This story can be found online at:

http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/122312aab.html 

Northwestern Hosts 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
Competition runs all day Saturday, Dec. 29-Sunday, Dec. 30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena

Dec. 23, 2012

50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
Saturday, Dec. 29-Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
TV: Big Ten Network (SundayÂ’s finals, live)
Twitter: @NU_Wrestle / @NU_SportsLIVE
Hashtag: #Midlands50
50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Website

Midlands Commercial

Schedule:
Saturday, Dec. 29
9:30 a.m. - Session I
7 p.m. - Session II
 
Sunday, Dec. 30
Noon - Session III - Semifinals, Consolation, 7th place matches
6:30 p.m. - Parade of Champions
7 p.m. - Session IV - 1st, 3rd, 5th place matches

Tickets available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE

THE WEEKEND
No. 15 Northwestern welcomes more than 30 Division I wrestling teams, along with a number of Division II and III teams and post-graduate competitors, to Welsh-Ryan Arena for the historic 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Competition begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, resumes with Session II at 7 p.m. on Dec. 29 and then wraps up on Sunday, Dec. 30. The second day of competition begins at noon with Session III, which includes semifinal and consolation rounds, along with seventh-place matches. Be sure to return to Welsh-Ryan Arena around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 for the Parade of Champions and then first, third and fifth-place bouts begin at 7 p.m. CT.
 
Those who are unable to attend Midlands can watch SundayÂ’s finals LIVE on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. CT. Be sure to follow @NU_Wrestle (general tournament updates), @NU_SportsLIVE (updates for Northwestern wrestlers and Sunday's finals) and the #Midlands50 hashtag on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend. Updated brackets also will be posted on NUsports.com.
 
SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNED FOR THE 50TH
With this year being the 50th anniversary of Midlands, there are a number of special events in store for fans attending the event at Welsh-Ryan Arena. A number of the original Midlands Champions from the first tournament in 1963 are expected to be in attendance. This group will be recognized during the Parade of Champions on Sunday.
 
Three-time Midlands champion and two-time Northwestern NCAA Champion Jake Herbert also returns to Evanston and he will sign autographs during SundayÂ’s Session III.
 
READING MATERIAL
Here are a few articles featuring the 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships:
• Chicago Tribune: Midlands story a well-Krafted tale
• NCAA.com: Holiday Havoc: Midlands leads growing roster of year-end tournaments

TOURNAMENT CONTENDERS
The Midlands Tournament Committee released the Tournament Contenders list for this yearÂ’s event. Eight Northwestern wrestlers made the cut, including defending Midlands Champion, senior Jason Welch, who is tabbed No. 1 at 157 lbs. Other Northwestern wrestlers listed include freshman Dominick Malone (No. 10, 125), senior Levi Mele (No. 9, 133), Jason Tsirtsis (competing unattached, No. 9, 141), Pierce Harger (No. 6, 165), defending Midlands champion Lee Munster (No. 4, 174), Alex Polizzi (No. 11, 197) and Mike McMullan (No. 3, 285).
 
A complete list of Tournament Contenders can be found here.
 
MIDLANDS BY THE NUMBERS
With this year being the 50th, there are a few significant numbers to take note of:
• 334 – Number of different Midlands champions in the last 49 years.
• 11 – Number of teams who have captured the Midlands team title (Michigan, Iowa State, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Sunkist Kids WC, North Carolina, Arizona State, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri).
• 9,000+ – Number of wrestlers who have competed at Midlands the last 49 years.
• Six – Number of Midlands competitors that have achieved Grand Slam status, meaning they have won a Midlands title, NCAA title, Olympic gold medal and World title. That group of six includes Dan Gable, Bruce Baumgartner, Dave Schultz, Kenny Monday, Tom Brands and Jordan Burroughs.
• 50 – Number of years former Northwestern head coach and tournament founder Ken Kraft has been involved with the Midlands. He has attended every tournament, except for one--the 1995 Midlands Championships. Kraft, who was a Northwestern administrator at the time, missed the 1995 edition because the NU football team was in the Rose Bowl that year.
 
For more historical information, check out the Midlands Record Book (PDF).
 
STRONG FIELD FOR THE 50TH
Midlands annually features some of the top programs in the country and the 2012 edition is no different. Of the 32 Division I teams competing this year, 14 of them placed in the top-25 at the 2012 NCAA Championships and 15 are currently ranked in the Dec. 18 USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll. The ranked teams in this yearÂ’s field include the following: No. 6 Illinois, No. 9 Central Michigan, No. 10 Oregon State, No. 11 Virginia Tech, No. 12 Michigan, No. 13 Pittsburgh, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 15 Northwestern, No. 17 Nebraska, No. 18 Edinboro (tie), No. 18 Maryland (tie), No. 21 Purdue, No. 22 Penn, No. 23 Wisconsin and No. 25 Lehigh.
 
According to the latest Amateur Wrestling News rankings, there are 92 ranked wrestlers competing at the 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Here is the breakdown by weight class:
 
125: 9 (No. 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18)
133: 10 (No. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 19)
141: 10 (No. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17)
149: 8 (No. 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14)
157: 9 (No. 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 14, 17, 18, 20)
165: 10 (No. 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 20)
174: 9 (No. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19)
184: 10 (No. 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19)
197: 9 (No. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18)
Hwt.: 8 (No. 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 17, 19)
 
Also included in this yearÂ’s field are a number post-graduates, as former All-Americans Montell Marion (Iowa), Daniel Dennis (Iowa), Hudson Taylor (Maryland) and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion) are scheduled to compete.
 
NEARING 100
Northwestern senior Jason Welch is close to reaching a significant milestone. The two-time All-American enters Midlands with 93 career wins, seven away from career victory No. 100. Welch is undefeated on the 2012-13 season, bringing an 11-0 record into Midlands.
 
LAST YEAR AT MIDLANDSÂ…
Northwestern had its best finish in the 49-year history of Midlands at last yearÂ’s tournament, finishing second. Two Wildcats earned Midlands titles as Jason Welch won the 157 lbs. weight class and Lee Munster captured the 174 lbs. crown. Northwestern was the only team to crown two champions during the 2011 tournament. In total, five Wildcats placed, including Levi Mele (fourth, 125), Mike McMullan (fourth, heavyweight) and John Schoen (eighth, 197), helping NU score 105.5 team points. Iowa won the 43-team tournament.

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