Written by Morrie Adams

Iowa reclaimed its team title at the 49th Midlands Tournament with 5 Hawks in the finals. Iowa scored 152 points, 51.5 points more then second place Northwestern University. Unfortunately, Iowa was only able to claim one individual title with Matt McDonough’s fall at 125. McDonough defeated Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) with a fall in 4:02. Garnett had defeated #1 seed Jessie Delgado (Il.) preventing McDonough from avenging his only defeat this year.

 

Number one seed, Tony Ramos cruised into the finals before dropping a 6-4 sudden victory defeat to another Virginia Tech wrestler, Devin Carter. Former Iowa National Champ Kevin Dresser coaches Virginia Tech. This was Ramos’s first loss this year. Ramos was in on several shots, but didn’t finish the deal. My guess is that this defeat will prove to be a positive as the year progresses.

 

Montell Marion, also seeded number one and undefeated going into the Midlands Tournament was upset in the finals by #3 seeded Kendrick Maple (Oklahoma) 5-3. Marion got taken down early in the first period and was unable to escape. Marion was able to get back into the match, but his slow start was too much to over come. Slow starts and slow finishes have been an issue for Marion in the past. If he would start and finish the way he wrestles during the middle of a match, he will be claiming a national title.

 

Redshirt freshman Mike Kelly didn’t reach the finals, but did place 5th at Midlands and seems to be the final solution to the 149-pound weight class. His first loss came to eventual champ and 2nd seeded Jake Patacsil 1-0. Kelly then went on a 4-1 record to finish in 5th place. Kelly demonstrated that when individuals place higher then their tournament seed, that bolds well for a team victory. Kelly was unseeded and finished 5th.

 

Nick Moore is another example of Iowa’s tradition of placing higher then their seed. Moore, who dropped to 157 to replace Derek St. John who got "dinged", entered Midlands as an unseeded wrestler. And was able to finish 7th. Moore drew #3 seed James Fleming (Clarion) in the first round and got pinned. Moore ran off 5 straight victories before dropping a match to #5 seed Steve Monk (Monk finished 3rd) Moore then won his 6th match of the tournament to finish 6-2. Nobody, including Moore, wants to wrestle in the consolations, but as we all know, most national team titles are won when individuals recover from a championship round defeat and is successful at scoring important team points in the "losers" bracket.

 

With Mike Evans’ drop to 165 from 174 where he wrestled last year, the Hawks have developed depth at a weight that has been an issue for the last couple of years. Evans, a red shirt freshman from Enola, Penn. has secured the starting spot over Nick Moore, also a redbird freshman from Iowa City West High. In their last meeting, Evans defeated Moore 3-0 at the Lindenwood University Tournament.

 

Last year, Evans’ compiled a 22-2 wrestling unattached and so far this year is 13-3. Evans’ three losses are to Andrew Sorenson 4-3 (ISU dual) and he lost two matches at Midlands where he finished 7th. Evans’ strength is his considerable skills as a mat wrestler. On the other hand, Evans needs to improve his skills on his feet. In his two Midlands losses, Evans was majored by Clarion’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov 11-3 and Steve Fittery, 15-7.

 

Returning national qualifier, Ethan Lofthouse has demonstrated that 174 is his spot for another year. Lofthouse, who finished 3rd in the Big Ten last year has compiled a 13-3 record and finished 2nd at Midlands. In my view, Lofthouse is an example of an athlete who is an achiever. He rarely underachieves or for that matter over achieves. He was the #2 seed at Midlands and finished 2nd. An important aspect of an athletes mental preparations is to understand their limitations and to try to stay within themselves. To achieve at a high level, an athlete must look for the "edge" that will separate them from the others. When I watch Lofthouse wrestle, I keep thinking that he hasn’t found that edge, but when he does, he will take his skills to a new level.

 

With Grant Gambrall’s move to 197, and placing 7th, the Midlands tournament became an important audition for who will represent the Hawks at 184. Auditioning for the spot were Vinnie Wagner and Jeremy Fahler. Fahler, a red shirt freshman from Deerfield, Ill., compiled a 14-12 record last year. In his first attempt at "showcasing" his talent at the Midlands tournament, Fahler appears to have stumbled with a first round loss and didn’t place. Wagner on the other hand placed 7th and enhanced his claim on the 184-pound spot by defeating two wrestlers who defeated Fahler. Wagner, a senior from Osage, Iowa has a career record of 29-12. Although, Coach Brands hasn’t consulted me for my opinion, I think Wagner will be the man at 184.

 

Returning heavy weight Big Ten champ, Blake Rasing has lost his starting spot to redshirt freshman Bobby Telford. Telford has demonstrated that he has the skills to contend for a Big Ten and national title. Telford was seeded 2nd at Midlands and finished 2nd to #1 seed Jarod Trice (Central Mich.) in a hard fought over time loss.