Wisconsin's Seth Gross edged Iowa's Austin DeSanto, avenging a loss from Dec. 1 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)The Midlands Championships remain one of the top events on the college wrestling schedule.
This year's event featured its share of high-caliber competition on Sunday and Monday just outside Chicago.
The top-ranked Hawkeyes dominated the field, crowning five champions while scoring a tournament record 196.5 points. Iowa set the previous tournament record of 189 points in 2014.
Northern Iowa was second in the tournament with 101 points followed by Illinois (94.5), Wisconsin (93) and Princeton (84.5).
Here are my top takeaways from the 2019 Midlands Championships:
133 finals bout lives up to billing
There was a reason the 133-pound finals match between top-ranked Austin DeSanto of Iowa and second-ranked Seth Gross of Wisconsin was the featured bout. And the last match of the Midlands Championships delivered. Gross bolted to a 4-0 lead with a takedown and quick two-point near fall off a cradle before holding off a furious DeSanto rally. Gross prevailed 6-5 while avenging a loss to the Hawkeye junior from earlier this season. It was a highly entertaining bout between an NCAA champion in Gross and a returning All-American in DeSanto. Can't wait to see these guys meet again in the postseason. The most recent bout definitely lived up to its pre-match billing. It was a heck of a match between two outstanding wrestlers.
Purdue's Christian Brunner won the title at 197 pounds with a victory over Virginia's Jay Aiello (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Boiler Up
Top-seeded Dylan Lydy of Purdue finished on a leg attack in the final 30 seconds to break a 1-1 tie on his way to a 3-2 win over No. 2 Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa in the 174 finals. Lydy's teammate, Christian Brunner, followed suit by earning a 7-3 triumph over Virginia's Jay Aiello at 197 pounds. Brunner scored a late takedown to clinch the win. The Boilermakers look much-improved this year.
Spencer Lee's early exit
Two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa dominated the early competition while powering his way into the 125-pound semifinals. Lee didn't return on Day 2, taking a medical forfeit in the semis. He has had a busy late December. Just a week removed from winning the U.S. Nationals freestyle crown in Texas, Lee was wearing the large black brace he typically has on his leg on Day 1 of the Midlands. In the University of Iowa press release, it said Lee's medical forfeit on Monday was a coaches' decision. It would've been fun to see a Midlands final featuring the top-ranked Lee and No. 3 Pat Glory of Princeton, but that bout will have to wait. Glory went on to win the Midlands title Monday night.
How about that 165-pound class?
As expected, the loaded 165-pound Midlands bracket was entertaining to watch. It featured No. 2 Alex Marinelli of Iowa, No. 3 Evan Wick of Wisconsin and No. 6 David McFadden of Virginia Tech. The fireworks started in the semifinals when McFadden scored in a wild scramble with two seconds left to rally for a dramatic 6-5 win over Wick. In the finals, Marinelli was in control throughout in a 5-3 win over McFadden. Marinelli scored a pair of textbook takedowns to earn his third Midlands title.
Markus Hartman defeated Penn's Anthony Artalona in the semifinals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Unseeded Hartman makes splash
Army's Markus Hartman entered the Midlands unseeded, but he reached the finals with a superb performance at 157 pounds. Hartman scored an early upset when he stunned No. 1 Quincy Monday of Princeton with an overtime win. Hartman gave a strong effort in the finals, leading in the third period before eventually falling to No. 2 seed Kaleb Young of Iowa 5-3 in sudden victory.
Lujan takes charge
Northern Iowa senior Taylor Lujan won an early scramble to score the opening takedown that propelled him to a 4-0 win over surprise finalist Abe Assad of Iowa. Lujan was the top seed and used his power to score the shutout win over Assad, a promising true freshman who had an excellent tournament. Lujan looks strong at 184 as he hopes to finish strong in his final collegiate season with the Panthers. Assad is in his redshirt season with the Hawkeyes.
Confusion in Gross-Rivera semifinal
I watched the 133-pound semifinal match between Wisconsin's Seth Gross and Northwestern's Sebastian Rivera live before going back later to watch the replay of the bout. And I'm still trying to decipher exactly what happened. In the end, Gross earned an 8-7 win in a bout where there were numerous lengthy reviews. The second-ranked Gross, a 2018 NCAA champion, was trying to ride the No. 3 Rivera out for what seemed like an eternity at the end of the bout. The referee appeared confused on whether to call stalling or not while Gross appeared to have lost control. Rivera was actually awarded a reversal to give him a 9-8 lead, but it was waved off after a video review. I've watched thousands of college matches, but I'm still not quite sure what exactly happened at the end of this one. It did convince me that I'm sick of watching folkstyle matches where guys are trying to hang on from the top position. It's time to go to freestyle. Make someone earn the winning takedown instead of trying to hold onto an ankle before time runs out.
Iowa's Pat Lugo gets his hand raised after winning a Midlands title over UNC's Austin O'Connor (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Lugo makes a statement
Third-ranked Pat Lugo of Iowa scored two early takedowns en route to an impressive and decisive 8-4 win over No. 1 Austin O'Connor of North Carolina in the 149-pound finals. Lugo was in total command throughout the bout in a battle of returning All-Americans. Lugo is another Hawkeye who looks vastly improved on his feet this season. He may be No. 1 when the new rankings come out.
Riding time needs to go
I probably say it more than anyone, but riding time needs to go. It slows down the pace of matches and wrestlers are allowed to ride their opponents even when they look like they have no intention of working for a fall. Wrestling matches would be way more entertaining without it. If a wrestler isn't progressing toward a fall, put them back on their feet. Get rid of riding time. Trust me, it will make the sport better.
Kemerer's absence
Iowa was wrestling without two-time All-American Michael Kemerer, who did not compete at the Midlands. Iowa coach Tom Brands said Kemerer, ranked No. 2 nationally at 174 pounds, is fine and would have wrestled if it was March. Kemerer made the NCAA podium at 157 pounds as a freshman and sophomore before missing last season with an injury. He has bumped up two weight classes and has looked very good at 174 this season.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now