Once again a quick reminder that Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa & South Dakota State have The Solider Salute listed on their official schedules, so going with starters being sent to that tournament & backups being sent here.
174 interest me for a variety of reasons. We have a favorite for a champion, who I would be very shocked to see upset at this tournament. Nevertheless I know a lot of hungry wrestlers starving to knock him off. This weight class also has some young talent looking to break through and make a name for themselves. Then it also provides us with a list of wrestlers who have slipped & are looking for an opportunity to get back on top again.
The way the three time NCAA medal winner has been wrestling as of late, it's very difficult to see anyone overcoming the Husker for a Midlands title. He struck gold in Vegas here a couple of weeks ago, with a win over NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech & gold is most likely what he'll find in Chicago. 4th here all the way back in 2017, he owns three victories over likely finals opponent Clay Lautt (3-2, 3-2 & 8-4). He also owns two victories of D.J. Washington 13-7 & 8-4. He's dominated Max Maylor 23-8 t.f. & a 33 second fall. Two wins over Joel Devine, 3-2 & 5-2. A 19-7 major decision over Troy Fisher & an 11-9 victory over Jackson Turley.
The Tar Heel has came close a couple of times, but still has yet to figure out Labriola. While trying to figure out the Husker, he'll also wanna watch his back as he goes through the treacherous swamps of the quarterfinals & semifinals. Against the competition he is 5-0 over all against Victor Marcelli (2-0, 8-3, 3-1, 7-1 & a 4:02 fall). Other victories against the competition include a 6-2 decision over Jared McGill, a 5-1 decision over Washington, a 5-3 s.v. over Jake Logan, a 4-1 decision over Max Maylor, an 8-1 decision over Fisher & a 8-2 decision over Justin Phillips.
An early season loss to Ohio State's Ethan Smith, other than that Edmond Ruth has defeated everyone who has been placed in front of him. If he were to finish 3rd here at the Midlands I don't think that would surprise anyone. What would surprise us though, is if Ruth were to knock off Lautt and/or Labriola. Especially Labriola. Thus far Ruth has racked up wins against the competition. He has a 4-1 decision over Logan, an 8-4 decision over Joseph Walker, a 15-0 tech over Maylor, a 4-3 decision over Nick Incontrera and a 3-1 s.v. over Luca Augustine.
As the Crimson wrestling program step by step returns to the better times of yesteryear, Philip Conigliaro is a huge part of that process. For both him and Harvard, a top showing here would be vital. Especially if he were to knock someone off in the process. He was 5th here in 2019. He owns an 8-6 s.v. over Walker.
It's been a series of ups and downs for the Hoosier, pretty much his entire career. He'll win a huge match & be on a high for a while, then he'll lose where he wasn't supposed to & be a low. It's been a back and forth battle for quite sometime. Talent wise, he can finish very well here at the Midlands. In fact, he's wrestled well here before. 6th in 2019, he can be even better this tournament. A 3-2 victory over Marcelli he's stuck Fisher every time he's stepped on the mat with him (6:41, 1:29 & 5:53).
Upsetting anyone that will be seeded above him doesn't look too promising but if he keeps himself from getting upset, Troy Fisher stands as good a shot as anyone of keeping one of the 80 medals handed out , right there in Evanston. Among his victories a 12-3 major over Marcelli.
Another wrestler gunning for a top 8 finish here at the Midlands, Nick Incontrera owns a 10-5 decision over Logan & a 7-4 decision over Turley.
You can see it within the performances of pretty much the entire team, good things are happening in Colorado Springs. Improvements are being made. Wrestlers are winning matches they wouldn't have won in seasons past & they're finding themselves in the rankings. One of those wrestlers is Sam Wolf. Now to take it to the next level, what would really be great for Wolf would be to break through & earn a top 8 finish here. Easier said than done. He owns a 3-1 victory over McGill.
You can pretty much take what I said about Conigliaro and Wolf and apply it to Jared McGill. It's no secret to anyone that Edinboro is a shadow of its former self. Rumors speculated that we might lose the program. In fact, rumors speculated that we might lose the school. Things got as down and dark as they were going to get for the Fighting Scots & now step by step, ray of light by ray of light, the program is rebuilding. Place-winners at major tournaments like these are so crucial to a program's rejuvenation. It'd take wrestling at his absolute best, but McGill is capable of it.
An All American finish as a freshman, Jackson Turley's career started off on such a high note. Injuries have since gotten the best of him & he's found himself lost amongst the shuffle. If healthy & 100%, he's so much better than 31st. All it would take to get right back into the mix, would be a great performance. It only takes one tournament to do that. He owns a 16-1 tech over Washington.
Among the young talent in this bracket looking to make a name for themselves is Joseph Walker. The young Wolverine owns a 10-7 victory over teammate Max Maylor & he took Conigliaro into overtime.
As to the unranked wrestlers who could turn out good performances here at the Midlands...
Keep an eye on Victor Marcelli. While he's inconsistent and has some headscratcher losses, he also can be down right tough when he wants to be. 7th here in 2019, he owns a 6-2 victory over Incontrera & he's defeated McGill twice by scores of 6-2 & 3-1.
174 interest me for a variety of reasons. We have a favorite for a champion, who I would be very shocked to see upset at this tournament. Nevertheless I know a lot of hungry wrestlers starving to knock him off. This weight class also has some young talent looking to break through and make a name for themselves. Then it also provides us with a list of wrestlers who have slipped & are looking for an opportunity to get back on top again.
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| #2 Mikey Labriola Nebraska |
The way the three time NCAA medal winner has been wrestling as of late, it's very difficult to see anyone overcoming the Husker for a Midlands title. He struck gold in Vegas here a couple of weeks ago, with a win over NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech & gold is most likely what he'll find in Chicago. 4th here all the way back in 2017, he owns three victories over likely finals opponent Clay Lautt (3-2, 3-2 & 8-4). He also owns two victories of D.J. Washington 13-7 & 8-4. He's dominated Max Maylor 23-8 t.f. & a 33 second fall. Two wins over Joel Devine, 3-2 & 5-2. A 19-7 major decision over Troy Fisher & an 11-9 victory over Jackson Turley.
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| #9 Clay Lautt North Carolina |
The Tar Heel has came close a couple of times, but still has yet to figure out Labriola. While trying to figure out the Husker, he'll also wanna watch his back as he goes through the treacherous swamps of the quarterfinals & semifinals. Against the competition he is 5-0 over all against Victor Marcelli (2-0, 8-3, 3-1, 7-1 & a 4:02 fall). Other victories against the competition include a 6-2 decision over Jared McGill, a 5-1 decision over Washington, a 5-3 s.v. over Jake Logan, a 4-1 decision over Max Maylor, an 8-1 decision over Fisher & a 8-2 decision over Justin Phillips.
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| #10 Edmond Ruth Illinois |
An early season loss to Ohio State's Ethan Smith, other than that Edmond Ruth has defeated everyone who has been placed in front of him. If he were to finish 3rd here at the Midlands I don't think that would surprise anyone. What would surprise us though, is if Ruth were to knock off Lautt and/or Labriola. Especially Labriola. Thus far Ruth has racked up wins against the competition. He has a 4-1 decision over Logan, an 8-4 decision over Joseph Walker, a 15-0 tech over Maylor, a 4-3 decision over Nick Incontrera and a 3-1 s.v. over Luca Augustine.
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| #12 Philip Conigliaro Harvard |
As the Crimson wrestling program step by step returns to the better times of yesteryear, Philip Conigliaro is a huge part of that process. For both him and Harvard, a top showing here would be vital. Especially if he were to knock someone off in the process. He was 5th here in 2019. He owns an 8-6 s.v. over Walker.
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| #18 D.J. Washington Indiana |
It's been a series of ups and downs for the Hoosier, pretty much his entire career. He'll win a huge match & be on a high for a while, then he'll lose where he wasn't supposed to & be a low. It's been a back and forth battle for quite sometime. Talent wise, he can finish very well here at the Midlands. In fact, he's wrestled well here before. 6th in 2019, he can be even better this tournament. A 3-2 victory over Marcelli he's stuck Fisher every time he's stepped on the mat with him (6:41, 1:29 & 5:53).
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| #20 Troy Fisher Northwestern |
Upsetting anyone that will be seeded above him doesn't look too promising but if he keeps himself from getting upset, Troy Fisher stands as good a shot as anyone of keeping one of the 80 medals handed out , right there in Evanston. Among his victories a 12-3 major over Marcelli.
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| #22 Nick Incontrera Pennsylvania |
Another wrestler gunning for a top 8 finish here at the Midlands, Nick Incontrera owns a 10-5 decision over Logan & a 7-4 decision over Turley.
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| #24 Sam Wolf Air Force |
You can see it within the performances of pretty much the entire team, good things are happening in Colorado Springs. Improvements are being made. Wrestlers are winning matches they wouldn't have won in seasons past & they're finding themselves in the rankings. One of those wrestlers is Sam Wolf. Now to take it to the next level, what would really be great for Wolf would be to break through & earn a top 8 finish here. Easier said than done. He owns a 3-1 victory over McGill.
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| #26 Jared McGill Edinboro |
You can pretty much take what I said about Conigliaro and Wolf and apply it to Jared McGill. It's no secret to anyone that Edinboro is a shadow of its former self. Rumors speculated that we might lose the program. In fact, rumors speculated that we might lose the school. Things got as down and dark as they were going to get for the Fighting Scots & now step by step, ray of light by ray of light, the program is rebuilding. Place-winners at major tournaments like these are so crucial to a program's rejuvenation. It'd take wrestling at his absolute best, but McGill is capable of it.
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| #31 Jackson Turley Rutgers |
An All American finish as a freshman, Jackson Turley's career started off on such a high note. Injuries have since gotten the best of him & he's found himself lost amongst the shuffle. If healthy & 100%, he's so much better than 31st. All it would take to get right back into the mix, would be a great performance. It only takes one tournament to do that. He owns a 16-1 tech over Washington.
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| #32 Joseph Walker Michigan |
Among the young talent in this bracket looking to make a name for themselves is Joseph Walker. The young Wolverine owns a 10-7 victory over teammate Max Maylor & he took Conigliaro into overtime.
As to the unranked wrestlers who could turn out good performances here at the Midlands...
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| U.R. Victor Marcelli Virginia |
Keep an eye on Victor Marcelli. While he's inconsistent and has some headscratcher losses, he also can be down right tough when he wants to be. 7th here in 2019, he owns a 6-2 victory over Incontrera & he's defeated McGill twice by scores of 6-2 & 3-1.
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| U.R. Joel Devine Iowa State |
Iowa State is on the up & the positive changes are reflecting the entire program. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Joel Devine have a good Midlands. He's wrestled Labriola surprisingly close on two occasions & he has both a 3-2 victory over Wolf & a 4-2 victory over Elise Brown Ton.
22'-23' hasn't been great for the Mountain Hawk thus far, but history suggest that the Midlands could potentially be a great tournament for him. Among his victories a 4-3 decision over Incontrera & a 7-5 decision over Turley.
A lot of good things happening at George Mason. Wouldn't be surprised to see some good results out of Logan Messer. He owns a 16-0 tech over Justin Phillips.
I love so much about the Midlands and one of the things I love most is how it illustrates how deep some of these programs are at each weight. Joseph Walker may be the starter for the Wolverines right now, but Max Maylor is hot on his tail. Among his wins a 7-0 decision over Luca Augustine & a 7-5 decision over Turley.
The Midlands also showcases to us who we can look forward to after the graduation of one star. This is Labriola's final season as a Husker & Coach Manning already has a fantastic replacement. I can see Elise Brown Ton demonstrating that this tournament. He already owns a 3-2 victory over Wolf.
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| U.R. Jake Logan Lehigh |
22'-23' hasn't been great for the Mountain Hawk thus far, but history suggest that the Midlands could potentially be a great tournament for him. Among his victories a 4-3 decision over Incontrera & a 7-5 decision over Turley.
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| U.R. Logan Messer George Mason |
A lot of good things happening at George Mason. Wouldn't be surprised to see some good results out of Logan Messer. He owns a 16-0 tech over Justin Phillips.
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| U.R. Max Maylor Michigan |
I love so much about the Midlands and one of the things I love most is how it illustrates how deep some of these programs are at each weight. Joseph Walker may be the starter for the Wolverines right now, but Max Maylor is hot on his tail. Among his wins a 7-0 decision over Luca Augustine & a 7-5 decision over Turley.
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| U.R. Elise Brown Ton Nebraska |
The Midlands also showcases to us who we can look forward to after the graduation of one star. This is Labriola's final season as a Husker & Coach Manning already has a fantastic replacement. I can see Elise Brown Ton demonstrating that this tournament. He already owns a 3-2 victory over Wolf.
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| U.R. Luca Augustine |
Another wrestler who can often be tough, Luca Augustine owns both a 3-1 s.v. over Phillips & an 11-6 decision over Logan.
Another tough wrestler, although inconsistent, Justin Phillips owns a 3-2 victory over Fisher.
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| U.R. Justin Phillips Virginia |
Another tough wrestler, although inconsistent, Justin Phillips owns a 3-2 victory over Fisher.
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