By Courtney Baumann | [email protected]
EVANSTON, Ill. — After the first 490 bouts that took place during Session 1 of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, the Iowa wrestling team is sitting pretty in first place with 45 team points on Dec. 29.
The Hawkeyes are vying for their 26th team title in the 54 years the Midlands Championships have been around.
Last season, three Iowa wrestlers were crowned individual champions at the tournament. Both Thomas Gilman and Brandon Sorensen have returned to attempt to reclaim their titles. The third Iowa champion, Nathan Burak, graduated after last season.
Nine Hawkeyes remain in the championship bracket after the end of the first session.
Here’s what happened, what’s next.
125
Gilman, Iowa’s Commander-in-Chief and No. 1 seed in the 125-pound bracket, rolled through his first three bouts into the quarterfinals.
The senior finished with a pin and two technical falls over Donald Keeley, Justin Patrick, and Jens Lantz. He leads Iowa in team points with 8.
Gilman will take on No. 8 seed Lucas Malmberg of Messiah in the quarterfinals in Session 2.
133
Iowa is competing without No. 1 ranked Cory Clark, who is still out with an injury; Phillip Laux is wrestling in his place once again. He had a first-round bye but lost in the second round to No. 9 seed Bryan Lantry. He dropped to the consolation bracket, in which he received another bye.
Laux earned his first couple of team points for the Hawkeyes after picking up a major decision in the consolation bracket over Alijah Jeffery of Northern Illinois.
141
No. 7 seed Topher Carton has made it look relatively easy so far. The senior picked up a major decision over South Dakota’s Isaac Andrade and pinned Southern Illinois-Edwards’ Trevor Feagans in his first two matches of the day.
Carton advanced into the quarterfinals with a decision over No. 10 seed Mike Longo of Oklahoma. Carton, who has 6 team points for the Hawkeyes, will face No. 2 seed Kevin Jack during Session 2.
149
Sorensen moved onto the quarterfinals in dominating fashion, pinning No. 16 seed Davion Jeffries in 4:13. The 2015 Midlands champ picked up team points from winning his second-round match after a first-round bye.
The No. 1 seed will next compete against Ryan Deakin (unattached, Northwestern).
157
Midlands is good to Michael Kemerer. The redshirt freshman took fifth place at 149 last year while competing unattached, and he is now headed to the quarterfinals this season. He is 3-0 so far with two major decision and a decision and will take on Purdue’s Alex Griffin in the quarterfinals.
Skyler St. John had a rough go of it at 157. The sophomore lost both of his matches to be eliminated from the tournament early.
165
Joey Gunther lost his first match after a first-round bye but followed it with two consolation bracket wins to stay alive in the competition.
Two other Iowa wrestlers remain in the championship bracket. Freshmen Alex Marinelli and Kaleb Young will both compete in the quarterfinals as unattached wrestlers.
The two combined to go 4-0. Marinelli won by fall and decision over Clayton Bass and Andrew Fogarty, and unseeded Young had a huge upset over No. 3 seed Clark Glass.
Marinelli will take on two-time national champion Isaiah Martinez in the quarterfinals, and Young will meet Lorenzo De La Riva from Cal State-Bakersfield.
174
Alex Meyer was the seventh Hawkeye to advance to the quarterfinals. He picked up two major decisions over Rider’s Dean Sherry and Purdue’s Jacob Morrissey.
Meyer will take on No. 10 seed Josef Johnson of Harvard in Session 2.
184
Sammy Brooks added to the total of Hawkeyes headed to the quarterfinals with a major decision over South Dakota’s Zac Carlson.
The senior racked up 6 team points for the Hawkeyes with his two wins after a bye and a second-round pin.
No. 4 seed Brooks will take on No. 5 seed Nathan Jackson next.
197
Cash Wilcke finished Session I 1-1, with a major decision win in the second round after a bye and a third-round loss to No. 2 ranked Lefever. He will compete against unattached Rutgers wrestler Kevin Mulligan, who lost in the first round but has won two straight in the consolation bracket.
285
Finally making his return from an injury that ended his season last year, Sam Stoll is in the quarterfinals for the second straight year. The No. 3 seed defeated Jake Gunning and No. 14 seed Dean Broghammer in his two matches of the day, earning him 3 team points.
Steven Holloway was the second Iowa wrestler to get knocked out of the competition. He lost back-to-back matches to No. 4 seed Brooks Black and Nebraska’s David Jensen.
Team Standings after Session 1
- Iowa 45.0
- Rutgers 42.5
- Nebraska 39.5
- Illinois 36.5
- Arizona State 34.0
- Wisconsin 33.0
- South Dakota State 31.0
- NC State 30.0
- Oklahoma 29.5
- Central Michigan 28.0