Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Midlands Championship
Hoosiers Fifth after Day One of Midlands Championships
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 30, 2006
Day One Brackets
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EVANSTON, Ill. - The Indiana wrestling team sits in fifth place with 63.0 points after the first day of the 44th Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University. Iowa State leads the competition with a dominating 91.5 points, while Northwestern is in second at 68.5. Three Hoosiers remain active in the championship brackets and five in the wrestlebacks through two sessions.
No. 12 Angel Escobedo won his first three matches at 125 pounds, including a pair of falls and a major decision. Escobedo, the highest-ranked wrestler remaining in the tourney, will face seventh seed Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois in Session 3. Escobedo defeated Castillo with a 6-4 decision at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday, Dec. 1.
Likewise, Andrae Hernandez has gone 3-0 at 133, with a technical fall and a major decision in his first three decisions. Hernandez will face the country's top wrestler, Nick Simmons of Michigan State, in the opening match of Session 3 tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST in the semifinals.
No. 5 Matt Coughlin advanced to the semifinals at 149 with a pair of major decisions to improve his record to 21-2 on the year. Coughlin squares off with sixth-seed Mike Grimes of Northern Illinois tomorrow with a spot in the finals on the line.
In the 157-pound bracket, No. 3 Brandon Becker advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of victories, but suffered an injury default in his third match of the day to move to the wrestleback. Becker will face Colby Goetsch of Northern Iowa in his first match of the day on Saturday.
No. 12 Max Dean won his first match in the 165-pound bracket by a 5-1 decision, but was bested 2-1 in the second round. Dean rebounded with a pair of decisions in the wrestleback, the first in sudden victory, to remain alive with a match against seventh seed Greg Hagel of Northwestern on Saturday.
At 184, No. 9 Marc Bennett won his opening two matches to move to the quarterfinals, but was topped in his bid for a spot in the semifinals with a major decision at the hands of No. 4 Jake Varner of Iowa State. Bennett will square off with Sacred Heart's Andrew Silber in Saturday's opening match.
True freshman Nathan Everhart drew a tall task in his opening bout at 197, falling to No. 8 Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan in a 17-5 major decision. But Everhart rebounded in the wrestleback with three consecutive victories - including a pin and a technical fall - to move on to the third session. He will face No. 18 T.J. Morrison of Rider on Saturday.
Heavyweight Josh Buuck made his season debut with a matchup against No. 4 Matt Fields of Iowa, with Fields taking a 14-6 major decision. Buuck won his first two matches in the wrestleback to advance to Session 3, where he will face eighth seed Blake Gillis of Wartburg tomorrow.
Two Hoosiers - true freshman Nick Walpole and redshirt freshman Trevor Perry - have been eliminated from the tourney. Perry won his first-round match 7-6, but was bested by No. 20 Kurt Brenner of West Virginia in round two. Perry won his first bout in the wrestleback, but was unable to advance any further after taking a medical forfeit
Walpole drew a tough assignment in his first match of the day on Friday, falling to 10th-ranked Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa State by a 10-2 score, but rebounded by winning his first two matches in the wrestleback, including a major decision and a fall. Walpole was eliminated from the tourney with a 7-3 decision at the hands of Sal Tirico of Columbia.
Day two of the competition begins Saturday, Dec. 30, at 1 p.m. EST.
Players Mentioned
