Bucknell's Zach Hartman Advances to Semifinals at Midlands Championships

Sunday, December 29

Hoffman Estates, Ill.

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Bucknell University

Midlands Championships

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bucknell's Zach Hartman Advances to Semifinals at Midlands Championships

12/29/2019 10:57:00 PM | Wrestling

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Bucknell's Zach Hartman advanced to the semifinals in the 165-pound weight class at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, which kicked off Sunday at the Sears Centre Arena.

Hartman, who a year ago went 6-1 to place third in the 157-pound weight class at this prestigious event, cruised to his second-straight berth in the semifinals. He netted bonus points in two of his three victories, outscoring his opponents by a combined margin of 32-3.

Hartman, the fifth seed and Intermat's 15th-ranked wrestler, opened the tournament with a 12-0 major decision over Jake Allar (Minnesota). After clipping Cameron Amine (Michigan) by a 7-3 decision, he rolled past Jake Keating (Virginia) by a 13-0 major decision.

Hartman will face top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa) in tomorrow's semifinals. Marinelli, Intermat's second-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, is a two-time All-American and was the Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the 2019 Big Ten Championships.

Drew Phipps, the seventh seed, got off to a strong start, pinning Austin Andres (SIEU) in 6:29. He then advanced to the quarterfinals behind a 7-4 decision over 10th-seeded Brandon Whitman (North Carolina); he scored four unanswered points on a takedown and two escapes to emerge victorious.

In the quarterfinals, Phipps faced off against second-seeded Patrick Brucki of Princeton, Intermat's third-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds and a 2019 All-American. Phipps gave Brucki, who had outscored his previous three opponents by a combined 34-14 margin, a battle but ultimately ceded a tight 4-2 decision.

Like Hartman, Phipps will wrestle tomorrow. He will take on eighth-seeded Hunter Ritter (Minnesota) in the second consolation round of eight.

Brandon Seidman (125) went 2-2 for the Bison. His first win came in dramatic fashion; he knocked off Matt Vinci of host Northwestern, 10-8, in sudden victory. The Bison sophomore forced overtime with a takedown in the final 10 seconds of regulation; he then scored another takedown early in the first sudden victory period to advance to the championship bracket's round of 32.

After Seidman was sent to the consolation bracket with a loss to sixth-seeded Michael Colaiocco (Penn), he stayed alive with a 14-7 decision over Jose Diaz (Franklin & Marshall). His time at the Midlands Championships ended in the consolation bracket's second round of 16, where he was pinned by Christian Moody (Oklahoma). Notably, Colaiocco was ranked 11th by Intermat this week.

Mitch Hartman (174) made a run in the consolation bracket. The Bison senior was sent to the wrestlebacks by a 7-4 loss to Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin) in the round of 32. He rebounded with a 3-1 decision over Allen Swanson (Northern Illinois); all three of his points came in the third period, on a takedown with 41 seconds remaining and a stall warning with four seconds left on the clock.

The elder Hartman reached the consolation bracket's first round of eight behind a Trey Sizemore (Illinois) medical forfeit. There, he fell to Nathan Dugan (Princeton) by a 5-3 decision; Dugan's third-period takedown proved to be the difference in the bout.

Darren Miller (0-2 at 133), David Campbell (0-2 at 141), Jaden Fisher (0-2 at 157), Vincent Andreano (0-2 at 165) and Kyle Inlander (0-2 at 184) also competed for the Bison.

Miller took seventh-seeded Paul Glynn (Iowa) to the wire in the championship bracket's round of 32, forcing overtime with a third-period escape; he was ultimately felled, 3-1, in the second tiebreaker period on a takedown. Both of Fisher's bouts were close; he was downed by sixth-seeded A.C. Headlee (North Carolina) by a 5-3 decision and by Jace Luchau (Fresno State) by a 4-3 decision. Notably, Headlee was ranked 20th by Intermat this week.

Andreano, Fisher and Miller were the three freshmen who represented Bucknell at the Midlands Championships. They were three of six Bison making their first appearance at the prestigious event, joining M. Hartman, Inlander and Seidman.

The Midlands Championships wrap up tomorrow. The third session, which consists of the semifinals, consolation rounds, and seventh-place match, begins at 1 p.m. (12 p.m. CT). The final session, which includes the first-, third-, and fifth-place matches, follows at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CT).