Sunday, December 29
Hoffman Estates, Ill.
All Day
Indiana University
at
Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
Indiana to Compete in Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
12/28/2024 4:00:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– In the final days of 2024, No. 25 Indiana Wrestling will compete in the 60th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Indiana is expected to have 16 wrestlers compete in the prestigious tournament on Sunday and Monday.
MIDLANDS RETURN:
-Indiana will compete in the 60th annual edition of the historic event and it will be their first appearance since 2022.
-In 2022, two Hoosiers reached the podium. Derek Gilcher took third place at 157 lbs. and Jacob Moran got 8th place at 125 lbs. Both will be competing in the tournament again this weekend.
-DJ Washington also took 6th place at 174 lbs. in the 2019 tournament.
-When head coach Angel Escobedo competed for the Hoosiers he won the Midlands twice, winning first at 125 lbs. in both 2006 and 2007.
-The action will begin on Sunday with Session I at 10:30 a.m. and Session II starting at 8:00 p.m. On Monday, Session III will kick off at 11:30 a.m. and the Session IV medal matches will take place at 4:00 p.m. to close out the tournament.
-The Hoosiers are expected to have 16 wrestlers compete in the tournament including the vast majority of its regular dual lineup.
-There will be 37 different schools competing in the tournament for the nation's largest non-conference wrestling tournament of the season. That list will also inlclude eight Big Ten schools in the field.
SHERIDAN REWIND:
-Indiana last competed in the Sheridan Tournament, hosted by Lehigh, on Dec. 20 in Bethlehem, Pa.
-The Hoosiers had 14 wrestlers compete in the tournament with nine finishing their day on the podium.
-No Hoosier won first at their weight class, but five of them finished in second place, including: Angelo Rini (133), Henry Porter (141), Tyler Lillard (165), Gabe Sollars (197) and Jacob Bullock (285).
-En route to his second-place finish, Sollars won each of his first three matches by fall, tech fall and major decision.
-Rini picked up his second ranked victory of the season in the semifinals when he defeated No. 33 Gable Porter (Virginia). Rini's only loss was to No. 1 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) in a 10-5 decision.
-Tyler Lillard won his first two matches by tech fall in a combined 37-7 margin of victory.
-Four Hoosiers took third place: Jacob Moran (125), Joey Buttler (141), Nick South (174) and Nick Pavlechko (285).
-It was Indiana's second consecutive year competing in the Sheridan Tournament. In both years of the tournament, they did not record team scoring.
-Mason Alley made his first appearance of the season in the tournament.
ILLINOIS OPENER:
-Indiana fell short in its first Big Ten dual of the season when it lost 34-3 to No. 11 Illinois on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis as part of the inaugural Big Ten Takedown.
-No. 22 Jacob Moran (125) defeated Illinois' Calean Riley by decision, 5-2, to open the match and put Indiana up 3-0.
-Despite the lopsided score, most of the bouts were very close. Seven of then ten matches were decided by three points or less.
-Indiana will resume its Big Ten slate on Jan. 10 when it hosts Rutgers in Wilkinson Hall.
Indiana is expected to have 16 wrestlers compete in the prestigious tournament on Sunday and Monday.
MIDLANDS RETURN:
-Indiana will compete in the 60th annual edition of the historic event and it will be their first appearance since 2022.
-In 2022, two Hoosiers reached the podium. Derek Gilcher took third place at 157 lbs. and Jacob Moran got 8th place at 125 lbs. Both will be competing in the tournament again this weekend.
-DJ Washington also took 6th place at 174 lbs. in the 2019 tournament.
-When head coach Angel Escobedo competed for the Hoosiers he won the Midlands twice, winning first at 125 lbs. in both 2006 and 2007.
-The action will begin on Sunday with Session I at 10:30 a.m. and Session II starting at 8:00 p.m. On Monday, Session III will kick off at 11:30 a.m. and the Session IV medal matches will take place at 4:00 p.m. to close out the tournament.
-The Hoosiers are expected to have 16 wrestlers compete in the tournament including the vast majority of its regular dual lineup.
-There will be 37 different schools competing in the tournament for the nation's largest non-conference wrestling tournament of the season. That list will also inlclude eight Big Ten schools in the field.
SHERIDAN REWIND:
-Indiana last competed in the Sheridan Tournament, hosted by Lehigh, on Dec. 20 in Bethlehem, Pa.
-The Hoosiers had 14 wrestlers compete in the tournament with nine finishing their day on the podium.
-No Hoosier won first at their weight class, but five of them finished in second place, including: Angelo Rini (133), Henry Porter (141), Tyler Lillard (165), Gabe Sollars (197) and Jacob Bullock (285).
-En route to his second-place finish, Sollars won each of his first three matches by fall, tech fall and major decision.
-Rini picked up his second ranked victory of the season in the semifinals when he defeated No. 33 Gable Porter (Virginia). Rini's only loss was to No. 1 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) in a 10-5 decision.
-Tyler Lillard won his first two matches by tech fall in a combined 37-7 margin of victory.
-Four Hoosiers took third place: Jacob Moran (125), Joey Buttler (141), Nick South (174) and Nick Pavlechko (285).
-It was Indiana's second consecutive year competing in the Sheridan Tournament. In both years of the tournament, they did not record team scoring.
-Mason Alley made his first appearance of the season in the tournament.
ILLINOIS OPENER:
-Indiana fell short in its first Big Ten dual of the season when it lost 34-3 to No. 11 Illinois on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis as part of the inaugural Big Ten Takedown.
-No. 22 Jacob Moran (125) defeated Illinois' Calean Riley by decision, 5-2, to open the match and put Indiana up 3-0.
-Despite the lopsided score, most of the bouts were very close. Seven of then ten matches were decided by three points or less.
-Indiana will resume its Big Ten slate on Jan. 10 when it hosts Rutgers in Wilkinson Hall.
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