Finals Set for Midlands

The semi-finals were more good action but the favorites largely held after a wild quarterfinal round. 

Andrew Long, a 2-time NCAA All-American, now wrestling for Grand View (NAIA) continues to look like a top 141 in the country. He beat Perry (Lock Haven) 25-8! He will face another surprise finalist in Bleise (Northern Illinois). Long was in the Midlands finals before. It was the 2009 finals at 125 and he lost to Matt McDonough (Iowa) 9-7. Also in the finals that year Andrew Howe beat Jon Reader and Jake Varner beat Wynn Michalak. 

Tommy Gannt (NC State) and Chad Walsh (Rider) get the best match of the round award. Walsh looked like he had some tricks from his older brother (Taylor Walsh, Indiana). Crazy scrambles all seven minutes and then some when Gannt got the takedown in overtime. Gannt will face Cody Pack (South Dakota St) who has lived up to his #1 seed. 

Iowa's Alex Meyer was taken out by Cody Walters (Ohio) 7-0. Walters, with terrific leg riding, was too much on top for Meyer and controlled the last two periods without the match ever getting to neutral. 

Iowa's Cory Clark medically forfeited out of the 133 bracket so Nebraska is actually pulling really close in the team race. 

Finals start at 9pm EST tonight and aired live on Big Ten Network. 

125:
No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-1
No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) pinned No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 2:21

133:
Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) by medical forfeit over No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa)
No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers), 5-2 

141:
Andrew Long (Grand View) tech. fall Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 25-8
No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-4 TB

149:
No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 7-4
No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion), 3-1 SV

157:
No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State) dec. No. 11 John Boyle (American), 6-2
No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) dec. No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider), 6-4

165:
No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 10-4
No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) maj. dec. Mitch Wightman (American), 15-2

174:
No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa), 7-0
No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) dec. No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska), 5-4 TB2 

184:
David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) dec. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 7-2
No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) pinned No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 6:55

197:
No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 4-2
Derek White (Nebraska) dec. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers), 6-2

285:
No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) maj. dec. No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa), 10-1
No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 10-2