Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Midlands Day One
Five Hoosiers Advance at Midlands Championships
12/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 30, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Indiana wrestling team currently stands in eighth place at the 43rd annual Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern University on Dec. 29-30. IU advanced three through to the championship bracket, while two other grapplers will continue on through the consolation ranks.
Fourth-ranked Illinois (60.0) leads the field by one point over second-place Central Michigan (59.0). Michigan State (51.5), Iowa State (51/0) and Iowa (46.0) round out the top five while Indiana stands at 35 points.
Redshirt freshman 133-pounder Andrae Hernandez, sophomore 157-pounder Brandon Becker and senior 197-pounder Brady Richardson headlined the Hoosier grapplers who remained perfect through the first day of competition.
Fourth-seeded Hernandez continues to show his success at 133 pounds, going 3-0 on the day to advance to the semifinal bout where he will face Tommy Vargas of California State-Bakersville.
All American Becker helped to build a suspenseful and action packed second day of competition as all four top seeds advanced in the 157-pound weight class. Becker went 3-0 on the day and will grapple second-seeded Joe Johnson of Iowa in the semifinal match on Dec. 30.
Richardson rounded out the Hoosier appearances in the championship bracket after posting a 2-0 start. Collecting a forfeit win in the first round, the two-time All American will take to the mat against Beau Treserner of Air Force.
Sophomores Max Dean and Justin Curran made up IU's two competitors in the consolation ranks after posting a 4-1 and 3-1 record, respectively. 2005 NCAA qualifier Dean will face Beau Treserner of Air Force, while Curran will take on Mike Tarnillow (Northwestern) in tomorrow matches.
Also hitting the mat at the Midlands Championships were sophomore Dave Herman (2-2), sophomore Marc Bennett (0-2), redshirt freshman Jose Escobedo (0-2) and freshman Scott Kelley (0-2) who ended their run at their respective titles with early losses.
The 43rd annual Midlands Championships continues on Dec. 30, with a 9 a.m. start. For complete results please visit www.nusports.collegesports.com or the IUHOOSIERS.com website for a complete recap.
Players Mentioned
