Buckle up, wrestling enthusiasts – the 2025 Midlands Championships are heating up in Evanston, Illinois, delivering nail-biting action and unforgettable moments on the mats! As the 61st edition unfolds, fans are witnessing a clash of talents that could redefine college wrestling. If you're new to this world, imagine it as a high-stakes battle where strategy, strength, and stamina collide, much like a chess game but with grapples and pins. But here's where it gets controversial: Is the seeding system fair, or does it sometimes overlook hidden gems ready to upset the favorites? Stick around as we dive into the Championship Rounds results, highlighting every twist and turn – and trust me, this is the part most people miss, where underdogs rise and expectations get flipped on their heads.
To get the full picture, check out the 2025 Midlands Brackets here (https://www.flowrestling.org/nextgen/events/14746279/information) – it's your go-to guide for tracking the tournament's flow.
Let's kick things off at 125 pounds, where the lighter weights set the tone with precision and speed. In the Round of 16, #16 Koda Holeman from Cal Poly edged out Adam Mattin of Stanford with a decisive victory, scoring 7-4. Logan Brzozowski of Harvard dominated Chris Kiser from Michigan, clinching an 8-1 win. #29 Dedrick Navarro of Northwestern showcased dominance with a technical fall (that's when one wrestler builds a 15-point lead, often ending matches early) over Cj Campbell of Illinois, pinning it at 16-1. Tyler Chappell from Pittsburgh prevailed against Davian Guanajuato of SIUE in a tight 5-3 decision. Vinny Kilkeary of Ohio State outmatched Matt Marlow from Pittsburgh, 6-2, while Christian Castillo of Iowa State shut out Edwin Sierra from Stanford, 4-0. James Garcia of Franklin & Marshall secured a fall (a quick pin) over Drew Davis of SIUE in just 2:35, and #28 Blake West of Northern Illinois defeated Ayden Bollinger of Indiana, 9-3.
Diving deeper into the Round of 32, Holeman picked up another fall against Drew Hansen of Michigan State in 4:27. Kiser turned the tables in a thrilling 12-9 win over Josh Vazquez of Northern Illinois, proving that resilience can trump early setbacks. Navarro continued his momentum with a major decision (a 4-point or more lead, showing clear superiority) against Rocco Hayes of Virginia, 12-2. Castillo bested Hunter Taylor of Oregon State, 7-3, and Garcia overcame Colyn Limbert of Pittsburgh, 10-4. For beginners, these close calls highlight how a single takedown or escape can shift the entire match.
Shifting to 133 pounds, the action intensified with more upsets. In the Round of 16, Matty Lopes (Unattached - Lehigh) demolished Porter Matecki of SIUE with a 18-3 technical fall. Reineri Ortega (Unaffiliated) dominated Evan Tallmadge of Pittsburgh in a 19-5 major decision. Isaiah Cortez from Spartan Combat RTC edged Cameron Chinavare of Central Michigan, 8-3, and Gabe Whisenhunt of Oregon State surprised #28 Markel Baker of Northern Illinois, 9-6. #14 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers beat Logan Frazier of Indiana, 8-3, Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech tech-falled Massey Odiotti of Northwestern, 16-1, #32 Marcel Lopez of SIUE majored Wyatt Richter of Stanford, 9-0, and #26 Sean Spidle of Northwestern overwhelmed Andrew Austin of Central Michigan, 10-1.
In the Round of 32, Lopes defeated Jackson Blum of Indiana, 10-5. Chinavare took down Luis Bazan of Northwestern, 8-5, while Baker tech-falled Teddy Flores of Michigan, 18-2. Shawver secured a fall over Chase DeBlaere of Oregon State in 6:50, Seidel pinned Joey Ruzic of Illinois in 2:24, and Spidle bested Blaine Frazier of Indiana, 8-3. And this is the part most people miss: These early rounds often reveal true grit, where wrestlers adapt to unexpected challenges.
At 141 pounds, the heavyweight contenders in the lighter class showed off their power. #6 Zeth Romney of Cal Poly won a hard-fought 8-4 decision over Drew Gorman of Virginia Tech. Anthony Santaniello of Pittsburgh tech-falled Sidney Tildsley of Harvard, 17-1. #31 Dylan Chappell of Bucknell fell Eren Sement of Michigan in 2:36, Charles Curtis of Northern Illinois edged Briar Priest of Pittsburgh, 14-12, #27 Billy Dekraker of Northwestern beat Nick Blackburn of Central Michigan, 8-2, Elijah Cortez from Spartan Combat RTC pinned Kole Brower of Illinois in 4:02, Aiden Simmons of Cal Poly majored Danny Martinez of SIUE, 13-3, and #32 Henry Porter of Indiana defeated Dj Gillett of Oregon State, 7-2.
The Round of 32 saw Gorman fall Brogan Fielding (Unattached Ohio State) in 4:06, Tildsley pin Lucas Peters of Indiana in another 4:06, Chappell major Giosue Hickman of Northwestern, 11-1, Curtis major Alec Peralta of SIUE, 14-3, Dekraker tech-fall Tee Ward of Northern Illinois, 18-1, Cortez win sudden victory - 1 (a tiebreaker where the first point wins) over Bryce Kresho of Franklin & Marshall, 11-5 after SV-1, Simmons fall Dante Frinzi of Harvard in 3:58. But here's where it gets controversial: Sudden victories like these can feel arbitrary – is it skill or luck that decides the winner?
Moving up to 149 pounds, veterans and newcomers clashed fiercely. Sergio Lemley of Michigan decided Jayce Paridon of Virginia, 10-5. Joey Buttler of Indiana narrowly beat Colin Kacena of Central Michigan, 5-4, Jack Crook of Harvard edged Andre Gonzales of Cal Poly, 9-6, #15 Collin Gaj of Virginia Tech tech-falled Jackson Young of Maryland, 19-4, Noah Nininger of Virginia Tech fell Ben Lunn of SIUE in 6:04, #31 Michael Gioffre of Illinois decided Sam Cartella of Northwestern, 4-2, Owen Reinsel of Lehigh overwhelmed Will Baysingar of Illinois, 16-9, and Ethen Miller of Virginia Tech won 4-1 over Cooper Hilton of Michigan.
In the Round of 32, Lemley tech-falled Tommy Curran of Northern Illinois, 17-2, Paridon majored Carson Walsh of Pittsburgh, 12-3, Buttler pinned Charlie Fifield of Illinois in 1:47, Kacena beat Anthony Evanitsky of Lehigh, 8-1, Gonzales majored #24 Andrew Clark of Rutgers, 14-3, Crook majored Matt Repos of Lehigh, 15-2, Young decided Aidan Torres of Indiana, 7-3, Gaj tech-falled Danny Nini of Illinois, 17-2, Nininger beat Antonio Alvarado of Illinois, 5-1, Lunn majored Hunter Sturgill of Indiana, 12-0, Cartella fell Lucan O'Brien of Northern Illinois in 2:57, Gioffre tech-falled Evan Gosz of Michigan State, 24-8, Baysingar won SV-1 over Noah Tapia of Hofstra, 8-1, Reinsel tech-falled Jimmy Nugent of Central Michigan, 15-0, Hilton majored Maddox Shaw (Unattached Ohio State), 12-4, and Miller decided Jaden Pepe of Harvard, 12-9. To clarify for newcomers, these results emphasize the importance of conditioning – a wrestler who tires out first often loses the edge in overtime.
At 157 pounds, the middleweights brought explosive energy. Anthony Berg of Cal Poly fell Eric Almarinez of SIUE in 4:16. #31 Bryce Lowery of Indiana majored Keller Rock of Oregon State, 11-2. Collin Arch of Northern Illinois majored Jack De Sena of Stanford, 12-0. Kal Miller of Maryland edged Hayden Whidden of SIUE, 8-7. Conner Harer of Rutgers beat Ryan Garvick of Indiana, 8-1. Cj Hamblin of Oregon State pinned Ryan Bennett of Illinois in 2:53. Landen Johnson of Northern Illinois fell Gunnar Myers of Northwestern in 6:00, and Dylan Evans of Pittsburgh tech-falled Pj Murphy of SIUE, 18-3.
The Round of 32 featured Berg falling #25 Mason Shrader of Central Michigan in 5:46, Miller deciding Wyatt Hepner of Harvard, 12-6, Harer tech-falling Seth Larson of Central Michigan, 19-3, Bennett edging Josh Hillard of Franklin & Marshall, 9-8, Johnson beating Jagger French of Cal Poly, 8-5. Could these close scores indicate that rankings are flawed, sparking debate among coaches?
Now, at 165 pounds, the light heavyweights delivered drama. #25 Noah Mulvaney of Bucknell fell Luke Gayer of Cal Poly in 4:16. Jacob Bostelman of Northwestern decided Chris Crawford of Indiana, 5-3. Andrew Barbosa of Rutgers shut out Tavius Hosley of SIUE, 2-0. Jared Keslar of Pittsburgh beat Josh Knudten of Michigan, 7-3. e'Than Birden of Ohio State edged Cody Chittum of Chattanooga, 4-3. Chandler Amaker of Central Michigan decided #33 Brock Woodcock of SIUE, 7-3. Joseph Cangro of Harvard beat Brett Smith of Northern Illinois, 3-0, and #17 Ryan Burton of Virginia Tech majored Ryan Ford of Rutgers, 13-4.
In the Round of 32, Gayer decided Pat Downing of Ohio State, 12-9, Crawford beat Logan Swaw of Illinois, 12-5, Bostelman edged Landen Johnson of SIUE, 4-2, Barbosa majored Dylan Pile of Stanford, 11-3, Hosley won SV-1 over Macon Ayers of Virginia, 2-1, Knudten SV-1 Ben Weader of Virginia Tech, 4-1, Birden tech-falled Chase Leech of Indiana, 20-2, Amaker decided Owen Segorski of Michigan State, 7-2, Woodcock beat Zach Hanson of Stanford, 7-0, Smith edged Ej Parco of Stanford, 5-4, Ford tech-falled Gage Murphy of SIUE, 20-4, Burton decided Justin Gates of Michigan, 8-1. And this is the part most people miss: Sudden victories in this weight class often hinge on a single mistake, turning heroes into zeroes.
Scaling up to 174 pounds, the heavyweights unleashed raw power. #25 Daschle Lamer of Oregon State tech-falled Brady Collins of Lehigh, 16-1. Jordan Chapman of Rutgers fell Magnus Kuokkanen of Indiana in 2:59. Richie Grungo of Lehigh won via medical forfeit over Haden Bottiglieri of Harvard. Derek Gilcher of Indiana decided Caleb Neal of SIUE, 7-2. #15 Myles Takats of Bucknell tech-falled Orlando Cruz of Indiana, 17-2. Dominic Lopez of SIUE beat Bekhruz Sadriddinov of Lehigh, 7-5. Dom Federici of Lehigh edged #28 Eddie Enright of Northwestern, 14-11, and #31 Sergio Desiante of Virginia Tech decided Brandon Carr of Franklin & Marshall, 5-1.
The Round of 32 had Lamer tech-falling Bradley Gillum of SIUE, 15-0, Collins majoring Tyler Schofield of Northern Illinois, 18-5, Chapman majoring Collin Guffey of Stanford, 9-0, Grungo deciding Bode Marlow of Pittsburgh, 11-9, Bottiglieri majoring Connor Owens of Michigan, 10-1, Neal falling Nick Marienfeld of Central Michigan in 4:12, Gilcher tech-falling Andre Rocker of Northwestern, 16-1, Takats falling Brayden Gautreau of Central Michigan in 1:37, Cruz deciding Ben Smith of Harvard, 6-3, Lopez beating Tommy Bennett of Northern Illinois, 4-3, Enright tech-falling Damarion Ross of Northern Illinois, 19-4, Federici winning SV-1 over Graham Gambrall of Oregon State, 6-1, Desiante majoring Cash Stewart of Cal Poly, 14-6. But here's where it gets controversial: Medical forfeits like Grungo's can raise eyebrows – is it fair, or does it favor the lucky recipient?
At 184 pounds, the super heavies brought intensity. #18 Shane Cartegena-Walsh of Rutgers tech-falled Caleb Roe of Northern Illinois, 22-5. Tye Monteiro of Stanford majored Cayaen Smith of Ohio State, 13-5. Tyler Bienus of Bucknell decided Codei Khawaja of Michigan, 5-3. Chase Kranitz of Pittsburgh majored Robert Kucharczk of Harvard, 14-5. Joseph Walker of Michigan beat Adrien Cramer of Central Michigan, 4-1. Abraham Wojcikiewicz of Stanford edged Mikey Bartush of Bucknell, 9-2. Cody Brenner of Central Michigan decided Luke Daly of Pittsburgh, 7-3, and #22 Chris Moore of Illinois majored Amare Overton of SIUE, 11-2.
In the Round of 32, Cartegena-Walsh tech-falled Wyatt Ferguson of Central Michigan, 20-5, Smith majored Nico Ronchetti of SIUE, 11-3, Monteiro decided J.d. Perez of Northwestern, 19-16, Khawaja fell Dominic Heim of Northern Illinois in 2:34, Kucharczk beat Joey Braunagel of Illinois, 8-5, Kranitz tech-falled Roman Rogotzke of Indiana, 18-2, Cramer tech-falled Ali Adel of Northern Illinois, 15-0, Walker tech-falled Marcell Booth of Northwestern, 17-2, Wojcikiewicz decided Gunnar Garelli of Virginia Tech, 11-4, Daly beat Cole Han-Lindemyer of Stanford, 4-1, Brenner decided Ian Smith of Northern Illinois, 5-0, Moore tech-falled Matt Kubas of Northwestern, 19-4.
Finally, at 197 pounds, the giants collided with force. Gabe Sollars of Indiana tech-falled Cole Jackson of Cal Poly, 15-0. Brokton Borelli of Stanford tech-falled Charlie Heydorn of Illinois, 20-3. Pj Casale of Rutgers majored Levi Bussey of Cal Poly, 18-9. Seth Shumate of Ohio State decided Alex Smith of Northwestern, 9-8. Jude Correa from Spartan Combat RTC fell Wesley Wilson of Cal Poly in 2:10. Luke Cochran of Central Michigan tech-falled Demond Harrison of Michigan State, 21-5. #33 Cade Lautt of Illinois majored Luke Duthie of Stanford, 14-6, and #16 Remy Cotton of Rutgers majored Matt Kowalski of Indiana, 15-2.
The Round of 32 included Jackson deciding Dylan Greenstein of Harvard, 10-3, Borelli majoring Nick Nosler of SIUE, 12-2, Bussey beating Dylan Connell of Illinois, 7-4, Shumate tech-falling Daniel Jezik of Northern Illinois, 17-2, Correa falling Nathan Elstner of Northern Illinois in 0:56.
Wrapping up at 285 pounds, the absolute heavies capped off with brute strength. #21 Devon Dawson of Northern Illinois majored Jake Fernandez of SIUE, 13-3. Rocco Dellagatta from Spartan Combat RTC decided Parker Ferrell of Virginia Tech, 4-0. Sean Carroll of Northern Illinois beat Gabe Christenson of Northwestern, 4-1. #27 Lucas Lawler of Bucknell tech-falled Jackson Mankowski of Stanford, 17-2. #23 Trevor Tinker of Cal Poly tech-falled Logan Bender of Northern Illinois, 21-2. #32 Bryan Caves of Central Michigan decided Dirk Morley of Northwestern, 5-1. Josh Harkless of RIT beat Simon Lato of Central Michigan, 5-2, and #24 Hunter Catka of Rutgers majored Bryson Buhk of SIUE, 20-6.
In the Round of 32, Dawson edged Ryan Boersma of Illinois, 2-1, Lawler fell Lance Trost of Michigan in 1:53.
There you have it – a whirlwind recap of the 2025 Midlands Championships so far! Did any of these upsets shock you, or do you think the favorites deserved their wins? Is the emphasis on technical falls over decisions changing the sport for the better? Controversially, some argue that unaffiliated wrestlers like those from Spartan Combat RTC get an unfair advantage without school ties – agree or disagree? Drop your thoughts below and let's debate!
