125 lbs
Iowa fans probably aren't crazy about the fact that I give Rivera a fighter's chance against Lee in the finals considering the last time the two met, Lee dominated Rivera in a 12-0 major decision. They may be right. Lee is on another level and until proven otherwise, looks to be unstoppable. Nevertheless Rivera is currently 8-0, the #2 ranked wrestler in the country and he is coming off of a CKLV championship. To add fuel to the fire, he'll be wrestling in front of a hometown crowd. What better place to knock off whom many consider to be unbeatable?
After a rough 14-1 loss to Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State, one thing is for certain. Ryan Millhof of Arizona State isn't a 133 lbs wrestler. What he is though, is a 125 lbs wrestler. A 125 lbs wrestler who is 10-0 at 125 lbs, currently ranked #7 in the nation. I think it'd be a tropical day in Antarctica before Millhof would pull off an upset against a healthy Lee but I can see him potentially knocking off Rivera. I give it a 1 in 10 shot, so not much of one, but the last time the two met, Millhof was able to keep it close at a 5-2 decision.
Very confident that either Lee or possibly Rivera will be our champion, with Millhof having an outside shot. As to the other five medalist, those listed above look to be our forerunners. After two years of some notable wins, junior Travis Piotrowski of Illinois is finally garnering a bit of respect with a #13 ranking. He's only 4-3 at the moment, but his three losses have all been to wrestlers ranked above him. A good draw could see him in the semi-finals.
Princeton's Pat Glory is an aggressive, go-getter consistently on the attack. I hope in the years to come that the sport does not tame him too much and he continues his relentless pursuit to score points. I would like to see his aggressiveness rewarded with a good showing, that he is more than capable of at this tournament.
#20 Conner Brown of Wisconsin along with unranked Drew Hildebrandt of Central Michigan and Mike McGee of Old Dominion look to be our best bets for the other place-winners.
As to possible darkhorse place-winners I narrow it down to three guys. Buffalo's Kyle Akins has been known to wrestle well on occasions. I'm not putting any money on it, but if he slips into the seventh place match, I wouldn't be none too surprised.
As to Northern Iowa's Jay Schwarm, I'm not sure what to think. The guy has talent, no doubt about it. 25 wins last season and an NCAA qualification. He has some big wins in his career, including one over Millhof. Yet he hasn't looked as good as of late. A good showing at this year's Midlands is exactly what he needs.
A few of you might be raising your eyebrows at my pick of Korbin Meink considering he'll be entering the Midlands with a losing record. That's all fine and dandy. What I'm looking at and what sticks out to me the most is a 4-1 over #19 Shakur Laney of Ohio back in November. That to me is enough evidence to suggest a possible placing.
133 lbs
As of right now the only post-graduate that I am aware of competing for sure at this year's Midlands championships is former NCAA champion/four time All American Nathan Tomasello. There is a 99.99% chance that barring injuries or something else bizarre that our finals match will be Tomasello vs returning 2018 NCAA champion, ranked #1 in the nation Seth Gross of South Dakota State. Let me make like a bystander in SUPERMAN II who was about to witness a showdown between General Zod and Superman and say, "this is gonna be good!"
From Tomasello's perspective it gives him a bit of solace. A win over Gross helps us to remember just how good he is and how three third place finishes in a row just as easily could have been first place finishes. It solidifies him and keeps him in our thoughts as a threat in Pan-Am, World and Olympic discussions. It's also great for the sport and for the Midlands itself. One of the things that has made the Midlands such a magical and special tournament over the years has been post graduate participation. Hope by the time the tournament starts that he's far from the only one competing.
As for Gross, an opportunity to wrestle and defeat Tomasello would be huge for his career and his confidence. For one, it might silence the critics out there who think Gross won't be able to repeat his NCAA championship performance from last season. Argue if you will but as far as I'm concerned if Gross can defeat Tomasello, then he can defeat Daton Fix of Oklahoma State or Nick Suriano of Rutgers.
Something tells me that I'll have at least one Iowa fan if not more on my case about not giving #11 ranked Austin DeSanto mention as a plausible Midland's Champ. I can see him doing a lot of great things but beating Tomasello or Gross? Sorry, not happening. If it does, I'll eat crow.
With that said, I do think DeSanto will have an outstanding Midlands performance and I can see him dominating his way to a third place finish. Really there is only one wrestler at 133 lbs other than Tomasello and Gross that I can see beating him. Even at that, I'm still pretty confident that DeSanto wins if they meet up.
And to quickly answer that question as to who that other wrestler is, it is none other than #17 ranked Dylan Duncan of Illinois. As I said, I do give the nod to DeSanto if the two meet up, especially in what could be the consolation finals but I'll give Duncan enough of a chance to at least mention it.
As to the other four place-winners I've narrowed it down to seven. Some I feel a lot better about than I do others, but never the less, I see seven.
Arizona State has two solid 133 lbs'ers in Josiah Kline and Josh Kramer and I can see either one of them or even both making the award stand.
Cal Poly's Yoshi Funakoshi is quietly having himself a pretty decent senior season. Of his seven current wins, one is over Army's Lane Peters who had 21 wins last season and the other is over NCAA Qualifier Colin Valdiviez of Northwestern (Who I meant to add by the way.)
A bit on the inconsistent side, it is worth noting that Noah Gonser of Campbell has defeated #15 Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech, #12 Montorie Bridges of Wyoming and 2017 CKLV place-winner Zach Sherman of North Carolina so far this season. The key for Gonser will be putting a series of matches together. Following up a first round win with a second round win and a second round win with a quarterfinal win.
Lastly you have Desanto's backup in Paul Glynn, who could start for a number of other teams and Princeton's Ty Agaisse who we have yet to see this season.
141 lbs
Eight guys. Seems like an awful lot to project as plausible champions but I'll tell you why I can see any of these eight guys possibly winning it all. Each and every single one of them currently carries a chip on their shoulder. All eight of them have something to prove.
The obvious pick is returning Midland's champion Mason Smith of Campbell. He's so new to the Campbell program that I had to post a picture of him in his Central Michigan warm-up. What concerns me about Smith though, is that he has yet to compete this season. There are some wrestlers that already have close to twenty matches. That may or may not have an effect on Smith's conditioning and performance.
#6 Mike Carr of Illinois shocked the wrestling world last season by upsetting his way to the BIG 10 finals. A couple of weeks ago he medical forfeited to sixth place at CKLV. He wants to be taken seriously as a threat to the NCAA title. Winning a Midland's championship, would certainly help.
#10 Josh Alber of Northern Iowa is one of the best seniors in the nation without an AA in his resume. It's been said for years that the Midlands is a great mid-season opportunity to see exactly where you're at.
#13 Sa'Derian Perry of Old Dominion hasn't looked the best this season after earning All American status last season as a sophomore. He needs something to boost his confidence and get himself out of the current funk that he is in. Prescribe me a better medicine than a good showing at the Midlands.
Wisconsin's #14 Tristan Moran has been all over the place. One minute he has All American written all over him and the next you can see him wrestling for true thirteenth place at the BIG 10's. In terms of not only pulling him up the ladder of the rankings but in also helping him on down the road in future seeding meetings, a good showing here is essential.
Brian Lantry of Buffalo is currently ranked #11 and he did finish as the 2017 Midland's runner-up down a weight class at 133 lbs. I can't make the claim that he isn't getting respect, because he is. Yet I don't think too many are taking him that seriously. I think a few are toying around with the idea of him being round of twelve at the NCAA's, but that's about as good as it gets. To garner some real attention and gain some real respect it'll take something like winning the Midlands.
Ryan Diehl of Maryland had a losing record last season. None the less he had some impressive wins and showed how dangerous he can be with upper body throws. He not only pinned Minnesota All American Tommy Thorn in a dual in what many thought was a fluke, but he came back to major Thorn 9-1 at the BIG 10's to prove that it wasn't a fluke. He then knocked Penn State's Nick Lee into the consolations by tossing him to his back at the NCAA's. And that's what it's all about. Proving to the wrestling world that his ability to win is more than catching someone off guard and putting them on their back.
As to Max Murin, he wrestles for Iowa. What more needs to be said? Even though he placed fifth last season, it still isn't good enough for the Hawkeye faithful. In spite of your competition, they expect nothing less than the absolute best. It's time to find out just how good he really is.
So yeah, as far as I'm concerned, eight guys going for the title.
Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed three wrestlers from Iowa that I have listed in the category of others to watch for at 141 lbs. As far as I'm concerned the Hawkeyes are loaded at this weight class and the Midlands is the place to prove it. Hell Happel is already a Midland's place-winner having taken sixth last season. Turk an NCAA qualifier has a number of quality wins in his career, including one this season over #19 Ian Parker of Iowa State. Then to top that off you have Stickley, who is a pretty touch hombre in his own right. It would take good draws and avoiding one another along the way, but the idea of Iowa putting three wrestlers on the award stand here is not as far fetched as you might think.
Yahya Thomas of Northwestern placed seventh last season, but thus far, he hasn't looked as good this year. Being a home tournament should excite him and perhaps we'll see him back on the award stand this tournament.
Lastly I'll say that it blows my mind how much Coach Cary Kolat has done with the Campbell wresting program in such a relatively short amount of time. It wasn't that long ago that the question every year was whether the Camels would have at least one ranked wrestler or not. Now look. Here we are in the 2018-2019 season and the Camels are deep enough at 141 lbs to where we can give serious consideration to the thought that they might have two Midlands place-winners. It isn't as plausible as Iowa placing three, but it is still possible.
149 lbs
Princeton's Matt Kolodzik is only a junior and already going for his fourth Midlands medal. He has the opportunity to be the first wrestler from Princeton to be a five time medalist. His fourth medal this season, an opportunity to be the first from Princeton to win a Midland's title. Yes, I do realize that he was pinned by Iowa's Pat Lugo last season. Ironically enough at the Midland's. I also am well aware that Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen scored a 4-3 victory on him at last year's classic. Neither loss concerns me. For one Kolodzik has already defeated Lugo this season, and Lugo has been looking rather sluggish. As to Thomsen, he poses more of a threat but I just feel Kolodzik is on a whole other level.
As to who faces Kolodzik in the finals? There is so much damn parity in wrestling, it makes it hard to say. Already mentioned as they should be, #9 Lugo and #10 Thomsen are threats. In my humble opinion #12 Josh Maruca of Arizona State was one of the, if not the best backup in the country last season behind Jason Tsirtsis. His 1-0 loss to Wisconsin's #20 Cole Martin sticks out like a sore thumb, but I can't help but think we could see him have a breakout performance this tournament.
It puts me in a good mood to realistically put yet another Campbell wrestler in the running for a Midland's medal. Josh Heil has been hot this season. A sixth place finish at CKLV, which included a sudden victory over #10 Thomsen listed above. (Did I mention parity in this weight class yet?)
Anthony Artalona has been the highlight in an otherwise down year for the Quakers this season. I am dying to see a rematch between him and #17 Baby J Bannister of Maryland. I really hope we see it at the Midlands. To further the good mood this weight class puts me in, Artalona further gives testimony to my rant about Florida producing the best talent of all of the states without a Division I program. Maybe someday guys like Artalona will be able to suit up as Gators, Seminoles, Rattlers, or Hatters instead of having to go out of state if they want to compete in NCAA Division I.
If you follow me on Twitter then you already know I'm a huge Henry Pohlmeyer fan. Currently #19, I'd love to see him have a great tournament. Consistency will be the key.
Consistency will also be a key factor for #20 Cole Martin of Wisconsin. The win over Maruca in the SIUE finals ought to have him coming into this tournament fairly confident. When on, Martin can be one to watch out for. He scored some offensive points in his 13-8 loss to Kolodzik back in November.
Another homer, Northwestern's Shayne Oster has looked pretty good as of late. He recently scored a 7-5 victory over Stanford's Requir Van De Merwe who nearly majored him earlier this season 8-1. He also owns an 8-7 tiebreaker over Virginia Tech's Ryan Blees. There's no reason not to think that his current success may bleed over into the Midlands.
As to Khristian Olivas he has a 16-1 technical over Blees himself. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him wrestling in the blood round for a medal. Whether he wins that match or not is another story but being in it seems feasible.
157 lbs
Sometimes in NCAA Division I wrestling the distance between a guy ranked #1 and a guy ranked #5 can be mere inches. Like St. Paul to Minneapolis its hard to tell where one begins and where one ends. Other times, the distance between a guy ranked #2 and a guy ranked #3 can stretch from El Paso to Toronto. In the case of Ryan Deakin it is the latter. He already controlled #3 ranked Larry Early of Old Dominion 6-1 this season. I don't see anyone even remotely challenging him. Not on his home turf, not in his house.
You know I want to put as much stock into Larry Early's victory of North Carolina State's Hayden Hidlay as everyone else seems to but I just can't. I'm not completely sold yet on his #3 ranking and it'll take watching him go through the grueling grind of a first round, second round, quarter-final and semi-final win to convince me. Depending on seeding, I can see Iowa's #8 Kaleb Young giving him a difficult time and I can ever seen #13 ranked Eric Barone of Illinois giving him a fit.
It's been quite the journey for Arizona State's Christian Pagdilao. After qualifying for the NCAA's as a freshman in 2015, he's been a backup ever since. Finally back in the lineup, it hasn't taken him long to establish himself as a top twenty competitor with a #15 ranking and a 9-3 record, which includes a victory over #16 Lucas Weiland of the Army. It is likely that the two could meet up again this tournament.
As for putting too much stock into a victory, call me a hypocrite. I have to admit that I still put quite a bit of stock into Buffalo's Alex Smythe's 13-7 victory over Zander Wick of Wisconsin. If anything I think its that I want to see Buffalo have success. Amongst the powerhouses of Penn State, Oklahoma State and the likes, it's nice to see the little guys do well once in a while.
Lastly I think it is a strong possibility that we could see Austin Kraisser of Campbell on the award stand. He hasn't competed yet this year but he had twenty wins last season. Hunter Willits of Oregon State and Tyler Marinelli of Gardner Webb, both NCAA qualifiers, among those wins.
165 lbs
The hunt for the title at 165 lbs is going to be an all out war. Iowa's #4 Alex Marinelli is the returning champion, and it is unlikely that he'll even be seeded first. That nod will most likely go to #2 Evan Wick on Wisconsin who had his way with Marinelli at the NCAA's last year 16-3. To top that off #5 Josh Shields of Arizona State who finished second last year at 157 is also in the hunt. What makes 165 lbs at the Midland's championships so interesting is that another plausible champion is Shields' backup Anthony Valencia who finished fourth last season. The Sun Devils must think its the "in thing" to have the best back ups in the country, because they do this at more than one weight.
With the likes of Marinelli, Wick and Shields it doesn't even seem right to joke about someone else sneaking in a title but in all honesty their are two guys I can see doing it. Nelson Brands of Iowa. First off he's a Brands. If he's anything like his Dad or Uncle Tom, he wants to be good and he has no intention of waiting his turn. There's no patience in this kid. Today, not tomorrow. I can see him opening up and letting lose. I can see that happening.
If not for an injury that slowed him up earlier this year at CKLV, there is no doubt in my mind that Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert would be ranked higher than #12. He's a tough kid who took #2 Wick to a 3-2 decision at the Harold Nichol's open earlier this year. He's a talented wrestler and may more than show us at the Midlands.
#15 Joey Gunther has a pretty decent showing in a rather stacked weight class at CKLV, where he finished in eighth place, with all eight place winners being ranked in the top twenty. While the Midland's bracket is obviously more stacked (one of the few weights where it is) it is still reasonable to think that he'll make the award stand.
As for #19 Jonathan Viruet it'll take both a good draw and wrestling at his best, but he is more than capable of securing a medal that he was win shy short of at last year's championships.
174 lbs
I would like to somewhat give #8 Taylor Lujan of Arizona State a fighting chance against #2 Zahid Valencia in the finals but I just don't think that's going to happen. At 174 lbs there is Penn State's Mark Hall, Valencia and then everybody else. The last time the two met, Valencia dominated in a 14-6 major decision. I see a similar finish here. With that said though, I do believe that Lujan is the second best wrestler in the bracket. I don't see anyone challenging him for a spot in the finals.
I think the real question at 174 lbs will be who will take the bronze? You have the #10, the #11 and the #12 ranked wrestlers in the country battling it out for the prestigious spot. No doubt Northwestern's Johnny Sebastian wants to improve upon his seventh place finish last year and add depth to the home teams medalists. Ryan Christensen of Wisconsin who finished one match shy of placing last season has thus far been having himself an outstanding senior season, high lighted by a fall over Nebraska's #9 Mikey Labriola. He also has a tiebreaker victory over Army's Ben Harvey, who is our other challenger. 
One of the other guys to keep an eye on here is Old Dominion's #20 Seldon Wright. While I don't see him finishing as high as third place, I do see him placing. For what it's worth, he did defeat Sebastian last season 3-2.
Then we also have Britt Wilson of Northern Illinois who is currently the Huskies' best bet in revamping life into what was once a solid and respectable program. The days of Sam Hiatt, Pat Castillo, Mike Grimes, Scott Owen, Shawn Scott and Ben Heizer seem far behind us but all it takes is a good performance on a good day. If 125 lbs Brock Hudkins recovers 100%, along with Wilson it might be the Huskies' best performance in quite sometime. As to the here and now, Wilson has victories over Drew Hughes of Michigan State, Kimball Bastian of Utah Valley and Lorenzo De La Riva. All legitimate reason to think he could place.
184 lbs
Of all of the potential finals matches, this one interest me the most. Illinois' #2 Emery Parker, last year's champion is currently 2-0 against #7 Drew Foster of Northern Iowa. Yet it's hard to beat someone three times in a row, especially someone as good as Drew Foster. I think this will be an exciting, high scoring match full of lots of action.
After Parker and Foster we have #14 Cash Wilcke of Iowa and #20 Noah Stewart of Army. To yet again tick off Iowa fans, no I don't see Wilcke as a potential finalist. I don't even see him as a darkhorse. He was the champion last season at 197 lbs, and think until proven otherwise that he was better at 197 lbs. His loss to #18 Sam Colbray of Iowa State, who Foster tore into like a raccoon into a trash bin on steak night at Bonanza with a 14-0 major decision is all the testimony I need. I think he'll finish third and Stewart fourth, but I don't see him beating Foster or Parker in route to the finals.
After Parker, Foster, Wilcke, and Stewart the weight class really slips off. It's really hard to predict who will be the other four place-winners in the bracket. I think it's fair to think that Brown's Christian LaFragola has a decent shot. He was an NCAA qualifier last season and he's had a handful of impressive wins in his career.
I may be grasping for straws but I would also like to think in relevance to a weaker bracket that Anthony Mancini could help bring some attention to the Franklin and Marshall wrestling program. A Division III school with a Division I wrestling program. About as tough as your gonna get academic standards and no scholarship money to help out. It'd be awesome to see Mancini have a breakout tournament and give the Diplomats their third ever place-winner in this history of the tournament.
After Parker and Foster we have #14 Cash Wilcke of Iowa and #20 Noah Stewart of Army. To yet again tick off Iowa fans, no I don't see Wilcke as a potential finalist. I don't even see him as a darkhorse. He was the champion last season at 197 lbs, and think until proven otherwise that he was better at 197 lbs. His loss to #18 Sam Colbray of Iowa State, who Foster tore into like a raccoon into a trash bin on steak night at Bonanza with a 14-0 major decision is all the testimony I need. I think he'll finish third and Stewart fourth, but I don't see him beating Foster or Parker in route to the finals.
197 lbs
It's amazing considering that Princeton has never had a Midland's champion before, that they have a legitimate shot at crowning two at this year's tournament. #3 Patrick Brucki who placed fifth at last year's championships, should receive the #1 seed. Challenging him will be #4 Jacob Warner, of Iowa whom he beat for that fifth place medal last season 4-2. It's the rise of a program destined for greatness vs a tradition of both individual and team champions in what is arguably amateur wrestling's most storied program. It should for many reasons be a great match.
As to the consolation finals, on paper it looks like Army's #7 Rocco Caywood and Warner's backup Mitch Bowman of Iowa should pretty much have their way with the rest of the field. This is our most likely match for third place.
I think it's fair to think that NCAA qualifier Tom Lane of Cal Poly will be somewhere on the award stand come ceremony time. He failed to place at CKLV, but that was a much tougher bracket than what this will be. He should place here.
As to Andre Lee of Illinois, again I am eluding to the fact that once you get past the top four, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth places are up for grabs. Am I really stretching here thinking that Lee could possibly find his way onto the award stand? I don't know. In his entire career he's never had over 11 wins in one season. He's already 11-4 this year. One more win, which he should at least do that and his senior year is his best year yet. Be awesome to add a Midland's medal to that career milestone.
HWT
All eyes will be on returning Midland's Champion, #1 Sam Stoll of Iowa. Yet, I think the road to the title may be a bit bumpier than expected. For one, I think Tanner Hall who is currently redshirting at Arizona State should be in the mix. If there is a reason he won't be there, I haven't heard it. Hall already proved that Minnesota's Gable Stevenson isn't invincible, taking him into overtime at this year's Bison Open at North Dakota State. The two have had some classic battles in the course of their careers. No doubt about it, we could see yet another one. 
Maryland's Youssif Hemida could pose a possible threat. It's a bit more of a stretch considering that he's 0-3 verses Stoll but stranger things have happened in collegiate wrestling. He has yet to compete this year.
As for Campbell's Jere Heino, who also has yet to compete this year, he can be quite dangerous when he wants to be as well. He knocked Hall who placed third at the 2017 NCAA's out of the 2018 NCAA's last season. He's big, strong and tough to score on.
Isn't it amazing how between the four best wrestlers at HWT, two have yet to wrestle this season and the other two have three matches between them? Makes one wonder if perhaps we'll see the biggest upset of the tournament at HWT, due to conditioning alone.
Throwing it out there right now, Sam Stoll = Gorriaran Award Winner
I've been a college wrestling fan since 1991. An Iowa Hawkeye wrestling fan since 1991. Lived in Iowa my whole life. Lived in Iowa City from August of 2009 until April of 2013. One thing has never changed. Iowa fans love hype, love to brag and love to act like their recruits are the best thing ever. Sometimes they're right. Spencer Lee was going to be the best thing ever, and so far, yes he has been! Barring injury, I don't see him getting beat. Other times the hype is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Chad Beatty was supposed to come in be a world beater and Eric Luedke had no problem putting him in his place. So how about Tony Cassioppi? Just how good is he really?
He's 11-0 right now, with 10 falls, 9 of which have been in the first period. An impressive statistic no matter how you slice it but let's be real for a second. Who has he faced? No one notable by Division I standards. It's time to put up or shut up, and we'll get a real glimpse at just how good he is or isn't at this year's Midlands. Some are making some great claims. Claims like he's better than Stoll or that he'll be Stevenson's first loss. Well, we'll see....
As to the other place-winners at HWT, it'll be a war. Leading the way is #8 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin who is having himself an impressive freshman season.
Buffalo's #12 Jake Gunning is having himself his best season yet, and he should improve upon or at least match his eighth place showing last season.
Another impressive freshman is Army's Ben Sullivan currently 12-4. All of his losses have been very close including taking Gunning into overtime and a 3-1 decision to Hillger.
Central Michigan's Matt Stencel and Fresno State's A.J. Nevills might as well hold up a mirror to one another. Both were NCAA qualifiers last season and both were round of twelve at this year's CKLV. Both are also hungry, as most HWTs should be for a Midland's medal.
Carter Isley of Northern Iowa, for what it is worth was also one match shy of a medal at CKLV.
Conan Jennings who has been ranked by intermat in past years, has yet to crack their top twenty this season. He placed sixth at last years championships. Another similar showing should see him back in the rankings.
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