College Wrestling

Article Source

CHICAGO – The University of Chicago wrestling team was back in action as hosts of the Chi-Town Invite on Sunday afternoon at Henry Crown Field House.

The four-mat invite saw Triton College and University of Dubuque come out for the round-robin format, with a total of 56 wrestlers in action. The Maroons ultimately came away with six weight class champions on the day, including senior Steve Bonsall (157 pounds), junior Will Britain (165 pounds), senior Kyle Peisker (174 pounds), sophomore Ben Sarasin (184 pounds), senior Nick Carola (197 pounds) and first-year Cole Fibranz (285 pounds).

“This was kind of a unique event where three teams brought their entire squads with the idea that each get a few matches to shake the rust off after the holidays,” said Head Coach Leo Kocher. “Although we established weight class winners, the limited number of matches in each weight class prevented us from establishing other placers.”

Chi-Town Invite Weight Class Winners
125 – Memo Juarez (Triton)
133 – Bradley Ritter (Triton)
141 – Jaylan Claudio (Triton)
149 – Luke Radeke (Dubuque)
157 – Steve Bonsall (UChicago)
165 – Will Britain (UChicago)
174 – Kyle Peisker (UChicago)
184 – Ben Sarasin (UChicago)
197 – Nick Carola (UChicago)
285 – Cole Fibranz (UChicago)

NEXT MEET:

• Saturday, Jan. 4 @ 11:00 AM (ET) – UChicago at D3 National Challenge (Cleveland, Ohio)

Article Source

(FORT WORTH, Tex. – Dec. 22) – The McKendree University women’s wrestling team closed out the 2019 calendar year at the 2019 Senior Nationals and Trials Qualifier before the Christmas holiday week. Natalie Reyna (Hesperia, CA/Whittier High School), Felicity Taylor (Spillville, IA/South Winneshiek High School), Emma Bruntil (), Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool) and Kori Bullock(Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School) all placed in the top-8 of their respective weight classes.

The Bearcats had 10 wrestlers compete in the tournament, where seven placed in the top-8 of their weight classes, including a National Championship title and two qualifying spots for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Below are the individual results for the Bearcats.

50 kg.
Natalie Reyna (Hesperia, CA/Whittier High School) defeated by fall (VFA 3:56 6-3) Mariah Anderson of Rise Wrestling in the first round of competition. Reyna went on to win a 13-9 decision over unattached wrestler Asia Ray. In the quarterfinals round, Reyna was defeated by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 0:42) to Alyssa Lampe of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Reyna was placed in the consolation bracket for the 5^th place title, where she was defeated by fall (VSU 11-2, 5:56) to Alleida Martinez of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Reyna placed sixth and went 2-2 on the weekend.

Katherine Sumner (Port Byron, NY/Dana L. West) was defeated by fall at (VFA 4:3, 12-8) to unattached wrestler Ira Jean Navarro in the first round of competition. Sumer moved into the consolation bracket, where she was defeated by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 1:23) to unattached wrestler Hannah Peterson. Sumner went 0-2 on the weekend.

53 kg.
Felicity Taylor (Spillville, IA/South Winneshiek High School), ranked No.6 going into the tournament, defeated Danielle Garcia of Team Tornado Wrestling Club on a VPO 6-0 decision in the first round of competition. Taylor went on to defeat Allena Gomez of Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:21). In the quarterfinals match, Taylor was defeated by technical fall (VSU 11-0, 4:41) to Katherine Shai of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Taylor moved into the 5^th place match where she was defeated by technical fall (VSU 11-0, 5:24) to Ronna Heaton of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Taylor placed sixth and went 2-2 in the weekend.

57 kg.
Graduate Student Gabrielle Weyhrich received a bye in the first round of competition. Weyhrich defeated Alexandria Herle of Lion Wrestling club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:59). Weyhrich was defeated by fall (VFA 5:03, 6-4) to Tiana Jackson of Menlo Wrestling Club. Weyhrich moved into the consolation bracket there she defeated Allison Petix in of Team Tornado Wrestling Club in a 7-5 decision. Weyhrich’s final competition of the day was a 4-3 defeat to Gracie Figueroa of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Weyhrich went 2-2 on the weekend.

62 kg.
Emma Bruntil (), ranked No 3 going into the tournament, defeated unattached wrestler Andrea Schlabach by technical fall (VSU 2:28, 10-0) in the first round of the tournament. Bruntil went on to defeat Marlee Smith of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in an 8-0 decision. Bruntil continued her winning streak by defeating Teshya Alo of Titan Mercury Club in a 6-0 decision. Bruntil defeated Macey Kilty of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the semifinals match in a 6-4 decision. In the final match of the tournament, Bruntil defeated Maya Nelson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club by injury fault, placing first and taking the title. Bruntil placed first, awarded the National Championship title, went 5-0 on the weekend, and qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), ranked No. 7 going into the tournament, defeated Viktorya Torres of Victory Wrestling-Central WA by fall (VFA 2:34, 8-0) in the first round of the tournament. Boyd went on to win by fall (VSU 2:49, 14-1) over unattached wrestler Mattison Parker. Boyd was then defeated in a 5-0 decision to Macey Kilty of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Boyd was placed in the consolation bracket and defeated unattached wrestler Andres Schlabach by technical fall (VSU 2:43, 10-0). Boyd advanced to defeated Michaela Beck of New York Athletic Club in a 9-0 decision. Boyd was then defeated by Julia Salata of New York Wrestling Club in a 7-4 decision. In the 5^th place match, Boyd was defeated by technical fall (VSU 5:07, 12-2) to Jennifer Page of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Boyd placed sixth and went 4-3 on the weekend.

68 kg.
Joye Levendusky (Avon, NY/Avon High School) received a bye in the first round of the tournament. Levendusky’s was defeated in an 8-6 decision to Rachel Watters of New York Wrestling Club. Levendusky was placed in the consolation bracket and defeated Alma Mendoza of Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 4:24, 12-1). Levendusky advanced to defeat unattached wrestler Aine Drury by fall (VFA 1:56, 2-2). In her final match of the tournament, Levendusky was defeated in an 11-9 decision to Iman Kazem of Menlo Wrestling Club. Levendusky went 2-2 on the weekend.

Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), ranked No. 3 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, defeated unattached wrestler Adrianna Orozco by technical fall (VSU 1:25, 10-0). Glaude went on to defeat Hunter Robinson of Grand View Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 3:22 11-0). Glaude advanced to defeat Skylar Grote of New York Athletic Club in a 2-1 decision. Glaude was then defeated by Victoria Francis of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in the semifinal match, in a 3-2 decision. Glaude placed fourth, went 3-1 on the weekend, and qualified (for the second time) for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

76 kg.
Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool) defeated unattached wrestler Nessa Martinez by fall (VFA 1:25, 6-0) in her first round of the tournament. Sennett went on to defeat Marilyn Garcia of Menlo Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 4:56, 14-3). Sennett was defeated in the quarterfinals match by Precious Bell of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in a 10-4 decision.  Sennett was placed in the consolation bracket, where she went on to defeat Brittany Marshall of Cardinal Wrestling Club by fall (VFA 1:21, 4-2). Sennett was then defeated by Alyvia Fiske of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in a technical fall (VSU 4:08, 10-0). In the 7^th place match Sennett won by forfeit against school teammate Kori Bullock(Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School). Sennett placed seventh and went 4-2 in the weekend.

Kori Bullock (Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School), ranked No. 4 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, received a bye in the first round. Bullock’s first competition was Yelena Makoyed of Cardinal Wrestling Club and was defeated in a 6-3 decision. Bullock was placed in the consolation bracket, where she defeated unattached wrestler Jesaphine Lee in a 2-1 decision. Bullock went on the defeat unattached Wrestler Paige Baynes in another 4-2 decision. Bullock advanced to defeat another unattached wrestler Nkechinyere Nwankwo in a 12-3 decision. Bullock was then defeated by Rani Beltz of Army WCAP. In the 7^th place match Bullock lost by forfeit to school teammate Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool). Bullock placed eighth and went 3-3 on the weekend.

The McKendree University men’s and women’s wrestling teams will open the new year Jan 10 – 11 in Louisville, Ken. The Bearcats will be competing in the 2020 U.S Marine Corps/ NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championship, presented by ARMS Software & Defense Soap, hosted by NUWAY. The two-day competition will take place in the Kentucky Exposition Center.-McK-Print Friendly Version

Article Source

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Justin Ruffin stood on the medal stand representing SIUE wrestling at one of the most prestigious regular season tournaments in the country Monday, placing seventh at the 2019 Ken Kraft Midlands Championship.

Ruffin left no doubt in his first match of the day with a 18-2 technical fall over Wisconsin’s Drew Scharenbrock at 157 pounds. He made it to the final eight before being stopped by Central Michigan’s Logan Parks in a consolation match. Ruffin earned seventh with a medical forfeit over South Dakota State’s Cade Devos.

“He got to a lot of offense in his first match,” said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. “I know he’d like to have that second match back, but I think it was a good learning opportunity for hoim as well as the whole team. We’ll use it as a stepping stone to get better.”

Tyshawn Williams also competed Monday but was eliminated by Michigan’s Kanen Starr 6-3 in a consolation match.

SIUE’s next action is a road Mid-American Conference doubleheader Jan. 7 at Kent State and Clarion.

COMPLETE SIUE RESULTS
125 – Noah Surtin (Missouri) TF Tommy Dineen (SIUE), 16-1 2:56
125 – Beau Bayless (Harvard) MD Tommy Dineen (SIUE), 8-0
141 – Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) DEC Saul Ervin (SIUE), 6-4
141 – Alec Mckenna (Northwestern) DEC Saul Ervin (SIUE), 3-2
149 – Jeren Glosser (Iowa) TF Max Kristoff (SIUE), 15-0 7:00
149 – Denton Spencer (Virginia) F Max Kristoff (SIUE), 0:59
149 – Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) DEC Pj Ogunsanya (Army West Point), 5-2
149 – Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) DEC Griffin Parriott (Purdue), 3-1 SV
149 – Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) DEC Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 4-3
149 – Kanen Starr (Michigan) DEC Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 6-3
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) DEC Jace Luchau (Fresno State), 6-0
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) MD Ethan Karsten (American), 10-0
157 – Anthony Artalona (Penn) DEC Justin Ruffin (SIUE), 3-1
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) TF Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin), 18-2
157 – Logan Parks (Central Michigan) F Justin Ruffin (SIUE), 2:42
157 (7th place) – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) M FOR Cade Devos, South Dakota State
157 – Paden Moore (Northern Iowa) MD Coleman Brainard (SIUE), 14-2
157 – Kyle Mosher (Columbia) F Coleman Brainard (SIUE), 3:00
165 – Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) DEC Chase Diehl (SIUE), 6-1
165 – Jake Lizak (Penn) DEC Chase Diehl (SIUE), 4-0
174 – Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) TF Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 16-1 7:00
174 – Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE) DEC Jake Hendricks (Penn), 5-3
174 – David Riojas (Illinois) DEC Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 11-5
197 – Jake Boyd (Oklahoma) F Jake McKiernan (SIUE), 3:25
197 – Pete Christensen (Wisconsin) TF Jake McKiernan (SIUE), 17-2 6:59
197 – J.t. Brown (Army West Point) F Aric Bohn (SIUE), 0:45
197 – Aric Bohn (SIUE) DEC Danny Balderas (Omega Training Center), 10-4
197 – Landon Pelham (Central Michigan) F Aric Bohn (SIUE), 2:58
197 – Drew Phipps (Bucknell) F Austin Andres (SIUE), 6:29
197 – Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa) DEC Austin Andres (SIUE), 10-5
285 – Tommy Helton (SIUE) DEC Spencer Trenary (South Dakota State), 3-1
285 – Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) MD Tommy Helton (SIUE), 10-1
285 – Ben Goldin (Penn) DEC Tommy Helton (SIUE), 3-1 SV
285 – Bobby Heald (Army West Point) DEC Colton McKiernan (SIUE), 11-4
285 – Jack Delgarbino (Princeton) F Colton McKiernan (SIUE), 3:55

Article Source

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Fighting Illini Wrestling placed third at the 2019 Midlands Championships with 94.5 team points. Third place is the best finish for Illinois at Midlands since finishing second during the 2014-15 season. No. 18 Illinois beat out six teams nationally-ranked by InterMat, including No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 12 Princeton, No. 15 Northwestern and No. 16 Army West Point. 

Four Illinois wrestlers placed to help lead the Illini to the third-place team finish. Senior Travis Piotrowski (133) and redshirt senior Joey Gunther (174) both earned third-place finishes. Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan (141), redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel (165) and redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel each finished fourth in their weight classes.  

“Overall I’m really pretty pleased with our effort,” said head coach Jim Heffernan. “It’s a big tournament and we let some matches slip out of our hands, but we beat a lot of really good people. The Braunagel’s (Danny & Zac), Joey Gunther, Travis Piotrowski and Dylan Duncandid a fantastic job fighting the way back. I’m really proud of the effort, and more importantly I think we learned some lessons and found some things we need to improve on as well. We’ve got a couple of days now to recover and get back to work.” 

Redshirt senior No. 22 (FloWrestling Ranking) Joey Gunther took on No. 21 Ben Harvey in the third-place bout at 174-pounds. Gunther got out in front late in the first period with a takedown, going up 2-0. With the score at 2-1, Gunther tacked on another takedown late in the third, and would go on to win the match, 4-2, over Harvey. Third place is the the best Midlands finish for Gunther in his career. He went 5-1 at the tournament, and improves to 10-2 on the season.

Junior Travis Piotrowski finished third at 133-pounds after winning his matchup with No. 3 Sebastian Rivera on injury default by Rivera midway through the second period. Piotrowski, ranked ninth nationally, went 5-1 at the tournament en route to the best Midlands finish of his career, and is now 13-2 overall for the 2019-20 campaign. 

Redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel placed fourth at the 2019 Midlands Championships with a 5-2 record over the course of the two day tournament. Three of Braunagel’s five victories came against wrestlers ranked in the national top-25 by FloWrestling, with wins over No. 15 Shayne Oster (Northwestern), No. 18. Zach Hartman (Bucknell) and No. 20 Kennedy Monday. Braunagel rattled off three victories this afternoon in wrestlebacks to advance to the third place bout. The 5-2 record puts him at 13-4 on the season. 

Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan finished fourth at 141-pounds at Midlands, the best finish of his career at the tournament. He tallied the most wins on the team at the tournament, finishing with a 6-2 record over the two days. Duncan is now 11-4 this season. 

Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel would finish 4-2 at the tournament and place fourth at 184-pounds. Braunagel, who entered the tournament ranked No. 21 nationally at 184 by FloWrestling, knocked off No. 9 Nelson Brands (Iowa) and No. 13 Noah Stewart (Army) for two of his wins. Braunagel improved his overall record for the 2019-20 season to 12-4. 

Up next, the Illini begin their Big Ten schedule at No. 5 Penn State on Friday, January 10. The dual is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Illinois will then return home to host Indiana at Huff Hall on Sunday, January 12, at 1 p.m. CT. The promotion for the dual vs. Indiana is The Great Escape, featuring a pre-dual youth wrestling clinic, free foam fingers to the first 100 fans, and a post-dual autograph session. 

Final Team Scores

1. No. 1 Iowa, 196.5
2. No. 17 Northern Iowa, 101
3. No. 18 Illinois, 94.5
4. No. 8 Wisconsin, 93
5. No. 12 Princeton, 84.5
6. No. 25 Central Michigan, 80
7. No. 16 Army West Point, 78.5
8. Purdue, 75
9. No. 15 Northwestern, 70.5
10. No. 23 North Carolina, 65

-3rd out of 35 

Full Illinois Place-Winner Results

133: #9 Travis Piotrowski (Sr.) | 5-1

Champ Round of 32: #9 Travis Piotrowski tech. fall Dominic Dentino (Wisconsin), 15-0
Champ Round of 16: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan), 6-1
Quarterfinal: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. #10 Noah Gonser (Campbell), 5-3
Semifinal: #1 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) dec. #9 Travis Piotrowski, 10-4
Cons. Semifinal: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. #21 Louie Hayes (Virginia), 6-4
Third Place Match: #9 Travis Piotrowski inj. default #3 Sebastian Rivera, 4:20
Travis Piotrowski places 3rd.

174: #22 Joey Gunther (r-Sr.) | 5-1

Champ Round of 32: #22 Joey Gunther dec. Lennox Wolak (Columbia), 8-4
Champ Round of 16: #22 Joey Gunther TB-2 Brandon Martino (Fresno State), 2-1
Quarterfinal: #22 Joey Gunther dec. Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin), 3-2
Semifinal: #5 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) major dec. #22 Joey Gunther, 9-1 
Cons. Semifinal: #22 Joey Gunther dec. #20 Jacob Covaciu (Indiana), 3-1 
Third Place Match: #22 Joey Gunther dec. #21 Ben Harvey (Army). 4-2
Joey Gunther places 3rd.

141: Dylan Duncan (r-Jr.) | 6-2

Champ Round of 64: Dylan Duncan Fall Lawrence Saenz (Fresno State), 4:08
Champ Round of 32: Dylan Duncan Fall Lukus Stricker (Harvard), 5:26
Champ Round of 16: Dylan Duncan dec. #23 Matt Kazimir (Columbia), 8-2 
Quarterfinal: #7 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Dylan Duncan, 8-5
Cons. Round of 8 #2: Dylan Duncan dec. Gabriel Tagg (North Carolina), 10-5
Cons. Round of 4: Dylan Duncan dec. #17 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan), 7-4
Cons. Semifinal: Dylan Duncan med. forfeit #8 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin), MFF
Third Place Match: Zach Sherman (North Carolina) dec. Dylan Duncan, 3-2
Dylan Duncan places 4th.

165: Danny Braunagel (r-Fr.) | 5-2

Champ Round of 32: Danny Braunagel Fall Mason Smith (Army), 4:27 
Champ Round of 16: Danny Braunagel dec. #15 Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 10-6
Quarterfinal: #6 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) dec. Danny Braunagel, 5-2 
Cons. Round of 8 #2: Danny Braunagel dec. Cameron Amine (Michigan), 3-1
Cons. Round of 4: Danny Braunagel SV-1 #20 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina), 3-1
Cons. Semifinal: Danny Braunagel dec. #18 Zach Hartman (Bucknell), 10-4
Third Place Match: #3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) major dec. Danny Braunagel, 13-3
Danny Braunagel places 4th.

184: #21 Zac Braunagel (r-Fr.) | 4-2 

Champ Round of 32: #21 Zac Braunagel tech. fall Jed Smith (Army), 20-2
Champ Round of 16: #21 Zac Braunagel major dec. Anthony Orozco (Menlo), 10-4
Quarterfinal: #21 Zac Braunagel dec. #9 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 3-2 
Semifinal: Abe Assad (Iowa) Fall #21 Zac Braunagel, 2:05
Cons. Semifinal: #21 Zac Braunagel dec. #13 Noah Stewart (Army), 3-1
Third Place Match: Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. #21 Zac Braunagel, 5-3
Zac Braunagel places 4th.

#- National ranking from FloWrestling

For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Wrestling, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@illiniwrestling) and Instagram (illiniwrestling) and like Fighting Illini Wrestling on Facebook. Print Friendly Version

Article Source

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – A pair of Huskie wrestlers placed at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships after the final day of competition at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Monday.

“The guys wrestled hard and we had some nice individual performances,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. “We have a lot to build on and a lot to learn from. Freshmen Izzak and Gage competed with maturity to secure podium finishes.”

Gage Braun (197) and Izzak Olejnik (165) placed fifth and eighth, respectively, after battling their way through Monday’s bouts. Both wrestlers opened the round of 12 with victories.

Down 5-4 late in the third period, Olejnik recorded a reversal with 30 seconds left to defeat Jake Keating of Virginia, 6-5. However, he suffered a 7-4 decision to Phillip Conigliaro of Harvard in his next match before getting pinned in the first period in the seventh-place match by North Carolina’s Kennedy Monday.

Braun was aggressive early in his first match of the day. The Huskie redshirt freshman recorded a first period takedown over his opponent, Brandon Whitman of North Carolina. Braun earned a 6-5 decision to stay alive in the tournament.

He won his next match 7-5 over Army’s Alexander Hopkins to continue to advance through the tournament. However, Braun fell, 18-5, to Princeton’s Pat Brucki, putting him into the fifth-place match. A medical forfeit by Minnesota’s Hunter Ritter allowed Braun to take fifth place at 197.

Bryce West (125) and McCoy Kent (149) also competed Monday, but suffered defeats in their bouts.

NIU finished in 13th place with 44 points, while Iowa won the event with 196.5.

The Huskies return to action Sunday, Jan. 5 when NIU welcomes Central Michigan to Victor E. Court. The match begins at 2 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+.

-NIU-

Cody Goodwin, Hawk CentralPublished 4:36 p.m. CT Dec. 27, 2019 | Updated 11:23 a.m. CT Dec. 28, 2019

Article Source THE DES MOINES REGISTER

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Abe Assad joined the Iowa wrestling program out of Glenbard North High School, about an hour from Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University. A few years ago, Assad and his dad made the 40-mile trek to watch the Midlands Championships.

Back then, a young Assad brought an Iowa hat along for the ride, and at the conclusion of the finals session, he actually got it signed by former Hawkeye star Brent Metcalf. Head coach Tom Brands and associate head coach Terry Brands signed it, too.

“I think I still have it, actually,” Assad said last week. “They probably don’t remember, but I do. That was fun.”

This week, Assad will return to the Midlands, this time at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. This time, he’s a competitor, a true freshman for the Iowa wrestling program.

This time, he didn’t come to watch and ask for autographs. He came to wrestle in Monday’s finals session.

“I’m not going there for second,” Assad said. “I’m not going there to just place or get a couple of matches in. I’m going there to wrestle hard every match and win the tournament.”

Iowa’s Abe Assad, left, wrestles Cash Wilcke during the second day of preseason Hawkeye wrestling matches, Friday, Nov., 8, 2019, inside the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

There are many intriguing subplots to follow at the 57th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, which runs Sunday and Monday. The field is expected to feature at least nine teams from Trackwrestling’s latest top-25 poll, including No. 1 Iowa, No. 13 Northern Iowa and even NAIA superpower Grand View. Individual matchups and team positioning are all on the line.

In the case of the top-ranked Hawkeyes, it will be the first opportunity to see them in a tournament setting this season. Brands hopes to solve some lineup spots — 141 and 184 pounds — and to see his team dominate. Iowa has won 28 Midlands team titles. If this year’s team is truly a national title contender, it should win another team crown by a wide margin.

“It’s a good barometer for everybody,” Brands said. “It’s a barometer for my evaluation perspective, as well, because if our guys are throwing their hat in the ring just to see where they’re at, then we need to work on their mentality.

“This is about being the best that you can be, one match at a time.”

► MORE WRESTLING COVERAGE FROM THE DES MOINES REGISTER

• A collection of football and wrestling stories from Kirk Ferentz and Tom Brands
• All-Decade Wrestling: The best Iowa, ISU and UNI wrestlers from the 2010s
• Greco-Roman national champion commits to Northern Iowa
• Iowa’s Spencer Lee wins U.S. Senior Nationals, qualifies for the Olympic Trials

Another fun reason to follow the Midlands is that it operates like an open tournament, meaning anybody can enter and compete. Iowa has routinely used it as a proving ground, of sorts, for its true freshmen.

Enter Assad, perhaps the most well-known of the Hawkeyes’ small-but-talented true freshmen class.

The Carol Stream native joined Iowa as a ballyhooed recruit, the No. 29 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He won two state titles for Glenbard North, a bronze medal at the Cadet freestyle world championships and a Junior men’s freestyle national championship last July.

This season, Assad is 11-2 while competing unattached at 184 pounds. He’s competed in three tournaments — the Grand View Open (second), the Lindenwood Open (third) and the Jim Koch Open at Wisconsin-Parkside (first). He’s recorded two pins and three technical falls.

“A guy there with a lot of talent,” Brands said. “His upside is huge. We want him to continue to get more college-oriented in this room. When you come from a high school program and you’re the alpha male, sometimes it’s hard to look at it like it’s nothing but survival.

“But it’s not survival. We want to persevere and overcome and rise to the occasion in these challenges, no matter who our opponent is in this practice room — and there’s some tough practice partners in this room for all of our younger guys.”

Assad first made his presence felt during Iowa’s preseason matchups. In a matchup against senior Cash Wilcke, Assad wrestled tough in a 3-2 loss. He pushed the pace and hand-fought hard and flashed a strong gas tank.

Since then, Assad said the biggest stride he’s made this season has been between the ears. He often goes with Wilcke, Nelson Brands, Jacob Warner and Michael Kemerer in practices. It requires a great deal of mental fortitude, he said, to drill with the nation’s best each day.

“There’s been some technical things I’ve changed and improved,” Assad said. “But my mindset, going into practice, I have to get ready for it every day. Some days, I’d come in and not be ready, and it would show on the mat. Having a strong mind has helped me a lot.”

Added Tom Brands: “He’s definitely made progress, and we have to keep that going. When you look at guys, where they start and where they end up, they don’t come out of nowhere. You don’t just get your butt whipped, your butt whipped, your butt whipped, then, just because it’s my time to put a Hawkeye singlet on, I’m the guy and, all of a sudden, I’m going to shine.

“It’s about the attitude and the fight when you’re in here, not necessarily the scores or the results. But that has to correlate to scores and results in competition. You asked about Abe Assad — he’s on track.”

Iowa’s Cash Wilcke, left, wrestles Abe Assad during the second day of preseason Hawkeye wrestling matches, Friday, Nov., 8, 2019, inside the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

The Midlands will be his toughest test to date.

Among those expected to compete at 184 this weekend are eight ranked competitors in Trackwrestling’s latest national rankings. That includes Northern Iowa’s fourth-ranked Taylor Lujan, Iowa’s 10th-ranked Nelson Brands, as well as Wilcke and many others.

The Midlands has previously been a launching pad for some of Iowa’s current stars. Kemerer, currently No. 2 nationally at 174 pounds, placed fifth as a true freshman in 2015. Tony Cassioppi, Iowa’s fourth-ranked heavyweight, took seventh last season. Alex Marinelli, No. 2 nationally at 165, took fourth in 2016 and has won each of the last two.

Assad is excited for the challenge. He’s expecting a big crowd — Glenbard North is less than 15 miles from Sears Centre Arena — and hopes to give them a show.

“I’m not just throwing my hat into the ring,” Assad said. “I want to go in there, fight and score points. I know I can win this tournament.”

And if he does, perhaps he’ll be the one handing out autographs after Monday’s finals session.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.

57th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships

• WHEN: Sunday-Monday
• WHERE: Sears Centre Arena, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
• WATCH: Flowrestling ($)

Article Source

Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

CCIW Release

Dec. 24, 2019 — North Central College men’s wrestling senior Anthony Rink has been selected as this week’s College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Wrestler of the Week, receiving the distinction for the first time in his career. The CCIW announced its latest award winners on Tuesday.

Rink’s recognition follows a perfect 3-0 run at the Desert Duals on Sunday in Las Vegas. He kicked off the day with a dominant major decision, 18-4, over Sam Wenzel from the ninth-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, before going head-to-head with 2019 NCAA All-American and fifth-ranked Brady Fritz of the No. 1-ranked Wartburg College. Rink came out on top with a 5-4 decision. The senior finished the day with a 7-2 decision over Brandon Minear from Trine University. 

The Kankakee-native has compiled a 14-3 record this season at 149-pounds with five pins, four tech falls and two major decisions to his name. Rink also remains unbeaten in dual meets with a 4-0 record.

This is the 36th Weekly CCIW Award in program history and second of the season for North Central, following Ian Mullen’s selection on Nov. 19.

North Central returns to competition on Jan. 7 for a CCIW dual against Elmhurst College, to be contested at R.A. Faganel Hall at 7 p.m.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.

Article Source

(FORT WORTH, Tex., – Dec. 21) – The McKendree University women’s wrestlers faced tough competition on the first day of the 2019 Senior Nationals and Trials Qualifier Friday afternoon. The first day consisted of the women’s freestyle 50 kg, 53 kg and 57 kg brackets. The women’s freestyle 62 kg, 68 kg and 76 kg brackets will begin on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Below are the results for the Bearcats after the first day of competition.

50 kg.
Katherine Sumner (Port Byron, NY/Dana L. West) was defeated by fall at (VFA 4:3, 12-8) to unattached wrestler Ira Jean Navarro. Sumer moved into the consolation bracket, where she was defeated by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 1:23) to unattached wrestler Hannah Peterson. Sumner went 0-2 on the day.

53 kg.
Felicity Taylor (Spillville, IA/South Winneshiek High School), ranked No.6 going into the tournament, defeated Danielle Garcia of Team Tornado Wrestling Club on a VPO 6-0 decision. Taylor went on to defeat Allena Gomez of Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:21). Taylor was defeated by technical fall (VSU 11-0, 4:41) to Katherine Shai of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Taylor went 2-1 in the day.

57 kg.
Graduate Student Gabrielle Weyhrich received a bye in the first round of competition. Weyhrich defeated Alexandria Herle of Lion Wrestling club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:59). Weyhrich was defeated by fall (VFA 5:03, 6-4) to Tiana Jackson of Menlo Wrestling Club. Weyhrich went 1-1 on the day.

Alexia Ward (Portland, OR/Westview High School) received a bye in the first round of competition. Ward defeated Emily Se of Lion Wrestling by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 2:21). Ward advanced to the next round and defeated No. 2 ranked Lauren Louive in a 2-2 decision (VPO1) of New York Athletic Club. Ward will compete in the quarterfinals match against Cameron Guerin of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club on Saturday. Ward went 2-0 on the day.

62 kg. First day of competition will be on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Emma Bruntil (), ranked No 3 going into the tournament, will face unattached wrestler Andrea Schlabach.

Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), ranked No. 7 going into the tournament, will take on Viktorya Torres of Victory Wrestling Club WA.

68 kg. First day of competition will be on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Joye Levendusky (Avon, NY/Avon High School) received a bye in the first round. Levenducky’s first competition will be the winner between Rachel Watters (New York Athletic Club) and Rachel Mahlow (unattached).

Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), ranked No. 3 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, will face unattached wrestler Adrianna Orozco.

76 kg. First day of competition will be on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool) will face unattached wrestler Nessa Martinez.

Kori Bullock (Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School), ranked No. 4 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, received a bye in the first round. Bulloc’s first competition will be the winner between Anna Naylor (unattached) and Yelena Makoyed (Cardinal Wrestling Club).

Day 2 of the 2019 Senior Nationals and Trials Qualifier will begin on Saturday Dec. 21 at 10:00 A.M.-McK-

Article Source

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Missing several key starters, the Elmhurst wrestling team dropped all three of its contests at the Gator Boots Duals in Tennessee. 

Elmhurst fell 46-6 to UW-Eau Claire before dropping a 36-14 decision to Manchester. Elmhurst closed the day with a 26-19 loss to Mount St. Joseph. 

UW-EAU CLAIRE 46, ELMHURST 6 – Elmhurst struggled in the opening dual meet against UW-Eau Claire, falling 46-6. Justin Hames received a forfeit at 133 pounds to account for Elmhurst’s only points of the dual. UW-Eau Claire won six of the nine matches by fall. 

MANCHESTER 36, ELMHURST 14 – Manchester won the first seven matches before Elmhurst took home victories in the final three weight classes to account for the team’s 14 points.

Dominc Gallo scored Elmhurst’s first points of the dual by scoring a 17-0 technical fall over Devontay Moore at 184 pounds. Victor Vargas followed with an 11-7 win over Jasper Donaldson at 197 pounds. Karim Fuentes pinned Nico Torres in 4:30. at 285 pounds. 

MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 26, ELMHURST 19 – Mount St. Joseph won five of the first six matches to jump out to a 20-6 lead before holding off the Bluejays for a 26-19 win.

Joe Rongaus put the Bluejays’ first points on the scoreboard by pinning Kaden Darbro in 4:58 at 141 pounds. Nevin Brittain scored a 5-2 win over Sam Bohannon at 174 pounds while Gallo followed with a 9-1 major decision over Donald Wilson at 184 pounds. Fuentes scored the final points of the dual for Elmhurst by pinning Cameron Sauerwein in 5:31. 

      Article Source

The 17th ranked Millikin wrestling team went 4-2 at the Gator ‘Boots’ Duals in Nashville, Tennessee on December 21.
         The Big Blue field two teams in the event.  Millikin opened the day win wins over the University of the Ozarks 34-11 and the Huntingdon College 37-7.  The Big Blue knocked off Simpson College 34-12 before losing to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 27-21 and Luther College 22-17.  The Big Blue won its final match of the day 59-0 over Wilmington.
          Millikin’s Bradan Birt went 4-0 on the day with three pins and a 18-2 technical fall victory at 165 pounds.  Birt improves to 16-1 on the season.  Birt is ranked fifth in Division III at 165 pounds.
Tristan Birt went 3-0 at 157 pounds with two pins and an 18-2 technical fall victory.  Sophomore Ren Dazey was 3-0 at 133 pounds and freshman Maxx Fritz was 3-0 at 141 pounds with two pins.  Sean McKenna, Taylor McGiffen and Shaylan Loomis-Lucas were 2-0.  AJ Fox was 3-1 with three pins at 184 pounds.
         Millikin is now 13-3 on the season.

Millikin 34 University of the Ozarks 11

Millikin 37 Huntingdon 7

Millikin 34 Simpson 12

University of Wisconsin Eau Claire 27 Millikin 21

Luther College 22 Millikin 17

Millikin 59 Wilmington 0