By Jordan Hansen
EVANSTON, Ill. — While there’s still plenty of consolation wrestling left to be done in the third session of the Midlands Championships, the finals matches are set, and Iowa will be represented in three of them.
The Hawkeyes started off the day with seven finals contenders, but that number was whittled down to three as the semifinal round marched on.
After the third session, Iowa leads the team race of the championships with a score of 136. Nebraska is in second at 130, while Rutgers has scored 108 points and sits in third. North Carolina State and Iowa State round out the top five with scores of 85.5 and 64. Rider is tied for fifth with 64 points.
(All rankings reflect seeding in the tournament)
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125 pounds
No. 1 Thomas Gilman decision Joshua Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-1.
— A second-period takedown was the real difference in this match. Rodriguez wrestled Gilman well and did not allow him to dictate the pace as the Iowa wrestler has been known to do. On to the finals.
Up next: No. 2 Ronnie Rios (Oregon State)
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133 pounds
No. 13 Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) medical forfeit over No. 1 Cory Clark
— Welp. It’s not clear right now why Clark forfeited this match, but it’s never a good sign. Iowa will need Clark long-term this season, but even a minor injury at this point in the season could drag into the championship season. March will come fast, and if this is something that’s not going away, it could be a major blow to the Hawkeyes’ championship hopes.
Up next: Likely nothing. Clark forfeited his first consolation match, and it would be shocking if he didn’t forfeit the fifth/sixth place match as well.
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149 pounds
No. 1 Brandon Sorensen decision No. 4 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 7-4
— Sueflohn is a legitimate wrestler and gave Sorensen a bit of trouble during the early portions of the match. Outside of the first period, the closest the match got was in the middle of the third. Sueflohn had a nice shot, nearly getting a takedown and making things interesting, but Sorensen managed to fight it off. Speaking of interesting, the championship is a rematch of two wrestlers who got to know each other very well on the mat last season.
Up next: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)
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165 pounds (consolation matches)
Patrick Rhoads decision Austin Reese (Ohio University), 5-2.
Austin Wilson (Nebraska) decision Rhoads, 4-2.
Rhoads pinned Tyler Rill (Buffalo) in 6:42.
— While Rhoads probably didn’t have the tournament he wanted, ending with a fall wasn’t a bad way to end a somewhat disappointing tournament. He did, however, finish seventh.
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174 pounds
No. 4 Cody Walters decision No. 1 Alex Meyer, 7-0.
— Meyer has not wrestled particularly well during this tournament, and it finally caught up to him. Tied 0-0 entering the third, Walters picked up a reversal followed by a 4-point near fall. Walters also rode Meyer for the entire second-period and finished with over three minutes of riding time.
Meyer decision David Kocer (South Dakota State), 3-2.
— Another slow match for Meyer, but he ground out a win and moves to the third-place match.
What’s next: Third-place match against Micah Barnes (Nebraska)
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184 pounds
No. 1 David Taylor (Nittany Lion Wrestling Club) decision No. 4 Sammy Brooks, 7-2.
— While it’s encouraging for Iowa that this was easily Taylor’s toughest match all tournament, Brooks has to be at least a little disappointed with how things turned out. Brooks got in on Taylor’s leg toward the end of the second period but couldn’t do anything with it. Brooks heads to the consolation rounds, in which it wouldn’t be a shocker if he managed to pick up two more wins and finish third.
Brooks decision Pete Renda (North Carolina State), 8-7.
— A late stalling point and escape after a Renda takedown gave Brooks the lead and put him in the third-place match.
Up next: Third-place match against Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota)
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197 pounds
No. 1 Nathan Burak decision No. 5 Austin Studebaker, 4-2.
— Burak got a takedown early in the match and just sat on it. The only real threat in this match came at the very end, when Studebaker got in on a very nice shot with a few seconds remaining. However, Burak fought him off, locked up riding time, and moved on to the finals.
Up next: No. 14 Derek White (Nebraska)
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Heavyweight
No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) major decision No. 4 Sam Stoll, 10-1.
— First of all, it would have been a massive upset for Stoll to win this match. With the win, Gwiazdowski now has 70-straight victories and has won two national championships in a row. He’s an excellent wrestler and zeroed in on Stoll’s biggest weakness — being on bottom — right away. Gwiazdowski had more than three minutes of riding time by the middle of the second period and finished with more than five minutes total.
Stoll pinned Dawson Peck (Maryland) in 6:42
— Stoll struggled mightily through the first part of the match. Peck had riding time locked up in the third period, led 4-2, and seemed to have the match well in hand. However, Peck had some sort of injury — looked like a shoulder issue — and the match stopped. Peck was able to continue wrestling, but it was obvious he was no where near 100 percent. Stoll got him for a takedown, cut him loose, then took another shot that ended in a pin.
Up next: Third-place match against Ross Larson (Oklahoma)
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