Huskies Set to Make Their Mark at the 60th Ken Kraft Midlands Wrestling Championship!

Wrestling | December 28

DeKALB, Ill.—After an eight-day hiatus, the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling team (2-1, 2-0 MAC) is prepared to participate in the 60th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern. The event is scheduled for December 29-30 at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.   
 
Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) secured sixth place at the 2023 competition, being the only Huskie to place.
 
The initial round of the competition will kick off at 9:30 a.m. CT with 10 mats in play. Spectators can follow the action by tracking TrackWrestling or via BigTen+ (subscription required).
 
Ken Kraft Midlands
 
A total of 37 men’s teams will compete over the two-day tournament, which will also feature a women’s wrestling category. Nine institutions from the Big Ten will participate alongside nine teams from the Mid-American Conference.
 
The first session is set to commence at 9:30 a.m. on December 29, followed by the second session starting at 7 p.m. The third session along with the launch of the women’s division will begin on December 30 at 10:30 a.m. before the final session starts at 3 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place at 6 p.m.
 
For additional details about the Ken Kraft Midlands and a comprehensive list of participating teams, click here.
 
Huskies in the Rankings
 
West and Jacob Brya (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns) have made it into this week’s rankings for the Huskies. West appears in four polls, ranking No. 15 in WrestleStat and No. 26 in Intermat, FloWrestling, and The College Wrestling Report. Brya is listed in three polls, ranking No. 22 in Intermat and The College Wrestling Report, while he is positioned at No. 27 according to WrestleStat.
 
Last Time on the Mat
 
The Huskies last competed on December 19 and 20 when they faced Kent State.
 
They achieved a 23-19 victory over the Golden Flashes on December 19 in a conference dual, with West, Markel Baker (Freeport, Ill./Freeport), Landen Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna), Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice), and Sean Carroll (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas) all securing wins for NIU.  
 
Camren French (Mattoon, Ill./Mariner) excelled for the Huskies at the Kent State Open on December 20, with four Huskies finishing in the top-5. Brody Hallin (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) took fourth place at 157 pounds, while Lucan O’Brien (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edwards) and Tyler Schofield (Olivet, Mich./Olivet) achieved fifth place in the 149 and 165-pound categories, respectively. Securing a sixth-place finish, Ian Smith (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) represented the Huskies at 197.