Midlands, Wilkes up next for Tech wrestling squad

BLACKSBURG - Members of the Virginia Tech wrestling team will split up this weekend to particpate in a pair of individual tournaments. Thirteen wrestlers will head to Evanston, Ill., to wrestle in the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University, while 12 are scheduled to take part in the Wilkes Open in Pennsylvania. A couple of wrestlers will sit out while recovering from injury.

The Midlands is one of the oldest and most prestigious individual tournaments in existence and the Hokies placed second there last year. Jarrod Garnett and Nick Brascetta won titles as Tech finished with 97.5 points, two points back of champion Illinois and 12.5 points clear of third-place Oklahoma.

The two-day event will be held inside Welsh-Ryan Arena just outside of Chicago. The first session begins at 10:30 a.m. (Eastern) on Sunday, Dec. 29, followed by the second session at 8:00 p.m. The action continues Monday with the third session, semifinals, consolation matches and seventh place matches at 1 p.m. The Midlands championship finals will air live on Big Ten Network at 9 p.m. (Eastern). Third and fifth-place bouts will also take place during the final session at 9 p.m. You can find more information on the event’s web site, including ticket prices and directions.

The Wilkes Open is a one-day event that takes place on Dec. 28 inside the Marts Center.

Below are the Tech wrestlers scheduled to compete in the two events:

Midlands:
125: Joey Dance (pre-seed 10th)
133: Dennis Gustafson
133: Kevin Norstrem (unattached)
133: Erik Spjut
149: Zach Neibert (pre-seed 4th)
157: Nick Brascetta (unattached; pre-seed 5th)
157: Sal Mastriani
174: John Dickson
174: Zach Epperly (unattached)
197: Chris Penny (pre-seed 5th)
197: David Reck (unattached)
285: Dan Garwood (unattached)
285: Ty Walz (pre-seed 11th)

Wilkes:
125: Tyler Awtry
141: Nick Anderson
141: Jerry Ronnau
149: Cameron Bowen (unattached)
157: Mason Mele (unattached)
165: David Bergida (unattached)
174: Brooks Morrison
197: Jared Haught (unattached)
197: Bobby Lavelle
197: Henry Mauk (unattached)
285: Dawson Peck (unattached)
285: Brandon Taylor