Graduate student Donnie Vinson won five matches to reach the finals at the prestigious 50th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championship at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. Vinson (18-1) dropped a 3-1 decision to fourth-ranked Nick Brascetta of Virginia Tech in the title bout - his first loss of the season.
Brascetta, the reigning ACC champion, utilized a first-period takedown and a third-period escape for his points. Vinson managed an escape in the second period but despite pressing in the third period, ran out of time. Brascetta was hit for stalling late in the match but fended off Vinson to win the title. The championships were shown on The Big Ten Network.
Binghamton is in 14th place (out of 48) in the team standings.
Vinson, ranked No. 3 at 149 and seeded second, went 4-0 on Saturday. He started with a pin and a technical fall in his first two matches. He then posted a 6-1 decision and in his closest bout of the day, edged seventh-seed David Habat of Ediinboro in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Sunday afternoon, Vinson defeated third-seeded Steve Santos of Columbia, 6-1.
Senior 197-pound Nate Schiedel went 3-2 in the tournament, just missing out on top-8 honors. Seeded fifth and ranked sixth in the country, Schiedel began his tournament with a 15-7 major decision. But he then suffered a first-period pin against an opponent from CAA-rival Old Dominion in his second match. He rebounded with an 11-1 major decision over an opponent from North Dakota State late Saturday night and began Sunday with a convincing 13-0 major decision against an opponent from Central Michigan. But in the wrestleback round of 12, Schiedel was pinned by a former three-time All-American from Maryland.
Senior 125-pound Patrick Hunter scored two wins - including an 8-5 upset of the No. 7 seed - before back-to-back losses ended his tournament. Hunter opened with a 16-1 technical fall.
More than 30 Division I teams, along with numerous national champions and finalists from Division II and III programs, are participating in the event. Of the 32 Division I teams at this year’s Midlands, 14 of them placed in the top-25 at the 2012 NCAA Championship.
Seven other Bearcats competed at the Lock Haven Brute Invitational on Saturday with senior 133-pound Dan Riggi gaining the most success. Riggi went 5-1 to place third. He notched three pins and a major decision. Redshirt 125-pound freshman Mike Sardo went 4-2 to place fifth. Sophomore 174-pound Caleb Wallace went 3-2 to place fifth and sophomore 141-pound Joe Bonaldi won twice to place sixth. Bonaldi, working his way back after an injury last month, picked up a pin and a major decision before injury defaulting out of the event after a quarterfinal loss.
Information: John Hartrick (hartrick@bingthamton.edu)
Post by: Marissa Sarfati (msarfat1@binghamton.edu)
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