Dec. 30, 2003
Evanston, IL – Two Hawkeyes will compete in the finals of the 41st annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL, Tuesday night. Final results and team standings were not available at press time. Seniors Luke Eustice (125) and Tyler Nixt (174) will compete in the finals of their respective weight classes.
Eustice, the 125-pound top seed, will meet third seeded Tom Noto of Hofstra in the finals. Eustice advanced by defeating eighth seeded John Velez of Northwestern in the quarterfinals and topping fourth seeded Efren Ceballos of Cal-Bakersfield in the semifinals. Eustice will be aiming for his first Midlands championship. He placed second a year ago as a junior.
Nixt, the third seeded 174-pounder, will face Midlands legend and current Iowa assistant coach Joe Williams in the finals. Nixt advanced to the finals with a decision over 11th seeded Ralph DeNisco in the quarterfinals and a major decision over Matt Herrington, the seventh seed from Penn.
The top seeded Williams, an owner of six Midlands records, is searching for his tenth consecutive Midlands title. The former Iowa wrestler currently holds the record for most individual titles in Midlands’s history (9).
In the consolation round, senior Cliff Moore (141) will face tenth seeded Andy Simmons of Michigan State for third place and sophomore Ty Eustice will face seventh seeded Jeff Ratliff for fifth place. Senior Ryan Fulsaas placed eighth, falling to Nate Patrick in the seventh place match.