Five Northwestern Wrestlers in Semifinals at #Midlands56

By Northwestern Athletics

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Five Wildcats are set to wrestle in the semifinals of the 56th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships after the first day of action from the Sears Centre Arena.

The ‘Cats will be back in action tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 12 p.m. for Session III.

SESSION TWO
In his third bout of the day, redshirt sophomore Sebastian Rivera (125) notched his third tech fall, a 20-3 domination of Carmen Ferrante (Penn) to move into the semifinals. Rivera seeks to improve on his third-place finish from 2017 at the Midlands.

Redshirt first-year Yahya Thomas (141) notched an upset of Iowa’s Vince Turk, a gritty, 5-4 decision to launch the Chicago native into the semifinals.

Despite suffering a quick takedown, redshirt sophomore Ryan Deakin (157) came back with fury against Quincy Monday (Princeton) and won a 5-2 decision to reach the semifinals.

Wrestling unattached, first-year Lucas Davison (197) utilized a defensive bout to his advantage, topping Army’s Alex Hopkins, 4-2. He also heads to tomorrow’s semis.

Finally, redshirt senior Conan Jennings (285) was the beneficiary of a medical forfeit by top-seeded Sam Stoll of Iowa, and he also will advance to the semifinals.

In the consolations, junior Shayne Oster outscored his opposition 30-0 in his two wins, delivering back-to-back, 15-0 tech falls over matmen from Minnesota and Northern Illinois.

SESSION ONE
Redshirt sophomore Sebastian Rivera (125) put on a show in his first two bouts, outscoring his competition 39-6 en route to a pair of convincing tech falls. He dominated Wheaton’s Carlos Fuentez — a Division III National Runner-Up last season — in a 21-4 tech fall.

Sophomore Colin Valdiviez (133) went a perfect 3-0 in the morning session, including a 4-1 Round of 16 victory over Alijah Jeffery (Northern Illinois), the 11th-seeded wrestler in the weight class.

At 141 lbs., the Wildcats will have a pair of representatives in the quarterfinals — redshirt first-year Yahya Thomas and redshirt junior Alec McKenna. McKenna topped 2014 Division III National Champion Ryan Prater (Omega Training Center) in a 2-1 Round of 16 decision.

Redshirt sophomore Ryan Deakin (157) utilized a major decision and a pin to move into the quarterfinals. He will battle ninth-seeded Quincy Monday of Princeton in the evening.

True first-year Lucas Davison (197), wrestling unattached in his first-ever Midlands, outscored his competition 27-8 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Redshirt senior Conan Jennings (285) used a pin and three decisions to become the seventh ‘Cat to earn his way into the quarterfinals.

SESSION ONE RESULTS

125: Sebastian Rivera (NU) Tech. Fall Jose Diaz (Franklin & Marshall), 18-2
125: Sebastian Rivera (NU) Tech. Fall Carlos Fuentez (Wheaton), 21-4

125: Bryce West (Northern Illinois) dec. Matt Vinci (NU), 8-2
125: Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) dec. Matt Vinci (NU), 10-6

125: Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) dec. Michael DeAugustino (NU – unatt.), 10-3
125: Michael DeAugustino (NU – unatt.) dec. King Sandoval (Maryland – unatt.), 4-1

133: Lane Peters (Army) Fall Micah Krueger (NU), 3:57
133: Micah Krueger (NU) dec. Jack Cheney (Purdue), 11-6
133: Malcolm Robinson (Rutgers – unatt.) dec. Micah Krueger (NU), 8-2

133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) Tech. Fall Orion Anderson (Maryland), 19-1
133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) dec. Malcolm Robinson (Rutgers – unatt.), 6-2
133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) dec. Alijah Jeffery (Northern Illinois), 4-1

133: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio RTC) Tech. Fall Anthony Rubinetti (NU), 20-5
133: Anthony Rubinetti (NU) Fall Savion Haywood (Old Dominion), 2:52
133: Alijah Jeffery (Northern Illinois) dec. Anthony Rubinetti (NU), 7-1

141: Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Andrew Marten (Central Michigan), 8-3
141: Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Colin Realbuto (Brown), 7-4
141: Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois), 4-3

141: Alec McKenna (NU) Fall Lenny Petersen (Air Force), 2:59
141: Alec McKenna (NU) dec. Chris Deloza (Fresno State), 9-3
141: Alec McKenna (NU) dec. Ryan Prater (Omega Training Center), 2-1

149: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. Christian Kanzler (Illinois), 5-1
149: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Shayne Oster (NU), 13-7

157: Ryan Deakin (NU) Fall Jon Errico (Penn), 4:48
157: Ryan Deakin (NU) maj. dec. Keegan Shaw (Iowa), 16-5

157: Erich Byelick (NU – unat.) dec. Carl Antrassian (Penn), 5-1
157: Hunter Ladnier (Harvard) Fall Erich Byelick (NU – unatt.), 4:25
157: Kendall Coleman (Purdue) dec. Erich Byelick (NU – unatt.), 12-10

157: Emmett LiCastri (Franklin & Marshall) dec. Eric Yang (NU), 2-1
157: Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) dec. Eric Yang (NU), 6-3

165: Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) Fall Anthony Petrone (NU), 2:08
165: Anthony Petrone (NU) dec. Nate Jimenez (Michigan State), 7-3
165: Jack Conway (Penn) Fall Anthony Petrone (NU), 4:23

174: Willie Scott (Rutgers) Tech. Fall Braxton Cody (NU), 16-1
174: Leonardo Tarantino (Harvard) maj. dec. Braxton Cody (NU), 14-5

174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) dec. Dominic Kincaid (Fresno State), 7-2
174: Josh Ugalde (Maryland) dec. Johnny Sebastian (NU), 7-6

184: Austin Andres (SIU-Edwardsville) dec. Brendan Devine (NU), 8-2
184: Jalen Laughlin (Penn) dec. Brendan Devine (NU), 5-0

184: Jack Jessen (NU – unatt.) dec. Mark Miller (Elmhurst), 6-3
184: Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State – unatt.) Tech. Fall Jack Jessen (NU – unatt.), 17-2

197: Philip Robilotto (Franklin & Marshall) dec. Zack Chakonis (NU), 5-1
197: Zack Chakonis (NU) dec. Ross Sealby (Northern Illinois), 8-2
197: Landon Pelham (Central Michigan) Fall Zack Chakonis (NU), 6:16

197: Lucas Davison (NU – unatt.) dec. Landon Pelham (Central Michigan), 13-6
197: Lucas Davison (NU – unatt.) maj. dec. Drew Phipps (Bucknell), 14-2

285: Conan Jennings (NU) Fall Blake Wolters (South Dakota State), 4:33
285: Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Nicholas Jenkins (Central Michigan), 5-0
285: Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Ben Sullivan (Army), 5-3 (SV-1)

285: Duece Rachal (Illinois) dec. Jack Heyob (NU – unatt.), 8-2
285: Brian Burns (Illinois) maj. dec. Jack Heyob (NU – unatt.), 8-0

SESSION TWO RESULTS

Quarterfinals
125: Sebastian Rivera (NU) Tech. Fall Carmen Ferrante (Penn), 20-3

133: Dylan Duncan (Illinois) dec. Colin Valdiviez (NU), 9-6

141: Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Vince Turk (Iowa), 5-4

141: Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Alec McKenna (NU), 6-1

157: Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. Quincy Monday (Princeton), 5-2

197: Lucas Davison (NU – unatt.) dec. Alex Hopkins (Army), 4-2

285: Conan Jennings (NU) wins by medical forfeit over Sam Stoll (Iowa)

Consolations
125: Elijah Oliver (Indiana) dec. Michael DeAugustino (NU – unatt.), 3-2

149: Shayne Oster (NU) Tech. Fall Jake Bergeland (Minnesota), 15-0
149: Shayne Oster (NU) Tech. Fall Nolan Baker (Northern Illinois), 15-0

174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) dec. Leonardo Tarantino (Harvard), 3-1
174: Jairod James (Mount Union) dec. Johnny Sebastian (NU), 3-2

184: Christopher Kober (Campbell) wins by injury default over Jack Jessen (NU – unatt.)