Herbert was a unanimous selection for the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler Award following his third Midlands championship. Eighth-seeded Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin emerged as the champion at 141 lbs., arguably the most competitive weight division at this year's tournament, and was presented the Art Kraft Champion of Champions award—voted on by his peers—after his upset win against Iowa's second-seeded Alex Tsirtsis in the finals.
Hudson Taylor, Maryland's talented 197-pounder, recorded the most falls in this year's tournament (5), while Iowa's Brent Metcalf notched the most team points by any individual wrestler.
Iowa led all teams with three champions—Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Ryan Morningstar (165)—, enough to edge Iowa State in the team standings by a 156.5-153.5 margin. Missouri checked in at third with 121.5 points, followed by Wisconsin (98.5) and Northwestern (88.5).
Precin took center stage in the first championship bout of the night against Tyler Clark of Iowa State. It was a low-scoring affair typical of Clark's wrestling style, with the score tied at one in the second period. But with 35 seconds remaining in the match Precin notched a reversal to jump out to a 3-1 lead and seize control of the match.
The gap closed to one on a stalling point with 10 seconds left but Precin hung on for his first Midlands championship after a second-place finish in 2007.
Welch, ranked No. 16 nationally, improved on his sixth-place finish as a high school senior in 2007 with a fifth-place finish in his impressive freshman campaign. His opponent in the 157-pound fifth-place match, Anthony Jones of Michigan State, forfeited the contest as Welch wrapped up this year's Midlands with a 4-2 mark.
Welch's defeat in the semifinals was at the hands of the eventual champion, 34-year old Chris Bono, the current head coach of Tennessee-Chattanooga who took home his fourth Midlands championship and his first since 2000.
One of the most thrilling matches came in the 174-pound championship bout between fifth-seeded Mike Miller of Central Michigan and third-seeded Mike Cannon of American. With Cannon leading 4-3, Miller appeared to have scored the winning takedown just as time ran out for the win, but the referees determined that it came after the whistle. Cannon held on to join the ranks of Midlands champions.
The stage was then set for Herbert to make history by adding a third Midlands title to his already stellar wrestling resume. Taking on the nation's third-ranked 184-pounder in Iowa's Phil Keddy, Herbert opened the scoring in the first period with a takedown and three back points to build a 5-0 lead. It proved to be more than enough for Herbert, who ran his lead to 11-0 before a takedown in the third period lifted the count to 13-0.
When all was said and done, Herbert's win was in the books as a 15-1 major decision.
The upcoming competition doesn't get any easier for Northwestern, with the heralded Cliff Keen National Duals on tap beginning Jan. 10 followed by the start of the Big Ten season with Michigan State at home on Jan. 23.
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