The Hawkeyes Have Owned The Last 3 Midlands
The Hawkeyes Have Owned The Last 3 Midlands
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been the dominant wrestling team at the prestigious annual Midlands tournament, winning the last three by large margins.
We've already dipped back into the archives to show you that Iowa has been dominant at the Midlands for a long time. We've also discussed how the Hawkeyes' quest for 27 team trophies may fall short this year thanks to a salty Arizona State Sun Devils squad.
Now for this piece, we're going to back up a bit and tell just how dominant the Hawkeyes have been over the last three years at the annual tournament, which returns to the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, on Dec. 29-30.
Why just the three years? Because that's all the data we had handy and it took long enough as it is ;)
Focusing on just the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tournaments, we know that Iowa has averaged over 163 team points per tournament. Second-place teams have scored an average of just over 133 points per year over the same time period.
When it comes to champions, the Hawkeyes blow the competition away. Over those three years, Iowa wrestlers have captured 10 of a maximum 30 individual titles. Nebraska and North Carolina State are tied with the second most titles with three apiece. To see how everyone stacks up with regards to champions, consult the full table below.
| Rank | Midlands 2014-16 | 1st |
| 1 | Iowa | 10 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 3 |
| 2 | NC State | 3 |
| 4 | Old Dominion | 2 |
| 4 | Illinois | 2 |
| 4 | Arizona State | 2 |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | 1 |
| 7 | Purdue | 1 |
| 7 | Ohio | 1 |
| 7 | Northwestern | 1 |
| 7 | Nittany Lion WC | 1 |
| 7 | Indiana | 1 |
| 7 | Grand View | 1 |
| 7 | Edinboro | 1 |
Seven Hawkeyes have won at last one Midlands title since 2014: Bobby Telford, Brandon Sorensen, Cory Clark, Michael Kemerer, Mike Evans, Nathan Burak, and Thomas Gilman.
Sorensen, Burak, and Gilman have all won two titles over the last three years, with Sorensen possibly earning No. 3 in a little over a week's time.
Iowa also has far and away the most number of place-winners at the last three Midlands. The Hawkeyes have racked up 30 top eight placers out of a potential of 240, 13 more than Nebraska, their nearest competitor. For a list of teams with at least seven top eight placers over the last three years, see the table below.
| Rank | Midlands 2014-16 | Top 8 |
| 1 | Iowa | 30 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 17 |
| 3 | Rutgers | 14 |
| 4 | Northwestern | 13 |
| 5 | Old Dominion | 11 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 11 |
| 7 | Illinois | 10 |
| 8 | NC State | 9 |
| 9 | Arizona State | 7 |
| 10 | Princeton | 7 |
| 11 | Iowa State | 7 |
| 12 | Rider | 7 |
| 13 | CSU Bakersfield | 7 |
While we are no doubt guilty of fanning the speculative flames regarding the possibility that the Hawkeyes' will not hoist another team trophy the day before New Year's Eve, you can bet Tom Brands and company will bring a talented roster to the Sears Centre Arena with the intent of reaffirming their big dog status at the Midlands, which you will not want to miss.