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58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships slated for December 29-30 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., with men's and women's divisions
by Northwestern Athletics
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Midlands image courtesy of Northwestern Athletics.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (December 19, 2022) – Following a two-year hiatus, the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will return to NOW Arena in suburban Hoffman Estates, Ill. The 58th edition of the most prestigious non-conference wrestling tournament in the nation will take place December 29-30.
For the first time in the renowned event's history, this year's edition of the Midlands Championships will feature a women's division, with participants from nine schools competing during the tournament's Day Two sessions on December 30.
BUY YOUR MIDLANDS TICKETS TODAY
Joining the first-time women's field will be a stacked field of 43 men's programs. Eight Big Ten Conference teams are scheduled to be in action, including event host Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, and Nebraska, all of which placed inside the top six at this past March's NCAA Championships.
This year's tournament will also honor longtime Northwestern wrestling head coach and founder of the Midlands Championships Ken Kraft, who passed away at the age of 85 on October 27, 2020. Kraft was a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his contributions to the Wildcat community and the sport of wrestling.
READ MORE ON THE LEGENDARY KEN KRAFT
A full schedule for both days of the 58th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships can be found below:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29
9:30 a.m. – First Session (10 Mats) – (Championship Rounds 1 & 2, Wrestlebacks)
7:00 p.m. – Second Session (10 Mats) – (Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30
11:00 a.m. – Third Session (8 Mats) – (Semis, consolation, 7th place match, women's division begins)
6:05 p.m. – Fourth Session (4 Mats) – (1st, 3rd, 5th place matches–men's and women's divisions)
Awards ceremony to conclude at 9:00 p.m.
Midlands Hall of Fame Inductions will be prior to the final session
HALL OF FAME
Three inductees will be added to the Midlands Championships Hall of Fame on December 30 before the final session. Honorees include Marjo Kraft, Leo Kocher (University of Chicago wrestling head coach), and longtime tournament administrator Lee Wahlgren.
Full list of participating teams at #Midlands58:
Men's Division:
Air Force Academy
No. 4 Arizona State
Binghamton
Bloomsburg
Brown
Bucknell
Buffalo
California Baptist
Central Michigan
Cleveland State
Edinboro
Franklin & Marshall
George Mason
Harper College
Harvard
Hofstra
Illinois
Indiana
No. 2 Iowa
No. 6 Iowa State
Johnson & Wales
No. 19 Lehigh
No. 5 Michigan
Naval Academy Preparatory School
No. 16 Nebraska
No. 21 North Carolina
North Central College
Northern Illinois
No. 22 Northern Iowa
No. 14 Northwestern
Oklahoma
Omega Training Center
Penn
No. 20 Pittsburgh
Princeton
Rhode Island College
No. 17 Rutgers
No. 18 South Dakota State
SIUE
Thomas Moore
Virginia
Wisconsin
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Women's Division:
NCAA No. 5 Augsburg
Aurora
NAIA No. 17 Brewton Parker College
NAIA No. 2 Grand View
NCAA No. 3 McKendree
NCAA No. 2 North Central College
NCAA No. 7 Presbyterian College
NCAA No. 19 Wisconsin-Stevens Point
High School No. 1 Wyoming Seminary
Midlands image courtesy of Northwestern Athletics.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (December 19, 2022) – Following a two-year hiatus, the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will return to NOW Arena in suburban Hoffman Estates, Ill. The 58th edition of the most prestigious non-conference wrestling tournament in the nation will take place December 29-30.
For the first time in the renowned event's history, this year's edition of the Midlands Championships will feature a women's division, with participants from nine schools competing during the tournament's Day Two sessions on December 30.
BUY YOUR MIDLANDS TICKETS TODAY
Joining the first-time women's field will be a stacked field of 43 men's programs. Eight Big Ten Conference teams are scheduled to be in action, including event host Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, and Nebraska, all of which placed inside the top six at this past March's NCAA Championships.
This year's tournament will also honor longtime Northwestern wrestling head coach and founder of the Midlands Championships Ken Kraft, who passed away at the age of 85 on October 27, 2020. Kraft was a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his contributions to the Wildcat community and the sport of wrestling.
READ MORE ON THE LEGENDARY KEN KRAFT
A full schedule for both days of the 58th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships can be found below:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29
9:30 a.m. – First Session (10 Mats) – (Championship Rounds 1 & 2, Wrestlebacks)
7:00 p.m. – Second Session (10 Mats) – (Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30
11:00 a.m. – Third Session (8 Mats) – (Semis, consolation, 7th place match, women's division begins)
6:05 p.m. – Fourth Session (4 Mats) – (1st, 3rd, 5th place matches–men's and women's divisions)
Awards ceremony to conclude at 9:00 p.m.
Midlands Hall of Fame Inductions will be prior to the final session
HALL OF FAME
Three inductees will be added to the Midlands Championships Hall of Fame on December 30 before the final session. Honorees include Marjo Kraft, Leo Kocher (University of Chicago wrestling head coach), and longtime tournament administrator Lee Wahlgren.
Full list of participating teams at #Midlands58:
Men's Division:
Air Force Academy
No. 4 Arizona State
Binghamton
Bloomsburg
Brown
Bucknell
Buffalo
California Baptist
Central Michigan
Cleveland State
Edinboro
Franklin & Marshall
George Mason
Harper College
Harvard
Hofstra
Illinois
Indiana
No. 2 Iowa
No. 6 Iowa State
Johnson & Wales
No. 19 Lehigh
No. 5 Michigan
Naval Academy Preparatory School
No. 16 Nebraska
No. 21 North Carolina
North Central College
Northern Illinois
No. 22 Northern Iowa
No. 14 Northwestern
Oklahoma
Omega Training Center
Penn
No. 20 Pittsburgh
Princeton
Rhode Island College
No. 17 Rutgers
No. 18 South Dakota State
SIUE
Thomas Moore
Virginia
Wisconsin
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Women's Division:
NCAA No. 5 Augsburg
Aurora
NAIA No. 17 Brewton Parker College
NAIA No. 2 Grand View
NCAA No. 3 McKendree
NCAA No. 2 North Central College
NCAA No. 7 Presbyterian College
NCAA No. 19 Wisconsin-Stevens Point
High School No. 1 Wyoming Seminary