FLASH: Illinois edges Virginia Tech for 50th Midlands title by two points

<< Back to Articles
TheMat.com ()
12/30/2012


EVANSTON, Ill. – In the 50th edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Illinois won a hotly contested team title by two points over Virginia Tech at Northwestern University on Saturday.

Illinois had no individual champions, but had five placewinners. Leading the Illini were runners-up Jesse Delgado at 125 pounds and B.J. Futrell at 141 pounds.

Virginia Tech had a pair of individual champions, Jarrod Garnett at 125 pounds and Nick Brascetta at 149 pounds.

Garnett, seeded second, stopped Delgado in the finals, 5-1 in sudden victory. Brascetta, the No. 4 seed, stopped No 2 seed Donnie Vinson of Binghamton, 3-1 in the finals. Brascetta received the Art Kraft Champion of Champions Award.

Oklahoma placed third, led by individual champions Kendric Maple at 141 pounds and Bubby Graham at 165 pounds. Maple, the top seed, stopped Futrell in the finals, 5-1. Graham, the third seed, scored a forfeit win in the finals over Bekzod Abdurakhmanov of the Golden Eagle WC.

Oregon State placed fourth and Central Michigan was fifth, with both teams bringing home an individual champion. 

Winning the heavyweight title was No. 4 seed Chad Hanke of Oregon State, beating No. 3 Zac Thomusseit of Pittsburgh, 3-2. 

The Central Michigan champion was No. 2 seed Ben Bennett, who beat top seeded Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the finals, 2-1 at 184 pounds. Bennett received the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Host Northwestern had an individual champion with top seed Jason Welch at 157 pounds, who defeated No. 3 seed Joey Napoli of Lehigh, 4-0.

Other individual champions were unattached Stanford star Ryan Mango at 133 pounds, Robert Kokesh of Nebraska at 174 pounds and Dustin Kilgore of Kent State at 197 pounds.

50TH KEN KRAFT MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30

125 pounds
1st – Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech) dec. Jesse Delgado (Illinois), 5-1, sv1
3rd – Christian Cullinan (Central Michigan) dec. Cory Clark (Unattached-Iowa), 8-4, TB1
5th – Trent Sprenkle (North Dakota St) pin Jarrod Patterson (Unattached - Oklahoma),  2:15
7th – Joe Roth (Central Michigan) dec. Anthony Zanetta (Unattached- Pitt), 3-2

133 pounds
1st – Ryan Mango (Unattached – Stanford) dec. Daniel Dennis (Unattached – Hawkeye), 8-7
3rd – Tyler Graff (Wisconsin) dec. Mason Beckman (Unattached – Lehigh), 10-5
5th – A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) pin Jesse Theilke (Unattached – Wisconsin), 4:19
7th – Randy Cruz (Unattached - Lehigh) maj. dec. Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan), 10-0

141 pounds
1st – Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) dec. B.J. Futrell (Illinois), 5-1
3rd – Michael Mangrum (Oregon State) dec. Devin Carter (Unattached – Virginia Tech), 3-1, sv
5th – Mitchell Port (Edinboro) dec. Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 7-0
7th – Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) dec. Jason Tsirtsis (Unattached - Northwestern), 7-1

149 pounds
1st – Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) dec. Donnie Vinson (Binghamton), 3-1
3rd – Montel Marion (Unattached – Hawkeye) dec. Steve Santos (Columbia), 5-4
5th – Nick Lester (Oklahoma) maj. dec. Eric Grajales (Michigan), 10-2
7th – Shane Welch (Lehigh) dec. Josh Wilson (Utah Valley), 3-0

157 pounds
1st – Jason Welch (Northwestern) dec. Joey Napoli (Lehigh), 4-0
3rd – Isaac Jordan (Unattached-Wisconsin) dec. Taylor Walsh (Indiana), 10-6
5th – Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) dec. Ian Miller (Unattached – Kent State), medical forfeit
7th – Matt Lester (Oklahoma) maj. dec. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 8-0

165 pounds
1st – Bubby Graham (Oklahoma) default Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (unattached Golden Eagle WC)
3rd – Pete Yates (Virginia Tech) dec. Steven Monk (North Dakota State), 4-0
5th – Conrad Polz (Illinois) dec. Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo), 3-1
7th – Taylor Massa (Michigan) pin Ramon Santiago (Rider), 0:31

174 pounds
1st – Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. Nate Brown (Lehigh), 5-2
3rd – Jordan Blanton (Illinois) dec. John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 5-3, sv
5th – Lee Munster (Northwestern) medical forfeit Dan Yates (Michigan)
7th – Bryce Hammond (CSU-Bakersfield) default over Craig Keliher (Central Michigan)

184 pounds
1st – Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 2-1
3rd – Travis Rutt (Unattached – Oklahoma) dec. Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 7-5
5th – Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. Vic Avery (Unattached-Edinboro), 3-2, sv1
7th – Jake Waste (Unattached-Buffalo) dec. Sammy Brooks (Unattached – Iowa), 7-1

197 pounds
1st – Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) dec. Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh), 4-2
3rd – Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) dec. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 9-5
5th – Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) dec. Kevin Beazley (Unattached – Old Dominion), 7-3
7th – Hudson Taylor (Lions WC) dec. Alex Polizzi (Northwestern), 7-2

285 pounds
1st – Chad Hanke (Oregon State) dec.  Zac Thomusseit (Pittsburgh), 3-2
3rd – Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. Ben Apland (Michigan), 3-1
5th (tie) – Jarod Trice (Central Michigan) and Mike McMullan (Northwestern)
7th – Matt Meuleners (Northern State) dec. Eric Thompson (Grand View), 7-3

Awards
Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ben Bennett (Central Michigan, 184)
Art Kraft Champion of Champions: Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech, 149)
Gorriaran Memorial: Kevin Beasley (Old Dominion, three falls, 7:00)
Fastest Fall Award: Michael Mangrum (Oregon State, 0:24)
Individual High Point Trophy: Robert Kokesh (Nebraska, 28.5 points)

MIDLANDS TEAM STANDINGS
1 99.5 Illinois 
2 97.5 Virginia Tech 
3 85.0 Oklahoma 
4 81.5 Oregon State 
5 76.5 Central Michigan 
6 74.0 Lehigh 
7 67.0 Northwestern 
8 65.5 Michigan 
9 57.0 North Dakota State 
10 56.5 Pittsburgh 
11 52.5 Edinboro 
12 50.5 Wisconsin 
13 49.5 Northern Iowa 
14 39.5 Binghamton 
15 39.0 Columbia 
15 39.0 Nebraska 
17 32.5 Iowa State 
17 32.5 North Carolina 
19 29.0 Indiana 
20 28.5 Maryland 
21 27.5 Buffalo 
22 26.0 CSU Bakersfield 
22. 26.0 Kent State 
24 24.0 Rider
25 20.0 Penn 
26 19.5 Clarion 
27 17.5 Harvard 
28 16.5 Purdue 
29 15.0 Utah Valley 
30 14.5 Eastern Michigan 
31 11.5 Lions WC 
32 10.5 Grand View 
33 9.0 Stanford 
34 8.5 Hofstra 
35 8.0 Northern Illinois 
36 7.5 Northern State 
37 5.0 Elmhurst 
37. 5.0 UW Parkside 
39 4.5 Princeton 
40 3.5 Adams State 
41 3.0 Ohio Northern 
42 2.0 Luther 
42, 2.0 Tamillow Twisters 
44 0.5 Boston University