UPDATE: No. 1 Iowa dominates Midlands with five champions; Gross beats DeSanto in 133 finals
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by KJ Pilcher, Special to TheMat,com
The University of Iowa team, champions of the 2019 Midlands Championships. The Hawkeyes set a tournament record with 196.5 team points. Photo by Mark Lundy, LutteLens.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – University of Iowa opened the final round with four straight victories, providing a bit of an exclamation mark on a dominant performance.
The top-ranked Hawkeyes crowned five champions and scored a tournament record 196 ½ points Monday night, running away with the team title at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Iowa beat runner-up University of Northern Iowa by a whopping 95 ½ points and its own record of 189 set in 2014.
The Hawkeyes opened with a strong start, getting consecutive titles from Max Murin (141), Pat Lugo at 149, Kaleb Young (157) and 165-pounder Alex Marinelli.
“This team is about feeding off each other and I love it,” Marinelli said. “This team is special. We’re a brotherhood. Everyone knows it’s different.
“We’re walking the walk instead of talking it.”
Alex Marinelli capped his title run with an impressive, 5-3, victory over Virginia Tech All-American David McFadden.
Marinelli avenged a loss to McFadden from the 2018 NCAA tournament to become Iowa’s 14th three-time Midlands champ. He also stockpiled awards, earning the most falls, team points and was named Champion of Champions.
“He’s a great competitor,” Marinelli said. “It makes the tournament even more special when you beat a guy at that caliber.”
Marinelli set the tone with a shot off the opening whistle. He didn’t score but managed a first-period takedown and added another in the second. He wasn’t satisfied and continued to push for more points, adding an escape in the third.
“I really wanted another takedown at the end,” Marinelli said. “I’ve got to get another takedown.”
Third-ranked Lugo contributed to the dominant team performance with an 8-4 decision in the championship bout.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Lugo said. “Last year at Midlands, I kind of took a dip because I got fourth.
“I want to stay humble with this win. I don’t want to get too big-headed with this. Keep doing what I’m doing and everything will fall into place.”
Lugo scored a takedown in each period, building a 2-1 lead after the first that grew to 5-2 after the second. Lugo varied his offense, scoring off his own shot early and re-attacks for his final two. He tacked on a riding-time point.
“He can find points because he can scramble,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “He’s good offensively. He can ride. He can do a lot of different things on his feet. In all positions, he’s pretty good and I don’t think people realize that about him enough.”
In an unusual role, Max Murin took the mat first for Iowa Monday night, setting up the rematch between Iowa’s Austin DeSanto and Wisconsin’s Seth Gross at 133 for the finale.
Murin sparked the Hawkeyes with a 5-3 decision over Campbell’s Josh Heil for his first 141-pound Midlands title in his second straight finals appearance.
“I love it,” Murin said. “It was awesome. I got my match out of the way and then I can just watch the other guys kick some butt and support my teammates.”
Kaleb Young (157) captured his first Midlands crown, downing the tournament’s Cinderella story Markus Hartman of Army. Young scored an escape to force sudden victory and notched the winning takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the extra frame.
He let his instincts take over in the decisive flurry.
“I just react,” Young said. “I’ve been wrestling for so long. Thinking goes on the back burner and you just let it up to what you’ve had hard-wired in your brain, what comes naturally. I just let it fly.”
He demonstrated his poise, winning two straight matches in sudden victory and another by two.
“I think there is confidence,” Young said. “I’m comfortable there. Probably more comfortable than I should be. That’s not where I want to be.”
Heavyweight Tony Cassioppi captured his crown with a decision over Central Michigan’s Matt Stencel, avenging a loss to him here a year ago.
In one of the marquee matches, Gross used a takedown and two nearfall for an early 4-0 lead and held on to beat DeSanto, 6-5.
“We’ll go to work on what we learned,” Brands said. “I think somebody just summed it up as a fan. I think there was a pretty good show out there at 133. Sometimes you don’t end up on the right side and it’s still entertaining for the fans. You just have to make it go our way.
“We’ll keep working and get us where we need to be.”
Iowa finished with 11 medalists. In addition to the seven finalists, Cash Wilcke was third at 184, Vince Turk (149) and 197-pounder Jacob Warner were fourth. Jeren Glosser gave Iowa a third medalist at 149, placing sixth.
The Hawkeyes were without Spencer Lee on the second day. According to a news release, it was due to a coach’s decision.
UNI was second for the second straight year. The Panthers received a title from Taylor Lujan at 184.
Lujan scored a takedown in the first period, a late escape and a riding-time point for a 4-0 win over Iowa redshirt Abe Assad.
“The competition was tough,” Lujan said. “Lucky enough to come out with a first-place finish.
“It’s cool to be a part of a little bit of history be able to wrestle in this prestigious tournament.”
UNI’s Bryce Steiert was second at 174. Max Thomsen was third at 149, while heavyweight Carter Isley was fifth.
Lujan likes where the Panthers are heading.
“We’re ready to roll,” Lujan said. “This is all preparation for March.”
Illinois was third with 95 ½ points. Wisconsin and Princeton rounded out the top five with 89 and 84 ½ points, respectively.
Purdue was the only other team to have multiple champions. Dylan Lydy (174) and 197-pounder Christian Brunner won gold for the Boilermakers.
MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Hoffman Estates, Ill.
125 pounds
1st - Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern), 4-0
3rd – Michael Colaiocco (Penn) dec. Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), 5-4
5th – Spencer Lee (Iowa) and Brock Hudkins (Indiana), no contest
7th - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) maj. dec. Nolan Hellickson (Harvard), 12-2
133 pounds
1st - Seth Gross (Wisconsin) dec. Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 6-5
3rd – Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) dec. Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 5-3
5th – Noah Gonser (Campbell) dec. Louie Hayes (Virginia), 3-2
7th - Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) maj. dec. Joe Heilmann (North Carolina), 13-0
141 pounds
1st - Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Joshua Heil (Campbell) , 5-3
3rd - Zach Sherman (North Carolina) dec. Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 3-2
5th - Shakur Laney (Ohio) med forfeit Tristan Moran (Wisconsin)
7th - Dresden Simon Central Michigan) dec. Salvatore Profaci (American), 9-5
149 pounds
1st - Pat Lugo (Iowa) dec. Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), 8-4.
3rd – Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) med. forfeit Vincent Turk (Iowa)
5th - Kizhan Clarke (American) med forfeit Jeren Glosser (Iowa)
7th - Kanen Storr (Michigan) dec. Alec Hagan (Ohio), 6-4 SV
157
1st - Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. Markus Hartman (Army West Point), 5-3, SV
3rd - Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 5-3
5th - Logan Parks (Central Michigan) dec. Anthony Artalona (Penn), 3-1 SV
7th - Justin Ruffin (SIUE) med. forfeit Cade Devos (South Dakota State)
165
1st - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. David McFadden (Virginia Tech), 5-3
3rd - Evan Wick (Wisconsin) maj dec. Danny Braunagel (Illinois), 13-3
5th - Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Zachary Hartman (Bucknell), 7-3
7th - Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) pin Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), 0:28
174
1st - Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec.Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-1
3rd – Joey Gunther (Illinois) dec. Ben Harvey (Army West Point), 4-2
5th – Jacob Covaciu (Indiana) dec. Donnell Washington (Indiana), 0;02
7th - Victor Marcelli (Virginia) med. forfeit Tyler Morland (Northwestern)
184
1st - Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. Abe Assad (Iowa), 4-0
3rd - Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec Zachary Braunagel (Illinois), 5-3
5th - Andrew Morgan (Campbell) dec. Noah Stewart (Army West Point), 6-4
7th - Jack Jessen (Northwestern) med forfeit Johnny Sebastian (Wisconsin)
197
1st - Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. Jay Aiello (Virginia), 7-3
3rd -Pat Brucki (Princeton) dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa), 10-5
5th - Gage Braun (Northern Illinois) med forfeit Hunter Ritter (Minnesota)
7th - J.T. Brown (Army West Point) med forfeit Alexander Hopkins (Army West Point)
285 pounds
1st - Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 5-1
3rd – Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec. Yaruslau Slavikouski (Harvard), 3-0
5th – Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) med forfeit Josh Hokit (Fresno State)
7th - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec. Bobby Heald (Army West Point), 6-0
Team Standings
1 Iowa 196.5
2 Northern Iowa 101
3 Wisconsin 93
4 Illinois 91.5
5 Princeton 84.5
6 Central Michigan 80
7 Army West Point 78.5
8 Purdue 75
9 Northwestern 73.5
10 North Carolina 65
11 Virginia 59
12 Penn 47
13 Northern Illinois 44
14 Campbell 41.5
15 American 38
15 Harvard 38
17 Indiana 34
18 Ohio 32
19 Bucknell 22 - -
20 Fresno State 21
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – University of Iowa opened the final round with four straight victories, providing a bit of an exclamation mark on a dominant performance.
The top-ranked Hawkeyes crowned five champions and scored a tournament record 196 ½ points Monday night, running away with the team title at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Iowa beat runner-up University of Northern Iowa by a whopping 95 ½ points and its own record of 189 set in 2014.
The Hawkeyes opened with a strong start, getting consecutive titles from Max Murin (141), Pat Lugo at 149, Kaleb Young (157) and 165-pounder Alex Marinelli.
“This team is about feeding off each other and I love it,” Marinelli said. “This team is special. We’re a brotherhood. Everyone knows it’s different.
“We’re walking the walk instead of talking it.”
Alex Marinelli capped his title run with an impressive, 5-3, victory over Virginia Tech All-American David McFadden.
Marinelli avenged a loss to McFadden from the 2018 NCAA tournament to become Iowa’s 14th three-time Midlands champ. He also stockpiled awards, earning the most falls, team points and was named Champion of Champions.
“He’s a great competitor,” Marinelli said. “It makes the tournament even more special when you beat a guy at that caliber.”
Marinelli set the tone with a shot off the opening whistle. He didn’t score but managed a first-period takedown and added another in the second. He wasn’t satisfied and continued to push for more points, adding an escape in the third.
“I really wanted another takedown at the end,” Marinelli said. “I’ve got to get another takedown.”
Third-ranked Lugo contributed to the dominant team performance with an 8-4 decision in the championship bout.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Lugo said. “Last year at Midlands, I kind of took a dip because I got fourth.
“I want to stay humble with this win. I don’t want to get too big-headed with this. Keep doing what I’m doing and everything will fall into place.”
Lugo scored a takedown in each period, building a 2-1 lead after the first that grew to 5-2 after the second. Lugo varied his offense, scoring off his own shot early and re-attacks for his final two. He tacked on a riding-time point.
“He can find points because he can scramble,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “He’s good offensively. He can ride. He can do a lot of different things on his feet. In all positions, he’s pretty good and I don’t think people realize that about him enough.”
In an unusual role, Max Murin took the mat first for Iowa Monday night, setting up the rematch between Iowa’s Austin DeSanto and Wisconsin’s Seth Gross at 133 for the finale.
Murin sparked the Hawkeyes with a 5-3 decision over Campbell’s Josh Heil for his first 141-pound Midlands title in his second straight finals appearance.
“I love it,” Murin said. “It was awesome. I got my match out of the way and then I can just watch the other guys kick some butt and support my teammates.”
Kaleb Young (157) captured his first Midlands crown, downing the tournament’s Cinderella story Markus Hartman of Army. Young scored an escape to force sudden victory and notched the winning takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the extra frame.
He let his instincts take over in the decisive flurry.
“I just react,” Young said. “I’ve been wrestling for so long. Thinking goes on the back burner and you just let it up to what you’ve had hard-wired in your brain, what comes naturally. I just let it fly.”
He demonstrated his poise, winning two straight matches in sudden victory and another by two.
“I think there is confidence,” Young said. “I’m comfortable there. Probably more comfortable than I should be. That’s not where I want to be.”
Heavyweight Tony Cassioppi captured his crown with a decision over Central Michigan’s Matt Stencel, avenging a loss to him here a year ago.
In one of the marquee matches, Gross used a takedown and two nearfall for an early 4-0 lead and held on to beat DeSanto, 6-5.
“We’ll go to work on what we learned,” Brands said. “I think somebody just summed it up as a fan. I think there was a pretty good show out there at 133. Sometimes you don’t end up on the right side and it’s still entertaining for the fans. You just have to make it go our way.
“We’ll keep working and get us where we need to be.”
Iowa finished with 11 medalists. In addition to the seven finalists, Cash Wilcke was third at 184, Vince Turk (149) and 197-pounder Jacob Warner were fourth. Jeren Glosser gave Iowa a third medalist at 149, placing sixth.
The Hawkeyes were without Spencer Lee on the second day. According to a news release, it was due to a coach’s decision.
UNI was second for the second straight year. The Panthers received a title from Taylor Lujan at 184.
Lujan scored a takedown in the first period, a late escape and a riding-time point for a 4-0 win over Iowa redshirt Abe Assad.
“The competition was tough,” Lujan said. “Lucky enough to come out with a first-place finish.
“It’s cool to be a part of a little bit of history be able to wrestle in this prestigious tournament.”
UNI’s Bryce Steiert was second at 174. Max Thomsen was third at 149, while heavyweight Carter Isley was fifth.
Lujan likes where the Panthers are heading.
“We’re ready to roll,” Lujan said. “This is all preparation for March.”
Illinois was third with 95 ½ points. Wisconsin and Princeton rounded out the top five with 89 and 84 ½ points, respectively.
Purdue was the only other team to have multiple champions. Dylan Lydy (174) and 197-pounder Christian Brunner won gold for the Boilermakers.
MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Hoffman Estates, Ill.
125 pounds
1st - Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern), 4-0
3rd – Michael Colaiocco (Penn) dec. Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), 5-4
5th – Spencer Lee (Iowa) and Brock Hudkins (Indiana), no contest
7th - Chris Cannon (Northwestern) maj. dec. Nolan Hellickson (Harvard), 12-2
133 pounds
1st - Seth Gross (Wisconsin) dec. Austin DeSanto (Iowa), 6-5
3rd – Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) dec. Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 5-3
5th – Noah Gonser (Campbell) dec. Louie Hayes (Virginia), 3-2
7th - Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) maj. dec. Joe Heilmann (North Carolina), 13-0
141 pounds
1st - Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Joshua Heil (Campbell) , 5-3
3rd - Zach Sherman (North Carolina) dec. Dylan Duncan (Illinois), 3-2
5th - Shakur Laney (Ohio) med forfeit Tristan Moran (Wisconsin)
7th - Dresden Simon Central Michigan) dec. Salvatore Profaci (American), 9-5
149 pounds
1st - Pat Lugo (Iowa) dec. Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), 8-4.
3rd – Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) med. forfeit Vincent Turk (Iowa)
5th - Kizhan Clarke (American) med forfeit Jeren Glosser (Iowa)
7th - Kanen Storr (Michigan) dec. Alec Hagan (Ohio), 6-4 SV
157
1st - Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. Markus Hartman (Army West Point), 5-3, SV
3rd - Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 5-3
5th - Logan Parks (Central Michigan) dec. Anthony Artalona (Penn), 3-1 SV
7th - Justin Ruffin (SIUE) med. forfeit Cade Devos (South Dakota State)
165
1st - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. David McFadden (Virginia Tech), 5-3
3rd - Evan Wick (Wisconsin) maj dec. Danny Braunagel (Illinois), 13-3
5th - Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Zachary Hartman (Bucknell), 7-3
7th - Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) pin Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), 0:28
174
1st - Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec.Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-1
3rd – Joey Gunther (Illinois) dec. Ben Harvey (Army West Point), 4-2
5th – Jacob Covaciu (Indiana) dec. Donnell Washington (Indiana), 0;02
7th - Victor Marcelli (Virginia) med. forfeit Tyler Morland (Northwestern)
184
1st - Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. Abe Assad (Iowa), 4-0
3rd - Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec Zachary Braunagel (Illinois), 5-3
5th - Andrew Morgan (Campbell) dec. Noah Stewart (Army West Point), 6-4
7th - Jack Jessen (Northwestern) med forfeit Johnny Sebastian (Wisconsin)
197
1st - Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. Jay Aiello (Virginia), 7-3
3rd -Pat Brucki (Princeton) dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa), 10-5
5th - Gage Braun (Northern Illinois) med forfeit Hunter Ritter (Minnesota)
7th - J.T. Brown (Army West Point) med forfeit Alexander Hopkins (Army West Point)
285 pounds
1st - Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 5-1
3rd – Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec. Yaruslau Slavikouski (Harvard), 3-0
5th – Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) med forfeit Josh Hokit (Fresno State)
7th - Zach Elam (Missouri) dec. Bobby Heald (Army West Point), 6-0
Team Standings
1 Iowa 196.5
2 Northern Iowa 101
3 Wisconsin 93
4 Illinois 91.5
5 Princeton 84.5
6 Central Michigan 80
7 Army West Point 78.5
8 Purdue 75
9 Northwestern 73.5
10 North Carolina 65
11 Virginia 59
12 Penn 47
13 Northern Illinois 44
14 Campbell 41.5
15 American 38
15 Harvard 38
17 Indiana 34
18 Ohio 32
19 Bucknell 22 - -
20 Fresno State 21
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