4 Iowa Wrestlers Earn Midland Championships
Four Iowa Hawkeyes wrestlers collect four individual titles and set tournament points record at the 52nd Midlands Championships.
The University of Iowa wrestling team won four individual titles and scored a tournament-record 189.0 points to win the 52nd annual Midlands Championships on Tuesday night.
The Hawkeyes’ 189 team points broke their previous record of 187.5, set in 2013. Illinois was a distant second with 130.5, followed by Northwestern (106), Edinboro (101) and Virginia Tech (99.5). Iowa has won a record 24 Midlands team titles.
Iowa crowned four champions -- Cory Clark, Mike Evans, Nathan Burak, Bobby Telford -- for the first time since 2007, when Joe Slaton, Dan LeClere, Mark Perry, and Brent Metcalf all earned first place finishes at their respective weights.
No. 3 seeded Clark took the 133 title after advancing to the finals for the first time in three trips to the Midlands Championships. He previously collected a fourth-place finish in 2012 and a sixth-place finish in 2013. Clarkimproves his overall record to 14-0 after this championship win.
“It felt good to have a first-place performance instead of a sixth and previous year fourth, so it’s a big jump for me, especially going up a weight,” Clark said. “At the same time, all this tournament is for me is a learning experience and I’ve learned a lot.”
Evans defended his championship at 174 after a 2-1 victory over the No. 2 seed Zac Bruson from Illinois. Evans is the first repeat champion since Brent Metcalf won three straight titles from 2007-2009.
Iowa 197-pounder Nathan Burak, seeded first and wrestling unattached, collected his first Midlands Championship title. He took on the sixth-seeded Timmy McCall (Wisconsin) in the finals and clinched the match with a takedown in the final seconds to win, 4-3. Burak previously came in third during his first appearance and his all-time Midlands record stands at 10-1.
Bobby Telford, the No. 2 seed at 285, walked away with a first-place finish after a battle with the top-seeded Mike McMullan of Northwestern. The pair had met five times previously and Telford improved upon his 2011 and 2013 second-place finishes.
“It’s a big win,” Telford said. “I’ve been in this situation three times, I’ve gotten second twice and that kind of lingers with a guy. It was my last chance at it and it was my last chance to get the feather in my hat with a Midlands championship.”
Thomas Gilman, the defending champion at 125, fell to the second-seeded Joey Dance from Virginia Tech, 3-1, in the second sudden-victory period. It was Gilman’s first loss of the season, tallying a record of 14-1 overall.
The Hawkeyes also closed out the Midlands Championships with four third-place finishes. Sixth-seeded Brandon Sorenson (149), No. 5 seed Michael Kelly (157), No. 10 seed Alex Meyer (174), and No. 3 seed Sammy Brooks (184) each won their consolation finalsmatches.
Josh Dziewa (141) and Nick Moore (165) both collected fourth-place finishes at the Midlands. Dziewa was defeated by the No. 10 seed Joseph McKenna (Lehigh-unattached), in a 3-1 decision. Moore ultimately fell to fourth-seeded Jackson Morse (Illinois) in a 5-2 decision.
Iowa returns to action on Jan. 2 at Rutgers. The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) and is televised on BTN. The Hawkeyes then travel to Ohio State to compete Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. (CT).
FINALS RESULTS: (# indicates tournament seed)
- 125 – #2 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) sudden victory #1 Thomas Gilman (IA), 3-1
- 133 – #3 Cory Clark (IA) dec. #4 Zane Richards (Illinois), 4-2
- 174 – #1 Mike Evans (IA) dec. #2 Zac Brunson (Illinois), 2-1
- 197 – #1 Nathan Burak (IA-unat.) dec. #6 Timmy McCall (Wisconsin), 4-3
- 285 – #2 Bobby Telford (IA) dec. #1 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 4-2
THIRD-PLACE RESULTSL
- 141 – #10 Joseph McKenna (Lehigh-unat.) dec. #3 Josh Dziewa (IA), 3-1
- 149 – #6 Brandon Sorenson (IA) dec. #10 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech), 6-0
- 157 – #5 Mike Kelly (IA) dec. #4 Chad Walsh (Rider), 4-3
- 165 – #4 Jackson Morse (Illinois) dec. #2 Nick Moore (IA),5-2
- 174 – #10 Alex Meyer (IA) major dec. Josh Snook ( Maryland), 13-5
- 184 – #3 Sammy Brooks (IA) dec. #4 Hayden Zillmer (N. Dakota St.), 3-1
FIFTH-PLACE RESULTS:
- 149 – #4 Brody Grothus (IA) forfeited to #3 Rick Durso (Franklin and Marshall- unattached)