@PackWrestle Sending 15 to 54th Annual Midlands Championships

@PackWrestle Sending 15 to 54th Annual Midlands Championships

12/28/2016 10:37:00 AM | Wrestling

RALEIGH, N.C. - Fifteen members of the No. 10 NC State wrestling team will be competing at the 54th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships December 29-30, hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.

Sessions I and II are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 29, while Sessions III and IV are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 30.

All sessions of the 2016 Midlands Championships will stream live online via BTN2Go. Big Ten Network will televise the championship finals on Dec. 30 beginning at 8 p.m.

The Midlands Championships annually features the best wrestlers from across the nation. 71 ranked wrestlers will take to the mats at the Midlands. 38 competitors are ranked in the top-10 at their respective weight classes.

Last year at the Midlands Championships, for the first time in program history, a member of the NC State wrestling team captured a first place finish - and the Wolfpack did so twice tonight. Tommy Gantt (157 pounds) and Nick Gwiazdowski (285) each won NC State's first titles at the Midlands Championships.

In addition to Gantt and Gwiazdowski's wins, NC State also had two other grapplers on the final podium as Kevin Jack was third at 141 pounds, and Pete Renda was fifth at 184. In the team standings, NC State placed fourth with 95.5 points.

The Midlands Championships will be the Pack's first competition since a 25-13 road win at Old Dominion on Dec. 20. The Pack won the first three matches to jump out to a 14-0 lead, and 18-3 at the midway point. On the night, NC State won six of the 10 bouts, with four wins being for bonus points.

NC State's Midlands Championships Participants:
133: #19 R-So. Sean Fausz - 14-2
133: R-So. Jamal Morris - 7-2
141: #5 Jr. Kevin Jack - 15-1
149: #17 R-Sr. Sam Speno - 11-3
149: R-Jr. Beau Donahue - 10-5
157: Fr. Thomas Bullard - 8-3
157: Fr. Hayden Hidlay (unattached) - 9-0
165: Fr. Daniel Bullard (unattached) - 5-1
165: R-Jr. Brian Hamann - 9-4
174: Fr. Nick Reenan - 13-3
184: #15 R-Jr. Michael Macchiavello - 10-2
184: Sr. Pete Renda (unattached) - 5-0
197: R-So. Malik McDonald - 9-4
285: Jr. Michael Boykin - 11-4
285: R-Sr. Mike Kosoy - 7-4