Friday, December 29
Hoffman Estates, IL
10:30 AM
Indiana University
vs
Session I
Wrestling Enters Massive Midlands Weekend
12/28/2017 7:57:00 PM | Wrestling
Hoosiers travel 15 to Chicagoland, including a volunteer coach and transfer newcomer
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Indiana's wrestling team will close the calendar year in one of the nation's premier regular season tournaments, the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. The 55th installment of the annual event, hosted by Northwestern University, sets up to be one for the ages as 38 teams convene at its new temporary home, the Sears Centre Arena. The Hoosiers have seen two wrestlers achieve podium finishes in each of the last two seasons, including returning fifth-place finisher Devin Skatzka (174), but this year's field is one of the best in recent memory.
Indiana will bring 15 grapplers in their travel party with first-time appearances from recent transfer Breyden Bailey (149) and IU volunteer assistant coach Brandon Wright (149). Follow all the action on the mat via BTN2Go.com and FloWrestling.com.
55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships • Sears Centre Arena
Schedule of Events:
Friday, December 29
10:30 a.m. – Session I
7:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
8:00 p.m. – Session II
Saturday, December 30
1:00 p.m. – Session III (Semifinals, Consolation, 7th-place)
8:00 p.m. – Session IV (1st-place, 3rd-place, 5th-place)
10:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony
* all times Eastern
Last time: Entering the Lion's Den
The Hoosiers wrestled their final dual meet of 2017 two weekends ago, facing No. 1 Penn State at Rec Hall. Indiana fell on the team score, 44-3, as the top-ranked Nittany Lions earned seven wins with bonus points.
Hoosier junior Elijah Oliver started the meet with a decision win, his sixth consecutive victory and first career win against Penn State. Oliver is 2-0 in conference dual meets this year.
Midlands Championships Overview
The 34 teams entering this year's Midlands Championships have potential to bring dozens of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers to Sears Centre Arena. It's one of the deepest tournament fields in years as wrestlers from six top-ten teams are in attendance. Among the top contenders at every weight class, 18 grapplers rank in the national top ten.
The entrants also present a load of possible matchups against conference foes. The field includes 12 Big Ten teams, all but Ohio State and Michigan State.
IU Wrestling in the Rankings
The Hoosiers maintain a pair of ranked grapplers nine weeks into the season. Junior Cole Weaver (141) is as high as 15th (Open Mat) and found rankings from four polls, including 16th by InterMat. Weaver enters a 141 lbs. bracket that will feature a first-time Midlands Champion, regardless of result.
Devin Skatzka (174) held his No. 18 ranking (Open Mat) and earned a No. 20 spot from Amateur Wrestling News. Skatzka faces a bracket that includes five additional Big Ten contenders and No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State).
Back in Action
An exciting subplot to Indiana's Midlands weekend is the debut of two newcomers in the Hoosiers' wrestling room. Volunteer assistant coach Brandon Wright (149) continues a long-standing Midlands tradition of college graduates throwing their name into the field.
Wright is currently Team USA's third-ranked wrestler at 61 kg (134 lbs.) after earning the No. 2 podium spots at the US Open and the World Team trials.
Semester transfer Breyden Bailey (149) will be on the mat for the first time as a Hoosier as well. Bailey began his career last semester at Northern Illinois, where he tallied an 8-1 unattached record.
A reigning IHSAA State Champion, Bailey is the second active Hoosier to wrestle at Cathedral (Blake Rypel) and the fourth to hail from Fishers, Indiana (Rypel, Spencer Irick, Austin Holmes).
Up Next: Welcoming Wolverines
Indiana returns after the semester break with a their third Big Ten dual meet and a third consecutive meet versus a top-10 foe when they host No. 9 Michigan on Friday, January 5 at University Gymnasium. The 7:00 p.m. ET meet will be Indiana's first against the Wolverines since the 2015-16 season and their first at home in the series since 2014-15. The clash doubles as the ninth return visit to Bloomington for former Indiana head coach Joe McFarland (1989-92).
Back Points...
• Devin Skatzka's six pins have occurred in 15:14 aggregate time. The sophomore set a career best with a fall in 0:47 against Northern Illinois (12/2).
• Skatzka is IU's only returning Midlands podium-finisher (5th at 174 lbs. in 2016). He came one match short of a podium finish as a redshirt in 2015, when he pinned his first ranked opponent to enter the blood round.
• Indiana University has earned five Midlands titles across four wrestlers, with 40 podium finishes since 1964. 30 of those podium placements came under the watchful eye of IU head coach Duane Goldman.
• The Midlands Championships will serve as Indiana's last out-of-conference competition for the 2016-17 regular season.
Indiana will bring 15 grapplers in their travel party with first-time appearances from recent transfer Breyden Bailey (149) and IU volunteer assistant coach Brandon Wright (149). Follow all the action on the mat via BTN2Go.com and FloWrestling.com.
55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships • Sears Centre Arena
Schedule of Events:
Friday, December 29
10:30 a.m. – Session I
7:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
8:00 p.m. – Session II
Saturday, December 30
1:00 p.m. – Session III (Semifinals, Consolation, 7th-place)
8:00 p.m. – Session IV (1st-place, 3rd-place, 5th-place)
10:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony
* all times Eastern
Last time: Entering the Lion's Den
The Hoosiers wrestled their final dual meet of 2017 two weekends ago, facing No. 1 Penn State at Rec Hall. Indiana fell on the team score, 44-3, as the top-ranked Nittany Lions earned seven wins with bonus points.
Hoosier junior Elijah Oliver started the meet with a decision win, his sixth consecutive victory and first career win against Penn State. Oliver is 2-0 in conference dual meets this year.
Midlands Championships Overview
The 34 teams entering this year's Midlands Championships have potential to bring dozens of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers to Sears Centre Arena. It's one of the deepest tournament fields in years as wrestlers from six top-ten teams are in attendance. Among the top contenders at every weight class, 18 grapplers rank in the national top ten.
The entrants also present a load of possible matchups against conference foes. The field includes 12 Big Ten teams, all but Ohio State and Michigan State.
IU Wrestling in the Rankings
The Hoosiers maintain a pair of ranked grapplers nine weeks into the season. Junior Cole Weaver (141) is as high as 15th (Open Mat) and found rankings from four polls, including 16th by InterMat. Weaver enters a 141 lbs. bracket that will feature a first-time Midlands Champion, regardless of result.
Devin Skatzka (174) held his No. 18 ranking (Open Mat) and earned a No. 20 spot from Amateur Wrestling News. Skatzka faces a bracket that includes five additional Big Ten contenders and No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State).
Back in Action
An exciting subplot to Indiana's Midlands weekend is the debut of two newcomers in the Hoosiers' wrestling room. Volunteer assistant coach Brandon Wright (149) continues a long-standing Midlands tradition of college graduates throwing their name into the field.
Wright is currently Team USA's third-ranked wrestler at 61 kg (134 lbs.) after earning the No. 2 podium spots at the US Open and the World Team trials.
Semester transfer Breyden Bailey (149) will be on the mat for the first time as a Hoosier as well. Bailey began his career last semester at Northern Illinois, where he tallied an 8-1 unattached record.
A reigning IHSAA State Champion, Bailey is the second active Hoosier to wrestle at Cathedral (Blake Rypel) and the fourth to hail from Fishers, Indiana (Rypel, Spencer Irick, Austin Holmes).
Up Next: Welcoming Wolverines
Indiana returns after the semester break with a their third Big Ten dual meet and a third consecutive meet versus a top-10 foe when they host No. 9 Michigan on Friday, January 5 at University Gymnasium. The 7:00 p.m. ET meet will be Indiana's first against the Wolverines since the 2015-16 season and their first at home in the series since 2014-15. The clash doubles as the ninth return visit to Bloomington for former Indiana head coach Joe McFarland (1989-92).
Back Points...
• Devin Skatzka's six pins have occurred in 15:14 aggregate time. The sophomore set a career best with a fall in 0:47 against Northern Illinois (12/2).
• Skatzka is IU's only returning Midlands podium-finisher (5th at 174 lbs. in 2016). He came one match short of a podium finish as a redshirt in 2015, when he pinned his first ranked opponent to enter the blood round.
• Indiana University has earned five Midlands titles across four wrestlers, with 40 podium finishes since 1964. 30 of those podium placements came under the watchful eye of IU head coach Duane Goldman.
• The Midlands Championships will serve as Indiana's last out-of-conference competition for the 2016-17 regular season.
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