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    University of Illinois Sports Information •

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    Three Illinois wrestlers reach semifinals at Midlands

    EVANSTON, Ill. — Senior Jimmy Kennedy and junior No. 16 Ryan Prater took advantage of a rare opportunity – that two teammates would be seeded in the same weight class at a major tournament – Tuesday in reaching the semifinals of the 141-pound weight class at the 47th annual Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Kennedy, who is redshirting this season, was the No. 1 seed at 141 while Prater was seeded No. 7. Senior No. 6 John Dergo also reached the semifinals at 184 by going 3-0 with a technical fall and a major decision on the day.

    Kennedy went 3-0 on the first day of the competition and Prater won four bouts, including an upset over No. 7 and second-seeded Dan LeClere (Iowa) in the quarterfinals. Kennedy topped Hofstra’s eighth-seeded Lou Ruggirello, who also is redshirting this season, 9-3 in the quarterfinals.

    Since Kennedy and Prater are on opposite sides of the bracket, they could meet for the championship if both win their semifinal bouts Wednesday afternoon. Kennedy will face fourth-seeded Joey Slaton of Iowa in the semifinals, while Prater will take on third-seeded and 10th-ranked Alex Krom (Maryland).

    Dergo, the No. 4 seed, also continued a strong run through the 184-pound bracket with his 6-3 win over fifth-seeded Louis Caputo (Harvard) in the quarterfinals. He’ll get a rematch with top-ranked and top-seeded Max Askren (Missouri), who he lost to at the teams’ dual earlier this season, in Wednesday’s semifinals.

    Blanton dropped a hard-fought battle with fifth-seeded and 11th-ranked Duke Burk (Iowa State), 9-8, in the quarterfinals after winning his two earlier matches. Blanton will face Purdue’s seventh-ranked and third-seeded Luke Manuel in the consolation round of 12, meaning he needs one more win to ensure that he places.

    Illinois is in seventh place as a team after the evening session with two wrestlers remaining in the championship bracket (Prater and Dergo) and two left in the consolation bracket (Blanton and Patrick Bond). Kennedy’s point totals don’t count for Illinois’ team points since he is wrestling unattached to preserve his redshirt.
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