (SIUE), 3-1

No. 3 Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec. No. 6 AC Headlee (North Carolina), 11-6

No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Zac Carson (Ohio), 7-2


165 pounds

No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) pin No. 9 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard), 6:08

No. 5 Zachary Hartman (Bucknell) maj. dec. Jake Keating (Virginia), 13-0

No. 3 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Danny Braunagel (Illinois), 5-2

No. 2 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) dec. No. 7 Quentin Perez (Campbell), 4-2 SV


174 pounds

No. 1 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. No. 8 Clay Lautt (North Carolina), 5-2

No. 4 Ben Harvey (Army West Point) dec. No. 5 Jacob Covaciu (Indiana), 3-1, SV

No. 3 Joey Gunther (Illinois) dec. Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin), 3-2

No. 2 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) dec. Victor Marcelli (Virginia), 4-0


184 pounds

No. 1 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 8 Johnny Sebastian (Wisconsin), 7-3

No. 5 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) dec. No. 4 Noah Stewart (Army West Point), 5-3

No. 11 Abe Assad (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Tanner Harvey (American), 8-6, SV

No. 7 Zachary Braunagel (Illinois) dec. No. 2 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 3-2


197 pounds

No. 1 Jacob Warner (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 9 Gage Braun (Northern Illinois), 9-1

No. 5 Jay Aiello (Virginia) dec. No. 13 Alexander Hopkins (Army West Point), 6-5, TB2

No. 3 Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. No. 6 Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 8-5

No. 2 Pat Brucki (Princeton) dec. No. 7 Drew Phipps (Bucknell), 4-2


285 pounds

No. 1 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. No. 8 Zach Elam (Missouri), 6-0

No. 5 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 4 Jere Heino (Campbell), 8-3

No. 3 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) pin No. 11 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard), 5:17

No. 2 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Bobby Heald (Army West Point), 9-1

Top 10 teams after day one

1. Iowa, 115.5

2. Northern Iowa, 69.5

3. Wisconsin, 68.5

4. Illinois, 57

5. Princeton, 53.5

6. Purdue, 49.5

7. Army West Point, 47

8. Northwestern, 46

9. Central Michigan, 42

10. North Carolina, 40

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