EVANSTON, Ill. – North Dakota State University 165-pounder Andrew Fogarty placed eighth at the 54th annual Midlands Championships on Saturday, Dec. 30, in Northwestern University’s McGaw Hall.
Entering tonight’s finals, North Dakota State is No. 25 in the team standings with 23 points. The Bison are scheduled to host Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 in a Big 12 Conference dual, and entertain Boise State at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, in a non-conference dual.
Fogarty, a redshirt freshman from Jordan, Minn. (Scott West H.S.), opened with a 14-1 major decision in a dominating performance against Tyrel White of Columbia. He recorded a takedown with 1:04 left in the first period for a 2-0 lead and exploded in the second to extend the margin to 11-0.
It was a Big 12 Conference rematch in the seventh place contest as Fogarty went against No. 7-ranked Clark Glass of Oklahoma. Glass recorded a takedown early in the first period, but Fogarty responded with a reversal as time ran out to tie the score at 2-2. Fogarty kept the top position the entire second period to wipe out Glass’ riding time.
Fogarty took a 3-2 lead after gaining a penalty point after two cautions early in the third period, then added an escape to extend the lead to 4-2. However, Glass notched a takedown in the final seconds to force overtime. Glass took a 6-4 sudden victory-1 overtime win on a takedown with 24-seconds remaining.
Fogarty compiled a 5-3 record at the Midlands Championships to earn eighth place. He is now 15-4 on the season.
Unattached Paul Bianchi, a 125-pound freshman from Two Rivers, Wis. (Two Rivers H.S.), dropped a 7-3 decision to Lucas Malmberg of Messiah and just missed reaching the medal round.
Most of the scoring occurred in the first period. Malmberg led 2-0 before Bianchi rallied with an escape and takedown for a brief 3-2 lead. Malmberg used an escape and takedown to regain a 5-3 advantage. Malmberg kept the top position the entire second, gained an escape in the third and had 2:11 riding time to make the final score.
Bianchi won 3 of 5 matches at the Midlands and improved to 14-5 overall.