We're closing out 2017 with a bang, bringing you live coverage of the 55th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL, on Dec. 29-30. The event begins at 9:30 AM Central time for your viewing pleasure.

As of this writing, we do not have pre-seeds, just the "top contenders” that have been released on social media. They are listed in order of rank, with their school, grade, and record against Division I competition excluding forfeits. We also include the picks for Nomad and Spey, who will be on sight bringing you all the juice.

We're splitting the weight class previews into threes, so let's kick things off with our lightweights up to 141 pounds. Starting us off is one of the most anticipated matchups in Midlands history.

Middleweight Preview + Predictions | Upperweight Preview + Predictions

125 Pounds

Top Contenders

#2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers), SO: 9-0

#7 Sean Russell (Edinboro), JR: 11-2

#10 Luke Welch (Purdue), SR: 12-2

#13 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State), JR: 7-2

#14 Jake Gromacki (Clarion), JR: 4-2

#16 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), FR: 10-0

#17 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), SO: 6-0

Brock Hudkins (Northern Illinois), SO: 7-3

Connor Brown (South Dakota State), FR: 4-5

Spencer Lee (Iowa-Unattached), FR: 3-0

How will Nick Suriano of @RUWrestling fare in his first-ever Midlands? ?#Midlands55 pic.twitter.com/30OHUm3SJ9

— The Midlands (@MidlandsChamps) December 21, 2017

Commentary: If you asked 100 wrestling fans what potential match they would most like to see this season, Nick Suriano vs. Spencer Lee would be at or near the top of the list. They haven’t wrestled since October 2013, when they met in the Super 32 finals (video below). Since then, Lee has won three age level world titles and Suriano has risen to No. 2 in the country at 125lb, holding a 25-1 career record in college with 18 bonus-point wins.

Simply put, this is a clash of the titans, and that’s before factoring in the tantalizing possibility that Iowa coach Tom Brands pulls Lee off redshirt and throws him into the fire for the second semester. If that happens, the match gets the added value of seeding for the Big Ten championships.

Looking at the rest of the field, Sean Russell can virtually lock himself into position for a top eight seed at NCAAs with a finish in the first through third range. Last year this time, he was at the Southern Scuffle and finished fourth, including a win over Nick Piccininni.

Sebastian Rivera was fourth here last year, the highest-returning placer at the weight, and is undefeated so far this season but has yet to wrestle anyone ranked. Midlands is the beginning of what will be a very challenging second semester for him. Ryan Millhof had a strange CKLV in which he lost to Jay Schwarm in a very controversial match and then didn’t place because he was pinned by Drew Mattin in the next round.

Luke Welch of Purdue had looked great after dropping down from 133, carrying his University Nationals title over the summer into an undefeated start during this regular season. But then he went 2-2 at CKLV, being upset by Christian Moody and Louie Hayes.

Nomad’s Picks: 1) Nick Suriano  2) Spencer Lee  3) Sean Russell  4) Sebastian Rivera

Spey's Picks: 1) Nick Suriano  2) Spencer Lee  3) Sebastian Rivera  4) Ryan Millhof

Kania's Picks: 1) Nick Suriano  2) Spencer Lee  3) Sean Russell  4) Sebastian Rivera

133 Pounds

Top Contenders

#1 Seth Gross (South Dakota St), JR: 5-0

#13 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers), SR: 5-0

#14 Korbin Myers (Edinboro), SO: 8-5

#16 Cam Kelly (Ohio), JR: 13-3

#19 Bryan Lantry (Buffalo), JR: 4-2

#20 Dylan Duncan (Illinois), FR: 3-2

Ali Naser (Arizona State), SR: 9-6

Paul Glynn (Iowa), SO: 0-2

Jason Renteria (Nebraska), FR: 0-0

Ben Thornton (Purdue), JR: 11-4

Last year, Seth Gross placed third at Midlands. What about this year? #Midlands55 pic.twitter.com/q09gHfCC2e

— The Midlands (@MidlandsChamps) December 22, 2017

Commentary: The lack of top 10 guys certainly hurts the star power factor, but that’s never stopped this tournament from being great. Seth Gross could legitimately bonus his way through this field and remind everyone why he is the heavy favorite to become South Dakota State’s first DI national champ in any sport.

DelVecchio was sixth here last year but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to prove himself this season. However, he is a huge part of the team race. We’ve already went over Arizona State’s legitimate shot to outscore Iowa, and we are also looking into if Rutgers may be able to do the same. Him being a realistic shot to make the finals could makes Rutgers a serious threat to win.

Korbin Myers seemed like a head scratcher at CKLV, coming in as the fifth seed despite not being ranked. But he then earned his ranking by knocking off two ACC foes in Zach Sherman of North Carolina and Dennus Gustafson of Virginia Tech and will be looking to prove his ranking while in Illinois.

Seven Awesome Midlands Matches From The Past

Cam Kelly is a great value. It’s never a bad thing to bet high on guys who are very good from top. All of his losses are excusable, and then you see things like 6-5 over Vito Arujau, 17-0 over Gabe Townsell, and 15-7 over Noah Baughman. Don’t be surprised when Kelly puts someone good on his back and improves upon last year’s seventh-place finish.

Bryan Lantry has tumbled from his preseason spot of seventh all the way down to 19th. He and Dylan Duncan are on the outside looking to place, though a good performance at Midlands is a great way to turn around or kick-start a season.

Lastly, we should probably note that Iowa’s 133 slot seems like it will be determined based on finish. Whoever does better between Paul Glynn and Phillip Laux will likely be the Hawkeyes' starter for the remaining duals and Big Ten championships entry.

Nomad’s Picks: 1) Seth Gross  2) Scott DelVecchio  3) Cam Kelly  4) Korbin Myers

Spey's Picks: 1) Seth Gross  2) Dylan Duncan  3) Scott DelVecchio  4) Cam Kelly

Kania's Picks: 1) Seth Gross  2) Scott DelVecchio  3) Cam Kelly  4) Zach Sherman

141 Pounds

Top Contenders

#9 Mason Smith (Central Michigan), SO: 14-3

#11 Kanen Storr (Iowa State), FR: 8-6

#12 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), JR: 11-0

#16 Eli Stickley (Wisconsin), SO: 12-4

#18 Ryan Diehl (Maryland), JR: 4-2

Alexander Jaffe (Harvard), SO: 8-4

Cole Weaver (Indiana), JR: 12-4

Alec Hagan (Ohio), FR: 16-3

Nate Limmex (Purdue), SO: 9-7

Mike Van Brill (Rutgers), FR: 6-3

One thing is for sure. We will have a first-time champion at 141 lbs. this year at #Midlands55. pic.twitter.com/HaHLLQo8MV

— The Midlands (@MidlandsChamps) December 22, 2017

Commentary: Mason Smith was a huge revelation at CKLV and will put up a ton of team points for Central Michigan at Midlands. He came in as the ninth seed and in sequential order on the backside teched Nikko Villareal and Eli Stickley and then pinned Tommy Thorn. Seems unlikely he’ll be 1-2 at this tournament again.

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However, one of Smith's losses at CKLV was to Kanen Storr, who might lead a small contingent of Iowa State wrestlers to Illinois. He's the highest returning placer from last year's tournament and could use some of his stellar short offense to bully his way to a title.

Brock Zacherl has been nothing but consistent for Clarion. He finds himself ranked 12th, right on the cusp of a breakthrough that is about as close as you can get from Nos. 1 through 20. He doesn’t lose a whole lot of matches that he’s not supposed to or lose much at all, as he has fewer than 10 career varsity losses.

There are no returning placers at 141 pounds; however, Eli Stickley of Wisconsin was eighth at 133 and has since bumped up. Ryan Diehl rounds out the list of ranked guys, which means there will be a lot of unranked guys who get seeded.

Among the unranked wrestlers, I like Mike Van Brill to push his way into the top four. The evidence is growing stronger that Anthony Ashnault is done for the season and will be shooting for a sixth year, but I don't think the pressure of filling in for the three-time All-American will affect him much if at all.

Additionally, expect Iowa to hash out its starting spot between redshirt freshman Carter Happel and sophomore Vince Turk.

Nomad's Picks: 1) Kanen Storr  2) Mason Smith  3) Brock Zacherl  4) Eli Stickley

Spey's Picks: 1) Mason Smith  2) Ryan Diehl  3) Brock Zacherl  4) Mike Van Brill

Kania's Picks: 1) Kanen Storr  2) Eli Stickley  3) Mason Smith  4) Brock Zacherl