Midlands Notables

Session One Notables

Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids), who is vying for a record ninth straight Midlands title, is off to his usual good start after advancing to the quarterfinals at 174 pounds. Williams is currently tied with Bruce Baumgartner for most Midlands titles with eight. After the first session, Williams now has a record 47 career Midlands wins. He has also won 43 consecutive matches (dating to 1993), also a tournament record. If Williams places in this year's tournament, he will set the record for most career places with 10.

Steve Mocco (Iowa), the top-seeded heavyweight, made quick work of his first opponent. His win by fall in 16 seconds ranks 15th on the all-time Midlands list for fastest fall. The record is a mere eight seconds, set by Tom Erikson (Sunkist Kids) in 1991. Mocco notched his second pin in as many matches.

The 2002 Midlands features 363 competitors from around the country. More than half of the top 200 wrestlers in the nation are competing this weekend, and 18 of the top 25 collegiate programs also have wrestlers in this year's field.

Two No. 1 seeds are already out of the championship bracket. Mike Simpson (Arizona State) upended top-seeded Cliff Moore (Iowa) at 133 pounds, and Derek Phillips (Unattached) defeated top-seeded Aaron Holker (Iowa State) at 141 pounds.

Randy Conrad (Wildcat WC), the nephew of Roy Conrad (1963 Midlands Champion), is attempting to become the oldest wrestler (42 years old) to place at the Midlands. He dropped his first round match to Jeremiah Jarvis (Cal-Davis) and is currently competing in the consolation bracket.

Defending champion Iowa is on top of the leaderboard after the first session. Iowa has 38.5 points, Sunkist Kids WC has 34 points, Penn State has 32.5 points, Illinois has 27 points and Ohio State has 24 points to round out the top five. Since 1990, the Hawkeyes have won seven of the possible eight team titles (no team scores were kept in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995).

Fox Sports will televise the 40th Midlands Championships from 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003.

This year's tournament will also feature the first 10 Midlands champions. In its first year, 1963, the event was known as the West Suburban YMCA Open Championship. A special ceremony will be held Sunday to recognize these competitors as Midlands champions for the first time.

Two wrestlers have the opportunity for the "20 in 4" Club in 2002. Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids) is 18-0 in his first three-plus Midlands appearances after adding a trio of wins in the first session. Nick Preston (Sunkist Kids) also has 18 wins after winning two matches.

Session Two Notables

Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids), who is vying for a record ninth straight Midlands title, is off to his usual good start after advancing to the semifinals at 174 pounds. Williams is currently tied with Bruce Baumgartner for most Midlands titles with eight. After the first two sessions, Williams now has a record 48 career Midlands wins. Williams broke the old record (47), which was held by Mike Schmidlin. He has also won 44 consecutive matches (dating to 1993), also a tournament record.

Randy Conrad (Wildcat WC), the nephew of Roy Conrad (1963 Midlands Champion), fell short in his attempt to become the oldest wrestler (42 years old) to place at the Midlands. He dropped his first-round match to Jeremiah Jarvis (Cal-Davis). He then knocked off Quinten Bell (Unattached) by fall, but lost his second consolation match to Matt Gentry (Stanford).

Defending champion Iowa is on top of the leaderboard with 74.5 points. Sunkist Kids has 64 points, Ohio State has 63 points, Illinois has 49.5 points and Penn State and Michigan have 45 points apiece to round out the top five. Since 1990, the Hawkeyes have won seven of the possible eight team titles (no team scores were kept in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995).

Fox Sports will televise the 40th Midlands Championships from 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003.

Two wrestlers have the opportunity for the "20 in 4" Club in 2002. Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids) is 19-0 in his first three-plus Midlands appearances after picking up four wins Saturday. Nick Preston (Sunkist Kids) also has 18 wins after winning two matches.

Session Three Notables

Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids), who is vying for a record ninth straight Midlands title, is back in the finals at 174 pounds where he will face the No. 2 seed Tyler Nixt (Iowa). Williams is currently tied with Bruce Baumgartner for most Midlands titles with eight. After the first three sessions, Williams now has a record 49 career Midlands wins. He has also won 45 consecutive matches (dating to 1993), also a tournament record.

Steve Mocco (Iowa), the top-seeded heavyweight, has manhandled his opponents thus far, recording three pins in his first four matches. The lone win that did not come by fall was a medical forfeit. His first pin came in 16 seconds, the fastest fall this weekend and the 15th fastest fall in Midlands history. The record is a mere eight seconds, set by Tom Erikson (Sunkist Kids) in 1991. Mocco also pinned Kevin Hoy (Air Force) in the semifinal match in 1:53.

Defending champion Iowa, which has 119.5 points, is well on its way to its second straight Midlands title and its eighth in the last nine times in which team scores were kept. Ohio State is a distant second with 91.5 points, Sunkist Kids has 91 points, Illinois has 83.5 points and Penn State has 81.5 points to round out the top five.

Fox Sports will televise the 40th Midlands Championships from 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003.

The top two seeds have held true to form in four weight classes, with the No. 1 seed matching up against the No. 2 seed in the final. As you might expect, this list includes No. 1 Joe Heskett (Sunkist) and No. 2 Matt Lackey (Illinois) at 165 pounds. The two have met numerous times and Heskett has had the edge, as he defeated Lackey in last year's Midlands and NCAA finals.

Dustin Manotti (Cornell), the No. 10 seed at 149 pounds, is the highest seeded finalist. The road gets no easier in the final, as Manotti meets John Fisher (Sunkist Kids) in the final. Fisher has a record 34 wins in the 149-pound weight class and is a four-time Midlands champion.

Two wrestlers entered the 40th Midlands with the opportunity for the "20 in 4" Club. Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids) made good on his chance, advancing to the 165-pound final with a win by fall against Johnny Clark (Ohio State) in the semifinal. Heskett is 20-0 in his first three-plus Midlands appearances after picking up five wins this weekend. Nick Preston (Sunkist Kids) had 18 wins after the first day but is out of the tournament with an injury.

Final Midlands

Joe Williams (Sunkist Kids) made Midlands history, winning a record ninth straight Midlands title. The old record was eight held by Bruce Baumgartner and Williams. Williams now has a record 50 career Midlands wins and has won 46 consecutive matches (dating to 1993), also a tournament record.

Steve Mocco (Iowa), the top-seeded heavyweight, defended his title with a 4-2 win against third-seeded Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State). Mocco recorded three pins in the tournament. His first pin came in 16 seconds, the fastest fall of the weekend and the 15th fastest fall in Midlands history. For his efforts, Mocco earned the Fastest Fall Award and the Most Falls-Least Time trophy (with a total fall time of 5:13).

The 2002 Midlands featured 363 competitors from around the country. More than half of the top 200 wrestlers in the nation competed, and 18 of the top 25 collegiate programs had wrestlers in the field.

Iowa defended its 2001 title, scoring 129.5 points en route to its eighth title in the last nine tournaments in which team scores were kept. Ohio State was a distant second with 96.5 points, Sunkist Kids had 95 points, Illinois had 92.5 points and Penn State had 84.5 points to round out the top five.

Fox Sports will televise the 40th Midlands Championships from 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003.

No. 2 Matt Lackey (Illinois) knocked off top-seeded Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids) at 165 pounds. The two met numerous times prior to this year's Midlands and Heskett had the edge, but Lackey prevailed 9-5. Besides taking home his first Midlands title, Lackey also garnered the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Dustin Manotti (Cornell), the No. 10 seed, upended top-seeded John Fisher (Sunkist Kids), a four-time Midlands champion, in the 149-pound final. Manotti had perhaps the toughest road to the championship, knocking off the No. 2 seed and the No. 7 seed before reaching the final. Travis Lee (Cornell), Manotti's teammate, won the 125-pound title with a 9-3 win against top-seeded Luke Eustice (Iowa). Lee was later named the Art Kraft Champion of Champions.

Despite losing the 165-pound title match, Joe Heskett (Sunkist Kids) joined the "20 in 4" Club with a win by fall against Johnny Clark (Ohio State) in the semifinal. Heskett is 20-1 in his first four Midlands appearances after picking up five wins this weekend.

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

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