No. 11 Wrestling Faces Loaded Field at Midlands Championships
Dec 28 | Wrestling
Match Notes - Midlands Championships
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 11 Rutgers wrestling will participate in the 54th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. The Scarlet Knights will look to follow a record showing at last year's event, where RU finished third and placed eight individuals.
Tournament action will begin Thursday with the first session at 10:30 a.m., followed by the second session that evening at 8 p.m. The Midlands will conclude on Friday with session three at 1 p.m. and the final session at 8 p.m. The first three sessions will stream live online free of charge via BTN Plus and the championship finals will air live on BTN.
Official brackets and seeding for the tournament will be released Wednesday evening.
| 54th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships | |
| Date | Thursday, Dec. 29 - Friday, Dec. 30 |
| Time | Session I: Dec. 29, 10:30 a.m. ET | Session II: Dec. 29, 8 p.m. ET Session III: Dec. 30, 1 p.m. ET | Session IV: Dec. 30, 8 p.m. ET |
| Location | Evanston, Ill. | Welsh-Ryan Arena |
| TV | Big Ten Network (Championship Finals) |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus - Day One | Day Two |
| Live Results | TrackWrestling |
| Statistics | Rutgers |
| Tournament Info | Home | Top Competitors | Record Book |
| Tickets | Buy Here |
Rutgers (6-1) opened the Big Ten season 1-0 for the first time in its history with a 21-13 dual win over Maryland on Dec. 11. RU is No. 11 in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, No. 13 by Intermat and No. 15 by FloWrestling.
165-pounder Willie Scott has a team-best 11 wins among those with dual experience and enters the tournament with a four-match winning streak. Freshman Brandon Paetzell (3) and senior Eleazar DeLuca (5) also have multiple-match streaks entering the tourney.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, December 29
7:30 a.m. McGaw Hall opens
8:30 a.m. Weigh in - Flat Weight, Main Arena, contestants only
10:30 a.m. First Session - 10 mats - All contestants must be ready to compete. Announcements and the Coaches' Information Desk will keep all informed of match sequence
8 p.m. Second Session - 10 mats - Championship and consolation
12 a.m. BUILDING CLOSES
Friday, December 30
11 a.m. McGaw Hall opens
12 p.m. Weigh in - 1 lb. Allowance, North Arena, contestants only
1 p.m. Third Session - 4 mats - Semifinals, consolation, 7th place matches
7:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies, Introductions, Grand March
8 p.m. Final Session - 3 mats - 1st, 3rd, 5th place matches Finals air LIVE on Big Ten Network
10:15 p.m. Conclusion of Awards Ceremony
No. 11 Rutgers Projected Competitors
| Wt. | Name | Yr. | Hometown | Overall Record (Dual) |
| 125 | R-Sr. | Ronkonkoma, N.Y. | 6-4 (3-3) | |
| 125 | Fr. | Phillipsburg, N.J. | 8-1 (1-0) | |
| 133 | R-Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J. | 8-2 (3-0) | |
| 133 | R-Jr. | Harrisburg, Pa. | 8-1 (3-1) | |
| 141 | R-Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J. | 8-2 (6-1) | |
| 149 | R-So. | Guttenberg, N.J. | 10-3 (2-1) | |
| 149 | Ken Theobold ** | R-Sr. | Toms River, N.J. | 9-2 (5-1) |
| 157 | Sr. | Talent, Ore. | 5-0 (0-0) | |
| 157 | R-So. | Mullica Hill, N.J. | 10-3 (5-1) | |
| 165 | R-Sr. | Westfield, N.J. | 7-7 (0-0) | |
| 165 | R-Fr. | Brick, N.J. | 11-3 (4-1) | |
| 174 | R-So. | South Brunswick, N.J. | 11-4 (2-0) | |
| 184 | R-Jr. | Allendale, N.J. | 8-1 (5-1) | |
| 197 | R-Jr. | Somerset, N.J. | 3-6 (0-2) | |
| 197 | Fr. | Blauvelt, N.Y. | 12-3 (0-0) |
*denotes previous NCAA Championships qualifications
Scouting the Field
- The 54th annual installment of the tournament will include a host of Big Ten and nationally ranked competition, including No. 3 Iowa, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 9 Lehigh, No. 10 North Carolina State, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Central Michigan, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 19 Arizona State, No. 20 South Dakota State, and No. 23 Pittsburgh.
Midlands Top Contenders
- The Midlands Championships released its list of top competitors for the 54th annual installment of the historic tournament. Among those recognized were four competing RU grapplers in 133-pounder Tyson Dippery, 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault, 149-pounder Ken Theobold, and 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina.
2015 Midlands Championships Recap
- No. 8 Rutgers wrestling concluded the 53rd Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in third place with 110 team points and a program record seven placewinners last year at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Highlighting the tournament for RU were three fourth-place finishers in 133-pounder Anthony Giraldo, 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault, and 157-pounder Richie Lewis. 149-pounder Ken Theobold finished seventh, but competed unattached and did not officially count toward the team total.
RU at Midlands
- Since 2000, Rutgers has had 21 wrestlers place at the Midlands Championships. The Scarlet Knights competed in the tournament last season, when they finished third as a team. The best individual finish at the event came from runner-up Mario Mason (149 Pounds) in 2011. Below is a tally of all of RU's placewinners at Midlands in the span:
2015 - Third Overall
Anthony Giraldo (133 Pounds) - Fourth Place
Anthony Ashnault (141 Pounds) - Fourth Place
Ken Theobold (149 Pounds) - Unattached - Seventh Place
Richie Lewis (157 Pounds) - Fourth Place
Phillip Bakuckas (174 Pounds) - Fifth Place
Nicholas Gravina (184 Pounds) - Eighth Place
Hayden Hrymack (197 Pounds) - Sixth Place
Billy Smith (HWT) - Fifth Place
2011 - 11th Place Overall
Mario Mason (149 Pounds) - Runner-up
Billy Ashnault (141 Pounds) - Eighth Place
Scott Winston (165 Pounds) - Eighth Place
2010 - 12th Place Overall
Daryl Cocozzo (157 Pounds) - Fifth Place
D.J. Russo (Heavyweight) - Sixth Place
Alex Caruso (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
Matt Fusco (125 Pounds) - Eighth Place
2009 - 15th Place Overall
Billy Ashnault (133 Pounds) - Eighth Place
D.J. Russo (Heavyweight) - Eighth Place
2008 - 23rd Place Overall
Scott Winston (157 Pounds) - Fourth Place
2004 - 30th Place Overall
Andy Roy (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
2003 - 32nd Place Overall
Andy Roy (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
2000 - T-30th Place Overall
Jon Forster (149 Pounds) - Eighth Place
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Players Mentioned
