INSIDE WRESTLING
BY RYAN EVANS
@Badger_Wrestle
SCHEDULE (5-2, 2-0)
This Week
Saturday Midlands Championships
Sunday Midlands Championships
at Welsh-Ryan Arena; Evanston, Ill.
Badgers out to prove
themselves at Midlands
Five wrestlers named top contenders
A
fter two weeks off, No.
23 Wisconsin returns
to action this weekend at
the 50th-annual Ken Kraft
Midlands Championships in
Evanston, Ill.
Each year the Midlands
Championships
attracts
some of the best wrestling
talent in the country and this
year is no different, with 32
48 �� VARSITY
D EC E M B E R 27, 2012
Division I teams set to compete at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Of those squads, 14 placed in
the top 25 at the 2012 NCAA
Championships, and 15 are
currently ranked in the top
25 of the latest USA Today/
NWCA Coaches Poll.
Badgers head coach Barry
Davis said that facing some
of the nation���s best teams
will be both a good learning and
growing experience for his team and
could help some of the Badgers vault
themselves into the individual rankings.
���It���s going to be like a mini national
tournament,��� Davis said. ���There are
going to be a lot of top-seeded guys
there.���
Davis added that the experience
will serve the Badgers well when they
continue Big Ten competition later
this month. Wisconsin will wrestle
against six fellow Big Ten teams at
Midlands (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and
Purdue), of which five are ranked.
���It will be great experience for our
guys, especially seeing that level of
competition as we head into the rest
of Big Ten season,��� Davis said. ���It���s
going to benefit everybody.���
The Midlands Tournament Committee named five Badgers among
the ���top contenders��� at their respective weight classes for the tournament, including two in the top 10.
Tyler Graff is No. 7 at 141 lbs., and
Connor Medbery is No. 6 at heavyweight.
Tom Kelliher (133 lbs.), Cole
Schmitt (149 lbs.) and Jackson Hein
(197 lbs.) were also listed among the
top contenders.
