Iowa crowns three champs and fights its way to 26th Midlands title

EVANSTON, Ill. — Iowa showed a bit of its feisty side at Midlands.

Battles on the mat, a couple heated exchanges and a brief fight in the team race. When it was all said and done, the Hawkeyes were on the winning end of them all.

Iowa went 3-for-3 in championship matches, receiving titles from Thomas Gilman, Brandon Sorensen and freshman Michael Kemerer, and claimed its 26th team title Friday night at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Iowa Coach Tom Brands said he considers this the start of a daily fight.

'It begins every day, every week,' Brands said. 'Every day I wake up there is a fight. That's what you do. You're on a mission.

'We're on a mission. We still have three months to go in this mission. This is another step, another evaluation. 3-for-3 in the finals is always good. It's easier to go forward with success.'

Iowa's top-ranked 125-pounder sparked the Hawkeyes in the final round. Nebraska, which had pulled within a half-point earlier in the day, still had a shot to eclipse Iowa's 12-point lead to start the last session. In the first of two head-to-head matchups, Gilman handled the Huskers' second-seeded Tim Lambert with five takedowns and 1:18 of riding time for a 13-4 major decision.

Gilman was determined to silence some critics after a tight semifinal where American University's Josh Terao caught him with a couple hard crossfaces at the end of the match. Tempers flared at the time but were controlled, but Gilman had a point to make.

'I was out there to prove that was just a little hiccup, not a big one,' Gilman said. 'Someone told me someone on the internet was saying that I'm a punk and I wrestle different. I shut down when I wrestle high-level opponents. Well, he was the whatever ranked guy and I majored him, so shut up.'

Iowa's Thomas Gilman advances to the finals after a heated 125-pound semifinal with American's Josh Terao. December 30, 2016

Iowa's Thomas Gilman advances to the finals after a heated 125-pound semifinal with American's Josh Terao. pic.twitter.com/rFf2RB3xK4

— Trackwrestling (@trackwrestling)

Gilman dominated his way through the bracket, posting three technical falls, a pin and a major decision for 7 1/2 bonus points. Gilman hauled in post-tournament honors, earning the trophy for most team points scored (28 1/2), the Champion of Champions award and the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler award.

'Pin, tech fall, decision, major, it doesn't really matter as long as I'm fun to watch wrestle,' Gilman said. 'That's what it's about when you bring fans back to Iowa, back to the sport of wrestling and it starts with me and my teammates, implementing our philosophy on the world.'

Gilman also became the 11th Hawkeye to win three Midlands titles. The feat will have more meaning down the road and he is removed from his final season, but he is focused on getting better each day so he can claim an NCAA title.

'To be frank with you guys, it's the Midlands (and) it's great and all, but it's just another tournament,' Gilman said. 'Maybe when I look back on my career and looking at my credentials when I'm old and I have kids and grandkids it will be something like 'Oh, man, I was a three-time Midlands champ.' That's pretty neat to tell them about.'

In the second championship bout between the Hawkeyes and Huskers, second-seeded Kemerer outlasted top-seeded Tyler Berger, 6-5, in the second tiebreaker overtime at 157, fending off one last takedown attempt as time expired in the 11-minute contest.

'It's just a further testament to the training we go through every day,' Kemerer said. 'What these coaches put us through, it's for situations like that.'

The match took a number of twists that included three official reviews of possible winning takedowns. At the end of regulation, Kemerer was awarded a takedown. Berger continued to wrestle after the final whistle and even drove out of bounds that excited the Iowa bench and fans. The takedown was overturned, forcing overtime.

In the second sudden-victory period, Berger attempted to finish a shot that was first called a takedown, waved off and then ruled no takedown after another review. With Kemerer owning an insurmountable amount of riding time in the last tiebreaker, Berger had to release him but Kemerer clutched Berger's leg to prevent a late score.

Words were exchanged after the match and Nebraska was assessed a team-point deduction.

'There were multiple reviews and different things throughout the match,' Kemerer said. 'I think it's a testament to him and me. We kept wrestling no matter what happened.

'I know earlier in the match there were things I could have done better. I'm sure he's feeling the same way but walking away it was a good match for the fans but I have to keep widening the gap.'

Kemerer's title slammed the door shut on Nebraska's hopes. Iowa finished with 150 1/2 points, finishing 15 points ahead of the runner-up Huskers. Arizona State was third with 106 1/2.

'It's great,' Kemerer said about securing the team title. 'I was talking to some of the guys earlier and it's just taking care of yourself and the team race is going to work itself out. It wasn't on my mind before or during the match but it's a good thing to hear now.'

Sorensen also won his title in overtime and did so for the second straight year. He defended his 149-pound crown, taking Central Michigan's Justin Oliver down to his back for a 7-1 victory.

'More dramatic than it needed to be,' Sorensen said. 'I fell right into his trap. He lulled me to sleep, playing on the defense and he was waiting to strike. That was his game plan and I fell right into it.'

Sorensen said he needs to be more active in setting up his offense and not settling for a couple exchanges. Neither earned a takedown in regulation, exchanging escapes, but Sorensen converted on a single-leg on the edge in sudden victory.

'That's my go-to anytime,' Sorensen said. 'I've got to set it up. I've been hitting it since preschool. All my life. That's my favorite shot for sure.'

Iowa finished with seven medalists, which doesn't include freshman Alex Marinelli and Kaleb Young, who wrestled unattached. Marinelli was fourth and Young was fifth at 165.

Sammy Brooks avenged a quarterfinal loss in his final match to come back for third, matching heavyweight Sam Stoll in his first competition of the season. Alex Meyer was fourth at 174 and Topher Carton was seventh at 141.

'The way Brooks finished,' Brands said. 'The way Stoll finished. Stoll was maybe a one-day, two-match, you're going to make the call type thing. He wrestled the whole doggone tournament. So, there is a lot of toughness we have on our team. We just need to keep putting it into them and be more consistent in every second of every match.'

Iowa State's Lelund Weatherspoon reached the 174-pound final, but fell to Arizona State's Zahid Valencia, 11-2. He was one of three Cyclone medalists. Earl Hall was fourth at 133 and unattached freshman Kanen Storr was fifth at 141.

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