Iowa Wrestling broke several records over the last two days in winning their 29th team title in the fifty-seven year history if Midlands. Iowa scored 196.5 points with five champs to top their own record of 189 points in 2014. Iowa scored more points than the second and third place teams combined without a full lineup. This was the seventh straight Midlands team title for the Hawks.
A few thoughts about each weight:
125 – Spencer Lee wrestled three matches on Sunday by recording a fall in :54 and :52 and then a 16-1 tech fall. Lee did not compete on Monday. I can only speculate that this was part of a plan. Lee just competed at U.S. Nationals the week before by winning the 57kg title. I was surprised that he competed at Midlands at all. Spencer Lee is…Spencer Lee.
133 – Austin DeSanto dominated on his way to the finals with a tech fall, two major decisions, and a 10-4 decision. In the finals DeSanto lost a 6-5 decision to Seth Gross of Wisconsin. Of course you always want to see a Hawkeye win. However, this was one entertaining match and the best match of the entire tournament. I feel confident in DeSanto in a rematch.
141 – Mad Max Murin picked up his first Midlands title with a 4-0 decision over Josh Heil of Campbell in the finals. This is a big step for Murin who placed second at Midlands last year. 141 is loaded in the Big Ten so Murin will see the best that the country has to offer. A Midlands title should add to Murin’s confidence for the upcoming schedule. Good job Max Murin.
149 – Patricio Lugo has arrived as a National Champion contender at 149. Lugo had a great tournament in winning the title at 149 over #1 ranked Austin O’Connor of North Carolina in the finals, 8-4. In the takedown battle, Lugo was on top 3-0. Lugo also defeated All-American Max Thompsen of UNI in the semifinals. That is a very good day for Lugo. With this Midlands title, Lugo should be ranked #1 in the country in the next rankings.
157 – Kaleb Young won his first Midlands title with a hard fought 5-3 win over Markus Hartman of Army. Young is always working hard and is a prototypical Iowa Hawkeye grinder that keeps moving forward and finds a way to win. A real solid tournament for Young.
165 – Alex Marinelli put on a display in winning his third Midlands title in a row. Marinelli pinned his first four opponents before winning by an 8-3 decision in the semifinals. In the finals, Marinelli looked real tough in defeating fourth ranked David McFadden of Virginia Tech, 5-3. Marinelli looked great on both of his takedowns against a real good opponent. Marinelli was named as Champion of Champions, scored the most points, and recorded the most falls of Midlands. That is getting it done.
174 – Iowa did not enter a wrestler at 174 as Michael Kemerer did not compete. The prize is at Nationals. As a fan, I couldn’t agree more with this decision along with Spencer Lee not competing from the semifinals on. It is all about the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, MN on March 19-21, 2020.
184 – Iowa had three wrestlers competing at this weight. Cash Wilcke defeated Nelson Brands in the Consolations by a 4-2 decision. Wilcke went on to place third and Brands did not place. This was a real good showing for Wilcke that should help him in the final stretch of the season.
True freshman Abe Assad placed second at 184 and was very impressive. Assad showed a lot of promise in the finals where he dropped a 4-0 decision to nationally fourth ranked Tyler Lujan of UNI. Assad has a great future at 184.
197 – Jacob Warner placed fourth after entering the tournament as the top seed. This was not a good tournament for Warner who was ranked #2 in the country. Warner really turned his season around last year after a disappointing Midlands. I look for Warner to respond with a better performance for the upcoming Big Ten schedule and for Big Tens and Nationals.
Hwt – Anthony Cassioppi continues to impress by winning his first Midlands title. Cassioppi defeated fifth ranked Matt Stencil of Central Michigan in the finals, 5-1. The takedown that Cassioppi scored in this match showed elite technique, patience, and timing for such a young wrestler against a highly ranked opponent. Another impressive showing for Cassioppi.
There are too many positives to mention for Iowa Wrestling coming out of Midlands. Overall this was a very impressive showing. My favorite part of the tournament? The technique that I saw out of Iowa wrestlers. Finishing takedown, mat returns, and overall mat awareness are all improved from last year. Seeing the growth of Murin and Lugo in these areas alone is a big step up. One of my favorite moves in the sport of wrestling is an old fashioned mat return. Iowa was getting it done on mat returns with solid technique, pop, attitude, and aggression and I loved it.
Iowa will go on the road to compete next at Indiana on January 10 and Purdue on January 12. There will be some very good matches against Purdue, a program on the rise. Every single match is huge in the Big Ten season for seeds at the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
The performance by Iowa at Midlands was a great way to end 2019. I will keep saying that 2020 has the potential to be a special year for us Iowa Wrestling fans. I am even more assured of that with what we saw at Midlands.
2019 Midlands
- Iowa – 196.5
- UNI – 101
- Illinois – 94.5
- Wisconsin – 93
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
