Again as we take a look at the top participants of the 133 lbs division of the Midlands bracket a reminder that as to the way I understand it, Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa & South Dakota State will be sending their varsity to participate at the Soldier Salute in Coralville. I believe it is their redshirts & reserves that will be competing here at the Midlands.
133 lbs will feature 15 of the top ranked wrestlers in NCAA Division I, including five of the top 10. Four DI All Americans, three of which are two timers. It will also feature the best wrestler in NCAA Division III.
 |
| #4 Michael McGee Arizona State |
I'm going to wager that two time All American Michael McGee, with victories over nearly everyone else in this bracket is going to be our *1 seed. He's defeated Dylan Ragusin on three occasions, 5-1, 8-7 & 10-0 major decision. A 5-3 victory over Mickey Phillippi, he owns a 7-5 decision of Michael Colaiocco & a 6:17 fall over Lucas Byrd. He's also defeated Kyle Burwick. Ironically enough Joey Heilman has given him a few closer matches in 4-1 & 7-4 decisions, but McGee has also majored him 11-3. 16-5 & 14-8 victories over Cole Rhone, he's defeated Zach Redding 9-4 with huge majors over Kurt Phipps 8-0 & Boo Dryden 16-3. He's most certainly the favorite coming into the tournament.
 |
| #7 Dylan Ragusin Michigan |
0-3 against McGee it is going to be difficult for the Wolverine to overcome the Sun Devil for a title, but it is very feasible that Dylan Ragusin could be the opponent to face him in the finals. Although he has yet to taste All American glory himself, he's defeated Lucas Byrd 3-1 s.v. & he owns two victories over Chris Cannon by scores of 7-2 & 9-5. He also demolished Jaime Hernandez 20-5 technical fall.
 |
| #8 Connor McGonagle Lehigh |
Connor McGonagle has really stepped it up a notch thus far this season with some nice victories, one of which includes a 5-3 decision over Phillippi. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep up his winning ways in a rather loaded bracket.
 |
| #9 Mickey Phillippi Pittsburgh |
Three times the R12 at the NCAA championships, you are looking at one of the best wrestlers in the nation yet to All American. Ups & downs throughout his entire career, he needs a huge confidence booster and doing well here could very well be the ticket. He wrestled McGee to a respectable 5-3 match & one would think that type of result could be turned to a win. He owns a 4-3 victory over Byrd & he's defeated Heilmann twice by scores of 3-1 & 4-1. He also owns both 8-5 & 3-0 victories over Hernandez. 4th here all the way back in 2017, Phillippi has the talent & tools to walk out of this tournament the champion. Unfortunately susceptible to loss, he also could walk out without a medal.
 |
| #10 Lucas Byrd Illinois |
Two time All American Lucas Byrd is a title contender in his own right. He could likely land in Evanston & fly out the champion. He's defeated Ragusin twice by scores of 6-5 & 5-2. He's defeated Cannon every time he's stepped on the mat with him in 2-1, 8-2, 4-1 & 7-1 decisions. Against Phillippi, he has one loss to two victories, 5-4 & 6-2. One and one with Madigral, his victory is a 3-1 decision. 12-5 & 11-3 over Dryden, he has defeated Burwick thrice, 16-5, 5-0 & 5-2. A 5-0 decision over Cullan Schriever, he defeated Colaiocco 7-5 in overtime, & Heilmann 6-1. Finally he owns a 2:46 fall over Cole Rhone. The point of listing his results against the competition for five solid minutes is to illustrate that not only can he beat most of the competition in front of him, he already has.
 |
| #11 Joe Heilmann Rutgers |
One of the most improved wrestlers in the 133 lbs weight class, Joe Heilmann has done enough this season to propel himself up in the rankings. Now it's time to really test himself against the competition here at the Midlands championships. He already owns 3-2 decision over both Phillippi & Colaiocco. He also has a 6-4 s.v. over Rhone & a 6-2 decision over Burwick. I would imagine that seeding would already slate him as a place-winner, and it'll be interesting to see if he can out wrestle his seed.
 |
| #13 Michael Colaiocco Pennsylvania |
3rd here in 2019 as a 125 lbs'er, Michael Colaiocco wants to show the wrestling world he's capable of such a finish up at 133. It took him a while to adjust to a life 8 lbs heavier, but once he figured it out, it's been a pretty smooth ride. Among his victories a 4-0 shut out over Cannon. He also shut out Schriever 6-0. He owns a 4-2 victory over Taylor LaMont & both 3-1 & 8-5 decisions over Cole Rhone.
 |
| #18 Chris Cannon Northwestern |
This guy ought to carry a monkey wrench around in his pocket or consider maybe getting one tattooed on his body. The two time All American isn't always "expected to" but he often does. He's the epitome of why we wrestle on the mat & not on paper. Between results & rankings, I can't see him being seeded anything higher than 8th. Yet I can see him finishing much higher than 8th. He's the only one in this bracket with a win over McGee, a 3:00 fall, mind you. He also stuck Phillippi, a 2:21 fall. Sticking Dryden in 4:13, he owns a 9-1 major over Kurt Phipps, & a 5-3 victory over Schriever. He's defeated Burwick 4-0 & 9-7. 7th here in 2019, you want a bracket buster, home crowd favorite Chris Cannon at your service.
 |
| #19 Taylor LaMont Wisconsin |
It's been a rougher road for Taylor LaMont at 133 than what it was at 125. He'll have a heck of a path in front of him in order to make the award stand here at the Midlands, but he is most certainly place-winner material.
 |
| #23 Cody Phippen Air Force |
In his last season as a Falcon, Cody Phippen has been on a quest to earn a lot of first, as well as onlys. He won his first Mountaineer Invitational title & he came within a match of earning a medal at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, losing only to the champion & 3rd place finisher. Now he shoots for an opportunity to earn a top 8 finish at the Midlands championships. This has been his best year thus far, as he has earned his highest of rankings. In an effort to make his first NCAA tournament, a good showing here would help him to earn that allocation. He owns a 13-0 major over Kurt Phipps.
 |
| #29 Joey Melendez North Carolina |
He was a match away from placing at the 2018 Midlands championships & I would imagine the seeding will most likely predict him to finish the same again. He's capable of earning a top 8 though.
 |
| #31 Henry Porter Indiana |
I've talked a lot over the past couple of seasons of how Angel Escobedo is working diligently to make the basketball crazed basketball school of Indiana, also well known for their wrestling program. In his efforts to do so, he's gotten some good recruits. One of them is Henry Porter. So far the freshman owns a 15-3 record this season with some pretty notable results. He won the Kaufmann Brand Open & he recently finished second at the Reno tournament of champions.
 |
| #32 Kurt Phipps Bucknell |
It would take a series of upsets & some really good wrestling but I can see Kurt Phipps in the blood round match and possibly sneaking his way on to the award stand. Inconsistent as he may be, he does own a standout 9-4 decision over Colaiocco & he's also defeated Hunter Leake 8-4.
 |
| #33 Boo Dryden Nebraska |
A Navy Classic champion here a few weeks back, Boo Dryden has proven himself one to know how to win tough matches in tough tournaments. He has some losses, but it's not unlike him to turn those losses into wins. I mean look at him against sorta-kinda-not-quite-yet-it's-a-long-story-teammate Burwick. As he does or doesn't (again long story) continue to fight him for the spot, it was first a 15-0 technical loss. He then turned that into a 5-2 decision victory. Granted the last time they two officially met it was a 4-3 win for Burwick, but think about that for a second. Turning a 15-0 tech loss into a 5-2 victory is a testimony to intestinal fortitude. A testimony to ones ability to improve and adjust. Dryden is going into this tournament far, far from a favorite, but don't kid yourself, the photo taken of the 133 lbs place-winners by tournament's end could very well include him.
===
Now let's talk about the unranked. There is a ton of talent in this bracket outside of the current top 33, who is dying to steal those rankings for themselves. Others who are currently not the starters on their teams, looking to steal those spots & redshirts looking to prove themselves.
 |
| U.R. Kyle Burwick Nebraska |
Unless something gets figured out and gets figured out quickly, this could be the last competition we see Kyle Burwick in this season. Still not officially released from Wisconsin, he's not yet an official Husker. Pitty as he's currently undefeated on the season. I'd call him a candidate for a top 8 finish here. He owns both a 4-3 & 15-0 technical fall over Boo Dryden. You and I both already know the controversial story it'd make if he were to come in here, have a great Midlands run & then be denied to compete the rest of the season. Wrestling is often full of story and this is a case of drama waiting to explode.
 |
| U.R. Cullan Schriever Iowa |
Suiting up in the black & gold is a right that has to be earned. Right now Cullan Schriever is fighting Brody Teske for that right. Iowa is a school that looks at performance as much as it does head to head wrestle-offs, if not more so than it does head to head wrestle-offs. How you compete against the competition, especially at top tournaments has a lot to do with whether you're varsity or whether you're not. The Midlands presents itself an opportunity for the Hawkeye.
 |
| U.R. Jaime Hernandez North Carolina |
Iowa isn't the only school with more than one talent in the weight class. Currently behind Melendez, Jaime Hernandez continues to fight for the varsity position. 7-3 decisions over both Burwick & Heilmann suggest that fight is far from over.
 |
| U.R. Zach Redding Iowa State |
Zach Redding is in a similar situation to that of Schriever. Suiting up in the cardinal and gold is an honor that can only be earned & right now Ramazan Attasauov stands in his way. Not as familiar with how Dresser & Co operate as I am with bow Brands and Co operate, I would still imagine that performance in such a prestigious tournament holds a lot of weight. Redding will come in here overlooked & that might just as well suit the Cyclone. He nearly majored Lamont, 10-4.
 |
| U.R. Julian Farber Northern Iowa |
The soybean and corn fields of Herbert Hoover country have nothing but extremely talented backups at 133 lbs, huh? Well, I suppose that is the case, because behind Kyle Biscoglia, we have Julian Farber in the Panther lineup. A 20-5 tech & a 13-2 major over Evan Frost, he also owns a 5-1 victory over Phipps.
 |
| Redshirt Evan Frost Iowa State |
Here's a guy I'm anxious to see this tournament. Let me tell you a little bit about Evan Frost in case you're unware. During his home tournament, the Cyclone Open, Julian Farber humiliated him not once but twice. A 20-5 technical fall & a 13-2 major decision. To get completed owned like that, isn't easy to swallow and it isn't easy to come back from. So you know what Frost does? He goes into the UNI Open, Farber's home & hands the Panther an 8-5 loss. Who does that!?!? Talk about mental toughness. H-o-l-y moo cow. Makes you wonder what he'll do against the competition here.
 |
| U.R. Hunter Leake California Baptist |
For the Lancer program & for NCAA Division I wrestling in California itself I would love to see Hunter Leake have a good Midlands wrestling tournament. Definitely would take a series of major upsets. He owns a 4:37 fall over Redding.
 |
| U.R. Cole Rhone Bloomsburg |
Bloomsburg is another team that could really use a place-winner here at the Midlands championships. Let's face it Husky wrestling has been down in the dumps for a while & I think in partial that had to do with wrestling a weaker schedule that didn't include any major tournaments. I'm well aware of the improvements that Bloomsburg has made (including some last season as well) & I think adding the Midlands to the schedule has been one of them. Now they need to put some on the award stand. It'd be a left field performance, but Cole Rhone is capable. He owns a 5-3 decision over Phipps.
 |
| U.R. Julian Chlebove Arizona State |
He ain't taking the varsity spot away from McGee, but I will tell what Julian Chlebove can do. What he can do is show the wrestling world that once McGee graduates, he'll be right there to take his spot. The Sun Devil owns a 8-5 decision over Rhone.
Non DI?
 |
| #1 in DIII Robbie Precin North Central |
In the land of NCAA Division III wrestling, Robbie Precin is king. A runner-up in 2021 & a national champion in 2022, with another year of eligibility to go after this one, he already owns a 104-2 record. No one can deny the palatial standing of his accomplishments, but this is DI wrestling. A whole new world. I'd like to think he might be able to pull off a win or two, but we have these class differentials for a reason. Nevertheless it'll be fun to watch him watch him compete.
No comments:
Post a Comment