Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Midlands Championships
Brandon Precin Marches into Midlands Semifinals
12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 29, 2009
Midlands Championships Web page (complete brackets, team standings)
EVANSTON, Ill. — Wrestling unattached, Northwestern's Brandon Precin defended his top seed at 125 pounds on Tuesday by breezing through the first two sessions to earn a spot in the semifinals of the 2009 Midlands Championships. Precin, 14-0 this season while competing unattached, needs two more wins on Wednesday to become only the second NU wrestler to win multiple Midlands titles.
Junior 149-pounder Andrew Nadhir won two matches in Session II to remain alive in the consolation bracket while true freshman Kevin Bialka (157 pounds) lost in a highly competitive decision in the wrestlebacks to end his stint in his first Midlands Championships.
After the completion of two full sessions, defending NCAA and Midlands team champion Iowa leads the team standings with 100.0 points while Iowa State is second with 92.5. Visit NUsports.com's Midlands Championships Info Center for complete team standings and brackets through the first day of a two-day affair.
Precin faced his first true test of the tournament against Pittsburgh's ninth-seeded Anthony Zanetta, who notched a takedown in the first period against Precin to even the score at two. Precin took a 4-2 lead on a takedown of his own in the second period and rode out much of the third period to win 5-3, advancing to the semifinals against Iowa State's fourth-seeded Andrew Long.
Nadhir began his night in a consolation matchup with Northern Iowa's Brett Robbins. The two wrestlers were even at six at the conclusion of the first period after Nadhir scored two points on a reversal with under 25 seconds before the whistle. The score was even again in the second, this time 8-8, before Nadhir went on the offensive, notching back points en route to a 16-9 decision.
Nadhir moved on to face fifth-seeded Mario Mason of Minnesota wrestling unattached and took a 2-0 lead midway through the first with a takedown on Mason's right leg. Nadhir nursed leads of 3-1 and 3-2 into the third period and held on to win by that narrow margin with riding time not a factor.
Nadhir, 12-3 on the year, is set to meet unseeded David Cheza of Michigan State—a fifth-place Midlands finisher a year ago—in Wednesday's wrestleback round. A victory would guarantee Nadhir his first career placing at his home tournament.
Bialka looked to put the finishing touches on a strong first day of his Midlands career when he met Andy Lamancusa of Mercyhurst in Tuesday night's consolation. Bialka trailed 6-4 late in the first when he worked to close Lamancusa on his back, coming within seconds of a pin before the final seconds of the first period ticked off the clock.
Lamancusa did not need long to erase his 9-6 deficit in the second as he soon tied the score at 10. Bialka took an 11-10 lead on an escape but in the third period, he surrendered an escape and ultimately a riding time point as Lamancusa escaped with a 13-11 victory.
Competition resumes Wednesday morning with Session III at noon in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Session III will set the stage for the championship, third-place and fifth-place matches that begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Northwestern Session II Results
125
Quarters:
#1 Brandon Precin (NU-UNATT) dec. #9 Anthony Zanetta (PITT), 5-3
Consolation:
Caleb Flores (UNI) dec. Levi Mele (NU), 10-5
149
Consolation:
#10 Andrew Nadhir (NU) dec. Brett Robbins (UNI), 16-9
#10 Andrew Nadhir (NU) dec. Mario Mason (MINN-UNATT), 3-2
157
Consolation:
Andy Lamancusa (MERCY) dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 13-11
