Previewing The 59th Midlands College Wrestling Tournament

A breakdown of the best matches we might see at the 59th annual Midlands college wrestling tournament plus much more.

Dec 28, 2023 by Andrew Spey

Previewing The 59th Midlands College Wrestling Tournament

Northwestern University will host the 59th edition of the historic and prestigious Midlands college wrestling tournament this weekend. Wrestlers from over 30 NCAA D1 programs will pack the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois this Friday and Saturday, December 29-30.

The men's division will be augmented by entries from schools in other NCAA divisions, the NAIA, and other programs. There will also be a women's division with entries from nine colleges and universities.

Schedule

Friday, December 29

10:30 AM – First Session (10 Mats) – (Championship Rounds 1 & 2, Wrestlebacks)

8:00 PM – Second Session (10 Mats) – (Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks)

Saturday, December 30

12:00 PM – Third Session (8 Mats) – (Semis, consolation, 7th place match, women's division begins)

7:05 PM – Fourth Session (4 Mats) – (1st, 3rd, 5th place matches–men's and women's divisions)

All times Eastern

Results

Easy-to-read results from the championship side of the bracket can be found here.

Best Potential Matchups

We won't know exactly who will be wrestling until the brackets are posted on Friday, but we can make assumptions based on the teams that entered and hope for the best!

125 Pounds

#4 Richie Figueroa, Arizona vs #11 Cooper Flynn, Virginia Tech

Sophomore Richie Figueroa took a loss to Wyoming's Jore Volk in his first start of the season at the Reno Tournament of Champions, but the first-year starter had a strong enough resume to stay at #4. Figueroa was 14-0 last season but did not start in the postseason.

Cooper Flynn was going to take an Olympic redshirt season before injuries to All-American teammate Eddie Ventresca had Flynn re-enrolling at Tech for the second semester. Like Figueroa, Flynn is a sophomore who is starting for the first time in his career.

Expect Wisconsin's two-time All-American #14 Eric Barnett to also challenge for a Midlands title.

133 Pounds

#5 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech vs #8 Michael Colaiocco, Penn

Fifth-year senior Colaiocco is hoping this is the season he's finally able to break through and climb the NCAA podium. The New Jerseyean will have a good warm-up for the big dance when he navigates the field at Midlands.

Virginia Tech's Sam Latona will likely have the number one seed at the tournament. Latona is a two-time All-American and was just one match away from reaching the podium in a third season. The Alabama native is 7-1 on the season (not including his match at the NWCA All-Star Classic).

141 Pounds

#16 CJ Composto, Penn vs #19 Danny Pucino, Illinois

Composto was an All-American for UPenn in 2022. He deferred eligibility for a year, wrestling freestyle with the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center before returning to the Quaker lineup this fall. He won the Keystone Classic in his home gym, the historic Palestra, earlier this season in November.

Watch Composto's Keystone Classic final below:

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Pucino is in his second season starting for the Illini and has two more years of eligibility remaining. He fell one match short of qualifying for the NCAA tournament last season but racked up enough quality regular season wins to prove he is a contender.

Shannon Hanna of Campbell is not ranked but that's only because he's redshirting this season and will also be a contender in this bracket.

149 Pounds

#3 Kyle Parco, Arizona State vs #11 Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan

Three-time All-American Kyle Parco will be one of the most credentialed wrestlers at the 59th Midlands. He'll also be the highest-ranked D1 wrestler in any of the brackets. The California native has one more year of eligibility after this season thanks to the extra 'covid' year granted to everyone who competed in 2021.

For all his wins, Parco has never had the pleasure of wrestling Corbyn Munson collegiately, who is in his 6th year at Central Michigan. The native Michigander has qualified for the last two NCAA tournaments.

Other highly ranked wrestlers who could challenge Parco and Munson for the Midlands crown include #12 Joey Zargo of Wisconsin and #13 Quinn Kinner of Rider.

157 Pounds

#4 Jacori Teemer, Arizona State vs #11 Chase Saldate, Michigan State

Teemer has been unlucky with injuries lately, missing all of last season and some events this season as well. When he's healthy, Teemer is one of the most exciting wrestlers in the sport. The New York native is a two-time All-American who could have another year of eligibility if he receives a medical waiver for last season.

Watch Teemer's semifinal bout from the CKLV below:

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Saldate comes from the Daniel Cormier-coached Gilroy High School program in northern California. The fourth-year starter is hoping to have a breakout season where he makes the NCAA podium for the first time in his career. A solid performance at Midlands makes that all the more likely.

165 Pounds

#6 Dean Hamiti, Wisconsin vs #10 Garrett Thompson, Ohio

Speaking of exciting wrestlers, Dean Hamiti is at the top of that list as well. Hamiti's indefatigable offense creates more action per second than any wrestler in the division. It's led to a lot of success as well, as Hamiti, only now in his third year at Wisconsin, placed sixth at the last two NCAA Championships.

It might surprise a lot of folks if Hamiti's opponent in the finals is Garrett Thompson, but it shouldn't. In his third year on campus, the first-year starter for the Bobcats has already amassed 16 wins on the season and had an excellent showing at the loaded Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational a month ago.

One of Thompson's wins this season came over West Virginia's All-American #12 Peyton Hall, who is another very credentialed wrestler we could see in this field. #13 Caleb Fish of Michigan State also figures to be a force in the bracket.

174 Pounds

#5 Edmond Ruth, Illinois vs #8 Adam Kemp, Cal Poly

A top 10 matchup between two wrestlers with legendary familial connections would be one of the marquee matchups of the entire week.

Ruth, brother of two three-time NCAA Champ Ed Ruth of Penn State fame, reached the round of 12 last season and only has one loss on the season, to Keegan O'Toole, the defending 165-pound champ who bumped up to 174.

Kemp, whose father is Lee Kemp, a three-time NCAA champ as well as a three-time World freestyle champion, missed almost all of last season due to injuries but is 8-1 on the season, with his sole loss coming by injury default.

It is no sure thing these two meet in the finals, however, as #12 Justin McCoy of Virginia or #14 Phil Conigliaro of Harvard, among others, could upend those plans.

184 Pounds

#11 Layne Malczewski, Michigan State vs #19 Brian Soldano

A Malczewski vs Soldano matchup has the potential to be the wildest match of the season, as both of the wrestlers hurl caution into the wind as if it were a radioactive hot potato.

They're both also on opposite ends of their collegiate careers. Malczewski is a four-time NCAA qualifier in his sixth season on campus in East Lansing. Soldano is in just his second season with the Scarlet Knights, having made the round of 16 last year as a true freshman.

#15 James Conway of F&M, #22 Tony Negron of Arizona State, and #23 Dennis Robin of West Virginia, among others, could throw a monkey wrench in either Layne or Brian's plans of earning a Midlands title.

197 Pounds

#12 Luke Stout, Princeton vs #28 Austin Cooley, West Virginia

Stout has dropped just two bouts this season, to Michael Beard, an All-American who wrestles for Lehigh, and John Poznanski, in a rivalry dual with Rutgers. Pennsylvania native Stout has qualified for the past two NCAA tournaments but has yet to climb the podium steps.

Watch Stout win the 2023 Navy Classic in the video below:

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Cooley transferred from Pittsburgh to West Virginia after the 2022 season. The Massachusetts native never found his groove with the Panthers but has flourished in Morgantown, qualifying for his first NCAA tournament in 2023.

285 Pounds

#9 Luke Luffman, Illinois vs #22 Daniel Bucknavich, Cleveland State

Luffman also has two more cracks at NCAAs, including this season, and has also qualified for two tournaments, falling short of the podium both times. Luffman started the season strong with an early win over Navy's Grady Griess but is currently on a two-match skid, albeit to fellow top-ten wrestling Dayton Pitzer and Zach Elam.

Bucknavich has been anchoring the Vikings lineup for the last two years but is hoping 2023 is the year he finally breaks through and qualifies for the NCAA tournament. The Ohio native is off to an excellent start, having won 11 of 13 starts so far.

Darkhorses, Sleepers & Landmines

Call them whatever you want, we're highlighting one potential disrupter per bracket.

125: Vinny Kilkeary, Ohio State. Already 10-4 as a true freshman on redshirt.
133: Dylan Ragusin, Michigan. A three-time NCAA qualifier on redshirt while Cannon assumes the starting gig for now.
141: Tom Crook, Hunter Mason, Mac Church, Virginia Tech. Okay so not one but three wrestlers. Mason and Church are true freshmen that can still keep their redshirts. Crook is 2023 national qualifier true sophomore on redshirt. This weight has 'de facto wrestle-off' written all over it.
149: Ty Whalen, NJ-RTC. Last year's starter for Princeton is deferring eligibility for a year.
157: Dylan Cedeno, Virginia. A national qualifier in 2022 at 141, Cedeno bumped up two weights for his fourth season in Charlottesville.
165: Rafael Hipolito, Virginia Tech. A true freshman from Manaus, Brazil with a strong jiu-jitsu background.
174: Jay Nivison, Marcus Petite, Buffalo. Another potential de facto wrestle-off.
184: Ryder Rogotzke, Ohio State. Explosive true frosh on redshirt.
197: Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech. Could the freshmen win the spot from teammate #21 Andy Smith at this tournament?
285: Trevor Tinker, Cal Poly. Fourth-year Mustang who qualified for the 2023 NCAAs.