Iowa cruises to 25th Midlands wrestling title

The second-ranked Iowa wrestling team won the Midlands Championships with relative ease Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

Iowa placed first with 152 team points, besting Big Ten Conference rival Nebraska, who was second with 135. The win is the 25th Midlands title for the Hawkeyes, more than any other school in the 53-year history of the tournament.

Eight Iowa wrestlers finished in the top seven at their respective weights. Thomas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149) and Nathan Burak (197) all took home titles. Alex Meyer (174) and Sam Stoll (heavyweight) each placed third.

Rutgers finished third in team scoring with 110 points. North Carolina State was fourth with 95.5, and Rider placed fifth with 67. Iowa State was sixth with 64 points in the 43-school event.

The Cyclones’ lone finalist, Tannwe Weatherman, lost via pinfall to Purdue’s Chad Welch at 165 pounds. Northern Iowa’s Josh Alber lost in overtime at 133 to Emilio Saavedra.

Grand View’s Andrew Long completed his decimation of the 141-pound field by earning a 23-6 technical fall over Steve Bleise of Northern Illinois in the finals.