From the Evanston (Illinois) Review, the host city for the Midlands…
Stars come out at Midlands
BY JIM COFFMAN
STAFF WRITER
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Want to wrestle in the Olympics some day? Or maybe star on Monday Night Football? Northwestern’s venerable Midlands wrestling invitational scheduled for the middle of next week is a great place to start. And it is a great place to see future stars who are just getting started.
Former Midlands champ Cael Sanderson, who won multiple titles during his undefeated Iowa State career, became the latest former Midlands champ to win Olympic gold when he did so in Athens earlier this year. Midlands gold medalists have won gold at every Olympics except the boycotted 1980 Games since 1972.
Former Midlands heavyweight champ Stephen Neal, who was clearly a candidate for a national team after a memorable run at Cal State-Bakersfield, headed in a different direction at the conclusion of his collegiate career. He took a shot at professional football and most recently was seen starring for the New England Patriots.
Neal, who as a high school wrestler in San Diego once defeated former Dolphin running back Ricky Williams, lines up at guard for the Super Bowl champs. During Monday’s 29-28 loss to those same Dolphins, Neal’s play was spotlighted by Monday Night Football analyst John Madden.
Sanderson is now one of 36 Midlands wrestlers who have gone on to win Olympic medals starting with the 1968 Games in Mexico City. The list is a who’s who of wrestling the last 35 years.
“The Midlands can make you, “said Northwestern coach Tim Cysewski during a recent interview. “You can come from obscurity or you can be a national champ. . . it will put the spotlight on you.”
The University of Illinois will enter this year’s event as the favorite to repeat as the team champ. And scores of top wrestlers from the college ranks and beyond (the event is open to wrestlers who have graduated but continue to compete) will compete for individual glory at this year’s 42nd-annual event.
The 42nd-annual competition will conclude Tuesday with finals scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Preliminary rounds will be contest starting at 9:30 a.m. Monday with sessions following at 7 p.m. later that day and at noon the next day.
“The caliber of the tournament “is such that “one of the things as a wrestler you really want to have on your resume is a Midlands championship, “said Cysewski. “There is your conference championship and a national championship and the Midlands completes the trifecta.”
The 2004 glamour weight class is 157 pounds, where defending champ, Adam Tirapelle, is scheduled to defend his title. Matt Gentry of Stanford, 2004 NCAA runner-up Jake Percival of Ohio University and Trent Paulson (Iowa State), who won the 2003 Midlands championship at 149, are scheduled to challenge.
For the first time in a long time, Northwestern has a chance to make some serious noise at the event it hosts. Junior John Velez placed fourth last year at 125 pounds and is back better-than ever this time around. But his weight class is tougher than ever and he is ranked sixth going into the event.
Jake Herbert has Northwestern’s other pre-tournament seed. He is ranked eighth at 174 pounds. Northwestern, which last week rolled to the team title at the Beast of the East Invite in Newark, Del. boasts numerous other talented Midlands entrants.
Mike Timberlin, a Bishop McNamara graduate, is coming off a championship at 157 pounds at the Beast. So are Fenwick graduate Mike Tamilow (184 pounds), Matt Delguyd (197) and Greg Hagel (149). Freshman Dustin Fox and Nick Hayes (165) have also shown promise so far this season.
And the most exciting Wildcat competitor to watch may be Ryan Lang, who took second at 141 pounds at the Beast. “He is a riverboat gambler, “said Cysewski. “You don’t want to take your eyes off him.”
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