For the sixth straight year, the Iowa Hawkeyes took home the most titles from the most prestigious regular season tournament in the country. They won this year's Midlands by 64.5 points and put six in the finals.

But this is the Hawkeyes we're talking about. For most programs, a performance like this would elicit fireworks and ticker tape parades. For the most illustrious program in college wrestling history -- one that has title aspirations every year -- the standards are higher. 

Before the tournament I gave my expectations for the tournament. So here are the brutally honest post-tournament assessments, against the highest of standards.

125: Spencer Lee - Runner-Up

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 1st

The Performance: Spencer had a pin and two techs and looked like he was en route to a third when he was up 12-0 in the first period in his semi with Patrick Glory. Then something happened. What, I don't know. But Spencer wouldn't score another offensive point in his next five periods, getting outscored 13-3 during that time.

The odd thing is, it certainly didn't seem to be a physical thing. That he completely shut down (he took very, very few attempts against Rivera) seemed to be a mental, anxiety thing. It's difficult to tell which is more problematic going forward -- losing because you were out-wrestled, or losing because you were rattled. For most, reaching the Midlands finals is awesome, but we're grading the best version of Spencer Lee, who came with an "unbeatable" tag, against the Spencer we saw last weekend.

Willie's Grade: D

133: Austin DeSanto - Champ

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 4th

The Performance: On one hand, 133 was the weakest bracket of the tournament. DeSanto's path was Dylan Duncan and Noah Gonsor -- guys ranked in the bottom five. DeSanto wasn't tested, but he obliterated everyone in his path. He looked really good. 

Willie's Grade: A

141: Max Murin - Runner-Up

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 4th

The Performance: Like 133, 141 was very thin, including Mikey Carr being sidelined. Murin was in total control of everyone he faced until hitting Alber in the finals. I think the perception of Murin entering the tourney was one of fringe AA caliber and he confirmed that at Midlands. I liked his mean streak and I'd take him over a lot of guys ranked from #10 to his current #19.

Willie's Grade:  B+ 

149: Patrick Lugo - 4th Place

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 5th

The Performance: It was a bit of an uneven performance by Lugo. In the early rounds I was like "Uh oh, Lugo is heating up." He looked very good. 

The semi with Kolodzik wasn't competitive. No offensive points for Lugo. 

In the consi's, he had a completely dominant win over talented freshman Teemer. But in the third-place bout he fell to another frosh, Sammy Sasso. On one hand, Lugo had a third-period lead and kept shooting. You like to see that. But Sasso scored on two counters -- one to tie it in regulation and one to win in OT. And that's where Lugo is at. He's a fringe AA type that can beat really good guys but can also drop matches he could otherwise win, which is exactly why I picked him fifth-ish.

Willie's Grade: C

157: Kaleb Young - Runner-Up

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 3rd

The Performance: Young dominated everyone until the finals. He is now quietly ranked sixth, placing higher than four other ranked wrestlers who were in the field. He teched #18 Weiland and beat fellow PA freshman #11 Zach Hartman soundly. 

157 really isn't deep and Young's performance makes me think his status as a projected AA is rock solid.

Willie's Grade: B+

165: Alex Marinelli - Champ

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 2nd

The Performance: On the surface, if you simply said "Alex Marinelli beat Evan Wick to win Midlands," you'd probably expect an A+ and move on. But there was some unevenness before that, particularly in the quarter with Viruet which went to OT. It could certainly be the case that The Bull is sorta bored entering what is considered a "non-elite" match.

But (yes, another "but"), who cares?! He had a close one. Big deal. He beat the #2 guy in the country (rather convincingly), and is now clearly a finalist contender. 

Willie's Grade: A+

174: Mitch Bowman - DNP (2-2)

Pre-Tourney Prediction: Blood Round

The Performance: While you couldn't expect Iowa to get much here at 174, I came away a little disappointed with Bowman's results. 

What you're used to seeing from Iowa's "other guys" are some unexpected wins. Bowman lost to two guys not close to national rankings. Iowa may not qualify this weight.

Willie's Grade: D

184: Cash Wilcke - Runner-Up

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 5th

The Performance:  Early in the tournament Wilcke struggled to (or wasn't interested in) scoring points. In his first four bouts, he had just three takedowns -- and none in the first period. I came in looking for him to make a statement and those hopes faded.

Except then he turned it on in the semis, scoring a takedown in each period and winning comfortably. The final against a top-five Drew Foster was a pretty even match.

All in all, I think it was a strong-ish performance from Wilcke and he outshone my expectation. He can win ugly and grind out matches.

Willie's Grade: B

197: Jacob Warner - 5th Place

Pre-Tourney Prediction: Champion

The Performance: On one hand, the optics of Warner "only" taking fifth is bad. Along with Lee and The Bull, Warner was supposed to form a young triumvirate of Hawkeye title contenders. 

His struggles were apparent from his second bout against an unranked opponent in a bout that was tied at 1 until short time left. In the quarters, he got taken down and turned at will while getting teched by an unheralded true freshman. 

Warner showed some resolve in gaining a fall while trailing in the second against Josh Hokit. But then he failed to earn a takedown in his next bout versus Rocco Caywood.

On the other hand, he's just a freshman that took fifth at Midlands. That's pretty remarkable on the surface. But it's his lofty expectations that he'll be, for better or worse, measured against.

Willie's Grade: D

285: Sam Stoll - DNP (2-0 / Default)

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 4th

The Performance: Tough to give Big Sammy a grade. He wrestled a couple matches conservatively and got the Ws before defaulting out. By name and reputation, he's as much as a title contender but we haven't seen much of him to tell what level he's really at this year.

Willie's Grade: C

The Iowa Hawkeyes at Midlands: Champs - 184pts

Pre-Tourney Prediction: 1st

The Performance: A truly mixed bag for the Hawks.

Say it out loud: a sixth straight team title. 184pts. Six in the finals. 8 placers.

It sounds like a stellar performance. But in the greater context of the season and what these Midlands' results portend for the NCAA tournament, it's the sum of the parts that will be analyzed.

So there are four major takeaways here.

1) Spencer and Warner underperformed. That doesn't mean they will continue to, but that expectations (and projections) may need to be tempered.

2) The Bull elevated, if just slightly. Alex Marinelli was firmly entrenched as an AA. Now, after beating the #2 guy and the guy that beat him 16-3 last March, the odds for Alex to make the finals have greatly improved. 

3) The "Other Guys" stayed the course. DeSanto, Murin, Young and Wilcke beat the guys they should, but didn't beat anyone that makes them jump tiers.

4) Sam Stoll is still a question. We know his floor, but how high (this season) is his ceiling?

Ultimately, all results are data points in projecting a March placement. I entered Midlands thinking Iowa was a sure-fire podium team and I leave it thinking top-four is very tenuous.

Willie's Grade: C