Thursday, December 29
Hoffman Estates, IL
Northwestern
vs
Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
Photo by: John Konstantaras
Wrestling Central: Northwestern Wins Midlands Team Crown, Three ‘Cats Capture Individual Titles
12/30/2022 9:19:00 PM | Wrestling
Wildcats claim first Midlands team title in program history
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (December 30, 2022) – Hosting the 58th edition of the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, three Wildcats took home individual titles as Northwestern won the Midlands team championship for the first time in program history.
Northwestern totaled 122.0 points to top the team leaderboard, while Penn (115.0), Pittsburgh (115.0), Wisconsin (114.5), and Illinois (104.5) rounded out the top five.
Lucas Davison was dominant at 285 pounds, shutting out his opponents across five victories on his way to the individual title. After opening the meet with a fall over Alex Semenenko (Brown), Davison steamrolled his way to the top of the podium, downing Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) by a final count of 4-0 to claim the 285-pound crown.
Yahya Thomas notched a pair of major decision victories en route to the 149-pound semifinals, where he downed No. 10 Doug Zapf (Penn), 3-2. Thomas picked up another ranked win in the finals, staving off a late charge from No. 5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) to secure a 4-3 victory.
Trevor Chumbley capped off a dominant two-day stay at the NOW Arena at 157 pounds, surrendering just two points across five matches. After taking down No. 15 Garrett Modell (Wisconsin), 6-1, in the semifinals, Chumbley completed a Badger sweep, racking up an 8-0 major decision victory over Drew Scharenbrock in the final.
At 133 pounds, Chris Cannon rattled off four straight wins to begin action, highlighted by an 8-0 major decision victory in a round of 16 triumph over Josh Jones (George Mason). After defeating Hunter Adrian (Brown), 4-1, and Ryan Crookham (Lehigh), 3-1, to book a spot in the finals, Cannon dropped a tightly contested 3-2 decision to No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) to place second overall.
Andrew Davison rebounded from a second-round setback to rally to an impressive third-place finish at 197 pounds. Davison finished 7-1 across the two-day meet, registering three major decisions wins in his journey through the consolation bracket before a 4-1 win over Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) in the third-place match.
Aiden Vandenbush and Evan Bates both earned podium spots as well. Also competing at 157 pounds, Vandenbush finished 6-2, picking up five consecutive wins during consolation-round action, as he ultimately placed seventh overall. Over at 184 pounds, Bates, who took eighth, notched a pair of wins by major decision on the meet's opening day.
Northwestern returns to action in the new year, hosting Minnesota at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 7 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
Complete #Midlands58 Results (all rankings listed are national rankings)
133 lbs: Chris Cannon – 2nd Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Cannon 3-2 decision over Eric Lovelace (Missouri)
Round of 16: Cannon 8-0 major decision over Josh Jones (George Mason)
Quarterfinals: Cannon 4-1 decision over Hunter Adrian (Brown)
Semifinals: Cannon 3-1 decision over Ryan Crookham (Lehigh)
Finals: No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) 3-2 decision over Cannon
141 lbs: Frankie Tal-Shahar
Round of 64: Tal-Shahar 14-2 major decision over Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)
Round of 32: Tal-Shahar 5-1 decision over Jordan Titus (West Virginia)
Round of 16: Josh Edmond (Missouri) 9-7 decision over Tal-Shahar
Consolation: Kenny Herrmann (Harvard) over Tal-Shahar by medical forfeiture
149 lbs: Yahya Thomas – 1st Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Thomas 10-2 major decision over Marshall Keller (Princeton)
Round of 16: Thomas 17-4 major decision over Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg)
Quarterfinals: Thomas 12-5 decision over Tyler Badgett (Pittsburgh)
Semifinals: Thomas 3-2 decision over No. 10 Doug Zapf (Penn)
Final: Thomas 4-3 decision over No. 5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
149 lbs: Jamie Berg
Round of 64: Jake Burford (UW-Whitewater) 8-0 major decision over Berg
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Ricky Cabanillas (Brown) 6-1 decision over Berg
149 lbs: Justin Benjamin
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: No. 23 Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) fall over Benjamin (2:27)
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Jack Crook (Harvard) 8-7 decision over Benjamin
157 lbs: Trevor Chumbley – 1st Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Chumbley 4-0 decision over Jerrdon Fisher (Missouri)
Round of 16: Chumbley 14-1 major decision over Alfred Desantis (Rutgers)
Quarterfinals: Chumbley 8-0 major decision over Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)
Semifinals: Chumbley 6-1 decision over No. 15 Garrett Model (Wisconsin)
Finals: Chumbley 8-0 major decision over Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin)
157 lbs: Aiden Vandenbush – 7th Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Luke Ahrberg (NC State) 4-3 decision over Vandenbush
Consolation: Vandenbush 8-1 decision over Kade Law (Purdue)
Consolation: Vandenbush 5-2 decision over Alec Peralta (SIUE)
Consolation: Vandenbush 7-2 decision over Cole Spencer (Penn)
Consolation: Vandenbush 8-4 decision over Alfred Desantis (Rutgers)
Consolation: Vandenbush technical fall (16-1) over Cael Berg (Harvard)
Consolation: No. 14 Anthony Artalona (Penn) technical fall (15-0) over Vandenbush
7th Place Match: Vandenbush over Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Oklahoma) by medical forfeiture
165 lbs: Maxx Mayfield
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Mayfield 3-2 decision over Bradley Gillum (SIUE)
Round of 16: No. 14 Dan Braunagel (Illinois) 8-1 decision over Mayfield
Consolation: Mayfield 6-3 decision over Derek Fields (North Carolina State)
Consolation: Mayfield 2-1 decision over Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan)
Consolation: No. 9 Justin McCoy (Virginia) 11-3 major decision over Mayfield
174 lbs: Ankhaa Enkhmandakh
Round of 32: Kole Mulhauser (Princeton) 8-3 decision over Enkhmandakh
Consolation: Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 10-7 decision over Enkhmandakh
174 lbs: Andre Rocker
Round of 32: Scott Joll (West Virginia) fall over Rocker (2:24)
Consolation: Hayden Pumel (Northern Illinois) fall over Rocker (0:48)
174 lbs: Troy Fisher
Round of 32: Fisher 6-4 decision over Thayne Lawrence (Lehigh)
Round of 16: Fisher 3-2 decision over Noah Fox (Franklin & Marshall)
Quarterfinals: Daniel Wask (Navy Prep) 4-3 decision over Fisher
Consolation: Trey Sizemore (Illinois) over Fisher by medical forfeiture
184 lbs: Evan Bates – 8th Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Bates 14-2 major decision over Dennis Robin (West Virginia)
Round of 16: Bates 9-0 major decision over Leo Tarantino (Harvard)
Quarterfinals: No. 14 Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall over Bates (3:54)
Consolation: Bates 8-6 decision over Clayton Whiting (Missouri)
Consolation: No. 22 Neil Antrassian (Virginia) 18-5 major decision over Bates
7th Place Match: Dylan Fishback (North Carolina State) 8-2 decision over Bates
184 lbs: Jack Jessen
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: No. 22 Neil Antrassian (Virginia) fall over Jessen (3:48)
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) fall over Jesssen (2:12)
184 lbs: Jon Halvorsen
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Dylan Connell (Illinois) 3-2 decision over Halvorsen
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Halvorsen 5-2 decision over James Lledo (Pittsburgh)
Consolation: Halvorsen 6-2 decision over Ike Squires (Unattached)
Consolation: Tyler Kocak (George Mason) 3-2 decision over Halvorsen
197 lbs: Andrew Davison – 3rd Place
Round of 32: Davison 5-2 decision over Gabe Sollars (Indiana)
Round of 16: Cole Urbas (Penn) 3-2 decision over Davison
Consolation: Davison 6-3 decision over Aidan Conner (Princeton)
Consolation: Davison 15-4 major decision over Cameron Wood (Central Michigan)
Consolation: Davison 14-2 major decision over John Crawford (Franklin & Marshall)
Consolation: Davison 17-6 major decision over Ryan Yarnell (SIUE)
Consolation Semifinals: Davison 7-4 decision over No. 19 Luke Stout (Princeton)
3rd Place Match: Davison 4-1 decision over Mac Stout (Pittsburgh)
285 lbs: Lucas Davison – 1st Place
Round of 32: Davison fall over Alex Semenenko (Brown) (1:23)
Round of 16: Davison 3-0 decision over Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois)
Quarterfinals: Davison 8-0 major decision over No. 24 Ben Goldin (Penn)
Semifinals: Davison 8-0 major decision over Colton McKiernan (SIUE)
Finals: Davison 4-0 decision over Dayton Pizter (Pittsburgh)
*All rankings courtesy of FloWrestling (December 20)
Northwestern totaled 122.0 points to top the team leaderboard, while Penn (115.0), Pittsburgh (115.0), Wisconsin (114.5), and Illinois (104.5) rounded out the top five.
Lucas Davison was dominant at 285 pounds, shutting out his opponents across five victories on his way to the individual title. After opening the meet with a fall over Alex Semenenko (Brown), Davison steamrolled his way to the top of the podium, downing Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) by a final count of 4-0 to claim the 285-pound crown.
Give it up for the #midlands2022 HWT champion @LucasDavison! ???
— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) December 31, 2022
@NUWrestle x @B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/dX6VfJdRgF
Yahya Thomas notched a pair of major decision victories en route to the 149-pound semifinals, where he downed No. 10 Doug Zapf (Penn), 3-2. Thomas picked up another ranked win in the finals, staving off a late charge from No. 5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) to secure a 4-3 victory.
All smiles from @yahyat_prime ??
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) December 31, 2022
Your 149 lb #Midlands58 Champion. pic.twitter.com/23gR3jQKm3
Trevor Chumbley capped off a dominant two-day stay at the NOW Arena at 157 pounds, surrendering just two points across five matches. After taking down No. 15 Garrett Modell (Wisconsin), 6-1, in the semifinals, Chumbley completed a Badger sweep, racking up an 8-0 major decision victory over Drew Scharenbrock in the final.
Trevor Chumbley out here ankle pickin'!#NCAAWrestling x ?? @NUWrestle pic.twitter.com/sUUvBl0jjF
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) December 31, 2022
At 133 pounds, Chris Cannon rattled off four straight wins to begin action, highlighted by an 8-0 major decision victory in a round of 16 triumph over Josh Jones (George Mason). After defeating Hunter Adrian (Brown), 4-1, and Ryan Crookham (Lehigh), 3-1, to book a spot in the finals, Cannon dropped a tightly contested 3-2 decision to No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) to place second overall.
Andrew Davison rebounded from a second-round setback to rally to an impressive third-place finish at 197 pounds. Davison finished 7-1 across the two-day meet, registering three major decisions wins in his journey through the consolation bracket before a 4-1 win over Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) in the third-place match.
Aiden Vandenbush and Evan Bates both earned podium spots as well. Also competing at 157 pounds, Vandenbush finished 6-2, picking up five consecutive wins during consolation-round action, as he ultimately placed seventh overall. Over at 184 pounds, Bates, who took eighth, notched a pair of wins by major decision on the meet's opening day.
Northwestern returns to action in the new year, hosting Minnesota at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 7 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.
Complete #Midlands58 Results (all rankings listed are national rankings)
133 lbs: Chris Cannon – 2nd Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Cannon 3-2 decision over Eric Lovelace (Missouri)
Round of 16: Cannon 8-0 major decision over Josh Jones (George Mason)
Quarterfinals: Cannon 4-1 decision over Hunter Adrian (Brown)
Semifinals: Cannon 3-1 decision over Ryan Crookham (Lehigh)
Finals: No. 19 Michael Colaiocco (Penn) 3-2 decision over Cannon
141 lbs: Frankie Tal-Shahar
Round of 64: Tal-Shahar 14-2 major decision over Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan)
Round of 32: Tal-Shahar 5-1 decision over Jordan Titus (West Virginia)
Round of 16: Josh Edmond (Missouri) 9-7 decision over Tal-Shahar
Consolation: Kenny Herrmann (Harvard) over Tal-Shahar by medical forfeiture
149 lbs: Yahya Thomas – 1st Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Thomas 10-2 major decision over Marshall Keller (Princeton)
Round of 16: Thomas 17-4 major decision over Cade Balestrini (Bloomsburg)
Quarterfinals: Thomas 12-5 decision over Tyler Badgett (Pittsburgh)
Semifinals: Thomas 3-2 decision over No. 10 Doug Zapf (Penn)
Final: Thomas 4-3 decision over No. 5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
149 lbs: Jamie Berg
Round of 64: Jake Burford (UW-Whitewater) 8-0 major decision over Berg
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Ricky Cabanillas (Brown) 6-1 decision over Berg
149 lbs: Justin Benjamin
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: No. 23 Jarod Verkleeren (Virginia) fall over Benjamin (2:27)
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Jack Crook (Harvard) 8-7 decision over Benjamin
157 lbs: Trevor Chumbley – 1st Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Chumbley 4-0 decision over Jerrdon Fisher (Missouri)
Round of 16: Chumbley 14-1 major decision over Alfred Desantis (Rutgers)
Quarterfinals: Chumbley 8-0 major decision over Marcus Robinson (Cleveland State)
Semifinals: Chumbley 6-1 decision over No. 15 Garrett Model (Wisconsin)
Finals: Chumbley 8-0 major decision over Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin)
157 lbs: Aiden Vandenbush – 7th Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Luke Ahrberg (NC State) 4-3 decision over Vandenbush
Consolation: Vandenbush 8-1 decision over Kade Law (Purdue)
Consolation: Vandenbush 5-2 decision over Alec Peralta (SIUE)
Consolation: Vandenbush 7-2 decision over Cole Spencer (Penn)
Consolation: Vandenbush 8-4 decision over Alfred Desantis (Rutgers)
Consolation: Vandenbush technical fall (16-1) over Cael Berg (Harvard)
Consolation: No. 14 Anthony Artalona (Penn) technical fall (15-0) over Vandenbush
7th Place Match: Vandenbush over Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Oklahoma) by medical forfeiture
165 lbs: Maxx Mayfield
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Mayfield 3-2 decision over Bradley Gillum (SIUE)
Round of 16: No. 14 Dan Braunagel (Illinois) 8-1 decision over Mayfield
Consolation: Mayfield 6-3 decision over Derek Fields (North Carolina State)
Consolation: Mayfield 2-1 decision over Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan)
Consolation: No. 9 Justin McCoy (Virginia) 11-3 major decision over Mayfield
174 lbs: Ankhaa Enkhmandakh
Round of 32: Kole Mulhauser (Princeton) 8-3 decision over Enkhmandakh
Consolation: Jackson Turley (Rutgers) 10-7 decision over Enkhmandakh
174 lbs: Andre Rocker
Round of 32: Scott Joll (West Virginia) fall over Rocker (2:24)
Consolation: Hayden Pumel (Northern Illinois) fall over Rocker (0:48)
174 lbs: Troy Fisher
Round of 32: Fisher 6-4 decision over Thayne Lawrence (Lehigh)
Round of 16: Fisher 3-2 decision over Noah Fox (Franklin & Marshall)
Quarterfinals: Daniel Wask (Navy Prep) 4-3 decision over Fisher
Consolation: Trey Sizemore (Illinois) over Fisher by medical forfeiture
184 lbs: Evan Bates – 8th Place
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Bates 14-2 major decision over Dennis Robin (West Virginia)
Round of 16: Bates 9-0 major decision over Leo Tarantino (Harvard)
Quarterfinals: No. 14 Brian Soldano (Rutgers) fall over Bates (3:54)
Consolation: Bates 8-6 decision over Clayton Whiting (Missouri)
Consolation: No. 22 Neil Antrassian (Virginia) 18-5 major decision over Bates
7th Place Match: Dylan Fishback (North Carolina State) 8-2 decision over Bates
184 lbs: Jack Jessen
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: No. 22 Neil Antrassian (Virginia) fall over Jessen (3:48)
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) fall over Jesssen (2:12)
184 lbs: Jon Halvorsen
Round of 64: BYE
Round of 32: Dylan Connell (Illinois) 3-2 decision over Halvorsen
Consolation: BYE
Consolation: Halvorsen 5-2 decision over James Lledo (Pittsburgh)
Consolation: Halvorsen 6-2 decision over Ike Squires (Unattached)
Consolation: Tyler Kocak (George Mason) 3-2 decision over Halvorsen
197 lbs: Andrew Davison – 3rd Place
Round of 32: Davison 5-2 decision over Gabe Sollars (Indiana)
Round of 16: Cole Urbas (Penn) 3-2 decision over Davison
Consolation: Davison 6-3 decision over Aidan Conner (Princeton)
Consolation: Davison 15-4 major decision over Cameron Wood (Central Michigan)
Consolation: Davison 14-2 major decision over John Crawford (Franklin & Marshall)
Consolation: Davison 17-6 major decision over Ryan Yarnell (SIUE)
Consolation Semifinals: Davison 7-4 decision over No. 19 Luke Stout (Princeton)
3rd Place Match: Davison 4-1 decision over Mac Stout (Pittsburgh)
285 lbs: Lucas Davison – 1st Place
Round of 32: Davison fall over Alex Semenenko (Brown) (1:23)
Round of 16: Davison 3-0 decision over Terrese Aaron (Northern Illinois)
Quarterfinals: Davison 8-0 major decision over No. 24 Ben Goldin (Penn)
Semifinals: Davison 8-0 major decision over Colton McKiernan (SIUE)
Finals: Davison 4-0 decision over Dayton Pizter (Pittsburgh)
*All rankings courtesy of FloWrestling (December 20)
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