EVANSTON, Ill. — The 53rd-annual Ken Kraft Midland Wrestling Championships got underway on Tuesday morning in Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern campus.
Iowa, sitting at No. 3 in Flowrestlings rankings, has looked very good in its dual victories so far this season. The Hawkeyes have, however, not been faced with serious tournament competition, and the experience here should pay dividends in March.
The Hawkeyes dominated on the first day, sending 10 wrestlers into the Session 2 quarterfinals.
(All rankings reflect seeding in the tournament)
125 pounds
No. 1 Thomas Gilman technical fall Shakur Laney (Ohio University), 19-6
— After getting a first-round bye, the top-seeded Gilman quickly dispatched Laney; he will face No. 8 seed Kegan Calkins in the quarterfinal round.
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133 pounds
No. 1 Cory Clark pinned Nicolas Colunga (North Dakota) in 1:48.
Clark technical fall Jacob Colon (Grand View), 18-0.
— Clark was true to his No. 1 seed and dominated in hi s first two matches of the day to stay in the winners’ bracket. Up next, he’ll get unseeded Columbia wrestler Angelo Amenta.
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141 pounds
Topher Carton technical fall Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 21-6
Carton by medical forfeit over No. 10 Jameson Oster (Northwestern)
No. 7 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) decision Carton, 8-4
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No. 3 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) technical fall Vince Turk (unattached-Iowa), 20-5.
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Paul Glynn (unattached-Iowa) decision Brandon Lapi, 6-2.
Gabe Grahek (Wisconsin) decision Glynn, 3-0.
— All three of the wrestlers Iowa entered in the tournament at 141 pounds lost in their first three matches, which has to be a bit concerning for head coach Tom Brands. The consolation bracket will be worth paying attention to at this weight.
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149 pounds
No. 1 Brandon Sorensen pinned Jake Deangelo (North Carolina) in 4:07.
Sorensen technical fall Jason Bing (Franklin & Mary), 17-1.
Sorensen decision Josh Maruca (unattached-Arizona, 6-0.
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Michael Kemerer (unattached-Iowa) technical fall No. 11 Clayton Ream (North Dakota), 18-3.
Kemerer maj. dec. Cullen Cummings (Ohio University), 11-3.
Kemerer decision No. 6 Matthew Kraus (Arizona State), 8-3.
— Kemerer was the big story for Iowa on the day, as he rolled through the first several rounds of the tournament. He gets Old Dominion’s third-seeded Alex Richardson next. Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Ken Theobald is in line for Sorensen as he rolled into the quarterfinals.
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157 pounds
No. 7 Edwin Cooper Jr. maj. decision Logan Peterson (South Dakota), 16-4.
Cooper Jr. decision Doug Welch (Purdue), 7-1.
Cooper Jr. dec. No. 10 John Van Brill (Rutgers), 3-2.
— A close decision put Cooper Jr. in the quarterfinals, but a bit of consistency out of this weight is a good sign for Iowa. Cooper draws No. 2 seed Thomas Gantt of North Carolina next.
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165 pounds
Patrick Rhoads dec. No. 12 Joe Brewster (South Dakota State), 3-2.
Rhoads dec. Tyler Rill (Buffalo), 6-5.
A bit of a surprise, Rhoads has benefited from a weak part of his bracket. He’ll get Iowa State’s fourth-seeded Tanner Weatherman — who beat Rhoads by decision when the pair faced off in Ames earlier this year — in the next round.
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174 pounds
No. 1 Alex Meyer maj. decision Drew Foster (Northern Iowa), 11-1.
Meyer decision Jason Grimes (American), 3-2.
— Things really slowed down for Meyer in his second match of the day. He’ll get No. 9 seed Phil Bakuckas in the quarterfinals.
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184 pounds
No. 4 Sammy Brooks technical fall Derek Hillman (Eastern Michigan), 20-4.
Brooks maj. decision Dane Pestano (Iowa State), 17-5.
Brooks dec. Ben Schwery (South Dakota), 9-4.
— Brooks looked quite good during his first action of the day. He gets No. 5 seed Hayden Zillmer next.
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197 pounds
No. 1 Nathan Burak technical fall Nate Hall (Ohio University), 19-4.
Burak maj. decision Marcus Harrington (Iowa State), 16-3.
— The returning Midlands champion made quick work of his opponents. The going gets a bit tougher next round when he faces North Carolina’s Michael Boykin.
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Heavywieght
No. 4 Sam Stoll decision Chace Eskam (Arizona State), 4-1.
Stoll decision Brock Horwath (Wisconsin), 6-3.
— Up next for Stoll is Rutger’s Billy Smith, a wrestler he beat handily a few short weeks ago.
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