EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 10 Illini wrestling team finished the 61st Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Tuesday (Dec. 30). Michael Gioffre and Chris Moore both left Ryan Fieldhouse as silver medalist.
Gioffre, the No. 6 seed at 149 pounds, won his semifinal match in exciting fashion going all the way to tiebreakers with [2] Ethen Miller (VT). After both wrestlers only traded escapes in the first nine minutes the match went to tiebreakers where Gioffre escaped in 23 seconds then rode Miller out for the full 30 seconds to punch his ticket to the 149-pound finals. His bout in the finals was against the No. 4 seed Collin Gaj (VT) which also went into overtime. However, Gioffre couldn't get out of nearly a minute long scramble and was taken down to fall 4-1 in sudden victory for second place.
Moore, the No. 2 seed at 184 pounds, advanced to the finals with his 5-2 decision win over Michigan's [19] Joseph Walker in the morning semifinals bout. However, he sustained an injury in that matchup and medically forfeited in the finals to [1] Shane Cartegena-Walsh (RUT) to take second place.
Dylan Connell placed seventh at 197 pounds as the No. 5 seed with his dominant 17-1 (2:35) tech. fall win over [21] PJ Casale (RUT). Connell dropped his first bout in the championship round but didn't falter and wrestled all the way back through five rounds of consolations to get to the seventh-place match and be the third Illini to place at Midlands this year.
Illinois finished in 12th out of 30 teams with 45.5 points.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue grapplers return to action after the new year with the start of Big Ten duals. Illinois begins its conference slate with Minnesota in Huff Hall on Saturday (Jan. 10) at 1 p.m. CT.
ILLINI RESULTS
[12] CJ Campbell (125 pounds)
Champ. Round 1 bye
Champ. Round 2: #21 Dedrick Navarro (NU) tech. fall CJ Campbell (ILL), 16-1 (5:21)
Cons. Round 2: CJ Campbell (ILL) dec. Hunter Taylor (ORST), 7-5
Cons. Round 3: Davian Guanajuato (SIUE) dec. CJ Campbell (ILL), 4-1
Campbell eliminated.
[22] Joey Ruzic (133 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Aaron Seidel (VT) over Joey Ruzic (ILL), fall (2:24)
Cons. Round 2: Cameron Chinavare (CMU) over Joey Ruzic (ILL), fall (5:16)
Ruzic eliminated.
[11] Kole Brower (141 pounds)
Champ. Round 1 bye
Champ. Round 2: Elijah Cortez (SCRTC) over Kole Brower (ILL), fall (4:02)
Cons. Round 2: Kole Brower (ILL) over Giosue Hickman (NU), fall (5:52)
Cons. Round 3: Kole Brower (ILL) dec. Alec Peralta (SIUE), 8-1
Cons. Round 4: Aiden Simmons (CALPOLY) major dec. Kole Brower (ILL), 14-6
Brower eliminated.
[6] Michael Gioffre (149 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Michael Gioffre (ILL) tech. fall Evan Gosz (MSU), 24-8 (6:20)
Champ. Round 2: Michael Gioffre (ILL) dec. Sam Cartella (NU), 4-2
Quarterfinals: Michael Gioffre (ILL) dec. Noah Nininger (VT), 10-9
Semifinals: Michael Gioffre (ILL) dec. Ethen Miller (VT), TB-1 2-1
Finals: #19 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. Michael Gioffre (ILL), SV-1 4-1
Gioffre placed second.
[7] Will Baysingar (149 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Will Baysingar (ILL) dec. Noah Tapia (HOF), SV-1 8-1
Champ. Round 2: Owen Reinsel (LEH) dec. Will Baysingar (ILL), 16-9
Cons. Round 2: Will Baysingar (ILL) dec. Anthony Evanitsky (UNATT.), 7-5
Cons. Round 3: Cooper Hilton (MICH) dec. Will Baysingar (ILL), 2-1
Baysingar eliminated.
[24] Charlie Fifield (149 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Joey Buttler (IND) over Charlie Fifield (ILL), fall (1:47)
Cons. Round 1: Anthony Evanitsky (UNATT.) dec. Charlie Fifield (ILL), 14-7
Fifield eliminated.
[29] Danny Nini (149 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: #19 Collin Gaj (VT) tech. fall Danny Nini (ILL), 17-2 (2:47)
Cons. Round 1: Aidan Torres (IND) over Danny Nini (ILL), medical forfeit
Nini eliminated.
[30] Antonio Alvarado (149 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Noah Nininger (VT) dec. Antonio Alvarado (ILL), 5-1
Cons. Round 1: Antonio Alvarado (ILL) dec. Hunter Sturgill (IND), 5-1
Cons. Round 2: Antonio Alvarado (ILL) dec. Jackson Young (MD), SV-1 5-2
Cons. Round 3: Andre Gonzales (CALPOLY) dec. Antonio Alvarado (ILL), SV-1 4-1
Alvarado eliminated.
[11] Ryan Bennett (157 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Ryan Bennett (ILL) dec. Josh Hillard (F&M), 9-8
Champ. Round 2: CJ Hamblin (ORST) over Ryan Bennett (ILL), fall (2:53)
Cons. Round 3: Ryan Bennett (ILL) dec. Ryan Garvick (IND), 4-1
Cons. Round 4: Landen Johnson (NIU) dec. Ryan Bennett (ILL), SV-1 8-5
Bennett eliminated.
[24] Logan Swaw (165 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Chris Crawford (IND) dec. Logan Swaw (ILL), 12-5
Cons. Round 1: Landen Johnson (SIUE) over Logan Swaw (ILL), fall (6:30)
Swaw eliminated.
[2] Chris Moore (184 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: #32 Chris Moore (ILL) tech. fall Matt Kubas (NU), 19-4 (5:39)
Champ. Round 2: #32 Chris Moore (ILL) major dec. Amare Overton (SIUE), 11-2
Quarterfinals: #32 Chris Moore (ILL) dec. Cody Brenner (CMU), 9-2
Semifinals: #32 Chris Moore (ILL) dec. Joseph Walker (MICH), 5-2
Finals: #15 Shane Cartegena-Walsh (RUT) over #32 Chris Moore (ILL), medical forfeit
Moore placed second.
[20] Joey Braunagel (184 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Robert Kucharczk (HARV) dec. Joey Braunagel (ILL), 8-5
Cons. Round 1: Roman Rogotzke (IND) over Joey Braunagel (ILL), fall (1:29)
Braunagel eliminated.
[5] Dylan Connell (197 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Levi Bussey (CALPOLY) dec. Dylan Connell (ILL), 7-4
Cons. Round 2: Dylan Connell (ILL) over Demond Harrison (MSU), fall (2:00)
Cons. Round 3: Dylan Connell (ILL) tech. fall Wesley Wilson (CALPOLY), 16-1 (2:57)
Cons. Round 4: Dylan Connell (ILL) tech. fall Cade Lautt (ILL), 21-3 (6:57)
Cons. Round 5: Luke Cochran (CMU) dec. Dylan Connell (ILL), SV-1 8-5
Seventh-place match: Dylan Connell (ILL) tech. fall PJ Casale (RUT), 17-1 (2:35)
Connell placed seventh.
[7] Cade Lautt (197 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Cade Lautt (ILL) major dec. Myron Mendez (SIUE), 11-1
Champ. Round 2: Cade Lautt (ILL) major dec. Luke Duthie (STAN), 14-6
Quarterfinals: #18 Remy Cotton (RUT) over Cade Lautt (ILL), fall (2:48)
Cons. Round 4: Dylan Connell (ILL) tech. fall Cade Lautt (ILL), 21-3 (6:57)
Lautt eliminated.
[9] Charlie Heydorn (197 pounds)
Champ. Round 1 bye
Champ. Round 2: Brokton Borelli (STAN) tech. fall Charlie Heydorn (ILL), 20-3 (6:03)
Cons. Round 2: Myron Mendez (SIUE) dec. Charlie Heydorn (ILL), 8-3
Heydorn eliminated.
[26] Peter Marinopoulos (285 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: Josh Harkless (RIT) dec. Peter Marinopoulos (ILL), 11-4
Cons. Round 1: Logan Shephard (BUCK) over Peter Marinopoulos (ILL), injury default (4:22)
Marinopoulos eliminated.
[32] Ryan Boersma (285 pounds)
Champ. Round 1: #21 Devon Dawson (NIU) dec. Ryan Boersma (ILL), 2-1
Cons. Round 2: Bryson Buhk (SIUE) dec. Ryan Boersma (ILL), SV-1 10-7
Boersma eliminated.
