Men's Wrestling December 29, 2010

Wrestlers Advance Three To Midlands Semifinals

Dec. 29, 2010

PARDON OUR PROGRESS! As friends of the UI and fans of the Hawkeyes know, the UI Athletics Department is well into a multi-million dollar revitalization of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This important and exciting project has reduced for this season the number of ticket windows that are operational on game nights. Fans attending the home events of the 2010-11 UI men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling teams are invited to avoid game night delays by purchasing their event tickets online or in advance of game day. If your schedule doesn’t allow for an advance purchase, we recommend you consider arriving at the Arena a little earlier than originally planned. Go Hawks!

EVANSTON, Ill. — The University of Iowa wrestling team is in third place with 52.5 points after the first day of competition at the 48th annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL. Lehigh leads the team race with 65.0 points, and Wisconsin is in second with 58.5. Hawkeye sophomores Matt McDonough (125) and Grant Gambrall (184), and redshirt freshman Tony Ramos (133) all posted 3-0 records on the day to advance to Thursday’s championship semifinals. Of the 17 Hawkeyes that started the tournament Wednesday morning, nine are still competing in the event.

McDonough, who is the tournament’s top seed and defending Midlands champion at 125, helped the Hawkeye team score with three bonus point victories. He opened the tournament with a match-ending 18-2 technical fall in 5:58 over Triton’s Jose Torres. McDonough ended the day with two pins, sticking Northern Illinois’ Nick Smith in 6:04 and #8 seed Frank Lomas of Cal Bakersfield in 4:54, to remain undefeated at 10-0 this season. The Marion, IA, native will face #5 seed Ryan Mango of Stanford in the semifinals. McDonough scored a 12-4 major decision over Mango in his first match of the 2009 Midlands Championships in the pair’s only collegiate career meeting.

Ramos, who is the #3 seed at 133, posted a 14-3 major decision over American’s Kevin Tao in his opening bout and a 7-4 win over Nebraska’s Ridge Kiley in the second round. He then beat Hawkeye teammate Tyler Clark, 3-1, in the quarterfinals, to remain undefeated at 7-0. Ramos will face #2 seed B.J. Futrell of Illinois in the semifinals in the pair’s first collegiate career meeting.

Gambrall, who is seeded #1 at 184, recorded three major decisions in a solid first day of competition. The Hawkeye sophomore beat Cleveland State’s Corbin Boone (16-3) in the opening match, Central Michigan’s Chad Friend (9-1) in the second round and Stanford’s Don Scherer (9-0) in the quarterfinals. Gambrall will face #4 seed Josh Ihnen of Nebraska in the semifinals. The Iowa City, IA, native has a 1-1 collegiate career record against Ihnen, losing a 7-4 decision at the2009 Brand Open and winning a 6-1 decision at the 2009 Grand View Open, while competing unattached at both events.

Still alive for the Hawkeyes in the consolation bracket are seniors Luke Lofthouse (#2 seed at 197) and Aaron Janssen (165), junior Tyler Clark (#11 seed at 133), sophomore Mark Ballweg (#4 seed at 141), redshirt freshman Ethen Lofthouse (#9 seed at 174) and true freshman Mike Evans (174). Evans is competing unattached.

Thursday’s championship semifinals and consolation matches are set to start at noon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Fans can listen to a live broadcast at hawkeyesports.com using the XXL All-Access subscription. Updated team standings and brackets are available throughout the tournament at www.nusports.com.

MIDLANDS TOP 10 TEAM STANDINGS – AFTER WEDNESDAY’S MATCHES
Place Team – Points
1. Lehigh – 65.0
2. Wisconsin – 58.5
3. Iowa – 52.5
4. Pittsburgh – 49.5
5. Iowa State – 49.0
6. Missouri – 48.5
7. Central Michigan – 43.0
8. Maryland – 41.5
9. Nebraska – 37.5
10. Clarion – 35.0

IOWA’S MIDLANDS SEMIFINAL MATCH-UPS (# indicates tournament seed)
125 – #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. #5 Ryan Mango (Stanford)
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) vs. #2 B.J. Futrell (Illinois)
184 – #1 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) vs. #4 Josh Ihnen (Nebraska)

IOWA’S WEDNESDAY MIDLANDS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (# indicates tournament seed)
125 – #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) tech. fall Jose Torres (Triton), 18-2 in 5:58
125 – #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) pinned Nick Smith (Northern Illinois), 6:04
125 – #1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) pinned #8 Frank Lomas (Cal Bakersfield), 4:54

133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) maj. dec. Kevin Tao (American), 14-3
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. Ridge Kiley (Nebraska), 7-4
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. #11 Tyler Clark (Iowa), 3-1

133 – #11 Tyler Clark (Iowa) maj. dec. Keith Surber (Unattached), 10-2
133 – #11 Tyler Clark (Iowa) dec. #6 Levi Mele (Northwestern), 6-2
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. #11 Tyler Clark (Iowa), 3-1

141 – #4 Mark Ballweg (Iowa) pinned Colby Pisani (Clarion), 4:17
141 – #4 Mark Ballweg (Iowa) dec. Steve Dutton (Lehigh), 9-7 SV
141 – #5 Chris Drouin (Iowa State) dec. #4 Mark Ballweg (Iowa), 5-3

149 – Matt Ballweg (Iowa) maj. dec. Dillon Pousson (Southern Illinois-Unattached), 11-1
149 – Matt Ballweg (Iowa) dec. Dylan Marriott (Northwestern-Unattached), 7-2
149 – #1 Kevin LeValley (Bucknell) maj. dec. Matt Ballweg (Iowa), 13-2
149 – #11 Dan Osterman (Michigan State) dec. Matt Ballweg (Iowa), 8-3

149 – Jeret Chiri (Iowa) dec. Timmy Boone (Stanford), 8-6
149 – Isaac Dukes (Case) dec. Jeret Chiri (Iowa), 11-4
149 – Donnie Corby (Central Michigan) pinned Jeret Chiri (Iowa), 2:48

157 – David Bonin (Northern Iowa) pinned #3 Derek St. John (Iowa), 6:58
157 – #3 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Cody Compton (Nebraska), 4-3
157 – Kyle Meyer (Stanford) dec. #3 Derek St. John (Iowa), 7-6

157 – #1 Jake Patacsil (C. Coll. Club) maj. dec. Michael Kelly (Iowa Unattached), 13-0
157 – Michael Kelly (Iowa-Unattached) dec. Brantley Hooks (Bucknell), 11-4
157 – Michael Kelly (Iowa-Unattached) won by medical forfeit #11 Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh)
157 – Aaron Sulzer (Eastern Michigan) dec. Michael Kelly (Iowa-Unattached), 6-4

165 – Aaron Janssen (Iowa) dec. #12 Conrad Polz (Illinois), 5-4
165 – #5 Zach Toal (Missouri) dec. Aaron Janssen (Iowa), 7-3
165 – Aaron Janssen (Iowa) dec. #6 Jake Kerr (Iowa), 3-1
165 – Aaron Janssen (Iowa) dec. Nick Bertucci (Boller Elite WC), 8-3

165 – Kevin Bialka (Northwestern) dec. #6 Jake Kerr (Iowa), 8-2
165 – #6 Jake Kerr (Iowa) dec. Matt Gille (Wisconsin-Parkside), 8-6
165 – Aaron Janssen (Iowa) dec. #6 Jake Kerr (Iowa), 3-1

174 – #9 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) maj. dec. Kyle Kwiat (Ohio Northern), 12-2
174 – #9 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. #8 Rob Morrison (Rider), 2-1
174 -#1 Jon Reader (Iowa State) maj. dec. #9 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 11-2

174 – Mike Evans (Iowa-Unattached) dec. #10 Benjamin Jordan (Wisconsin), 6-2
174 – #7 Austin Meys (Lehigh) pinned Mike Evans (Iowa-Unattached), 4:36
174 – Mike Evans (Iowa-Unattached) pinned Mike Schmitz (Wisconsin-LaCrosse), 5:41
174 – Mike Evans (Iowa-Unattached) dec. Andy Vaughn (Pittsburgh), 2-0

184 – #1 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) maj. dec. Corbin Boone (Cleveland State), 16-3
184 – #1 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) maj. dec. Chad Friend (Central Michigan), 9-1
184 – #1 Grant Gambrall (Iowa) maj. dec. Don Scherer (Stanford), 9-0

197 – #2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) maj. dec. Craig Kelliher (Central Michigan), 13-4
197 – #2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. Clint Podish (Clarion), 8-2
197 – #10 Matt Whilps (Pittsburgh-Unattached) dec. #2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa), 3-2

Hwt. – #8 Blake Rasing (Iowa) dec. Wes Schroeder (Eastern Michigan), 5-0
Hwt. – #9 Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa) dec. #8 Blake Rasing (Iowa), 6-3
Hwt. – Spencer Myers (Maryland) dec. #8 Blake Rasing (Iowa), 4-2 SV

Hwt. – Bobby Telford (Iowa-Unattached) dec. Patrick Walker (Illinois), 2-1
Hwt. – #4 Ryan Flores (American) maj. dec. Bobby Telford (Iowa-Unattached), 8-0
Hwt. – #7 Mike McClure (Michigan State) dec. Bobby Telford (Iowa-Unattached), 3-1 SV

Hwt. – Jordan Johnson (Iowa) dec. Marty Smith (Illinois), 2-0
Hwt. – #2 Ryan Tomei (Pittsburgh) dec. Jordan Johnson (Iowa), 2-1 TB-1
Hwt. – Roger Vukobratovich (Purdue) dec. Jordan Johnson (Iowa), 3-2

Updated 2010 Midlands Championships Brackets Through Session II in PDF Format

Updated 2010 Midlands Championships Team Standings Through Session II in PDF Format