WHAT:  Ken Kraft Midlands Championship
WHEN:  Dec. 29-30
WHERE:  Northwestern University
LIVE VIDEO:  BTN+
LIVE STATS: TrackWrestling
FOLLOW ON TWITTER:  @GMUwrestling

VIEW FULL BRACKETS ON TRACKWRESTLING

Fairfax, Va.— George Mason wrestling travels to Illinois to participate in the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 at the NOW Arena in suburban Hoffman Estates, Ill.

After a two-year hiatus, the 58th Midlands Championships returns and will feature many of the top wrestlers in the country. This event will be streamed live on BTN+.
  
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 (5 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

MASON MAT FACTS

• Mason is 8-0 to start the season, its best start since the 1994-95 season. 
• Freshman Markel Baker (125) earned a technical fall against Presbyterian. Baker leads the team in tech falls with three. Baker is 14-6 in his inaugural season. The freshman is ranked sixth in the MAC.
• At 174 pounds, Mason's Logan Messer is ranked fifth in MAC rankings. As a freshman, he finished fourth in the 2022 MAC tournament. He had an impressive rookie campaign, finishing with a 27-9 record. He is 17-3 this season.
• Sophomore Jon List is 15-6 and ranked 7th in the MAC at 197 pounds.
• Malachi Duvall earned his fourth fall on the season against AU's Colin Shannon. He is the highest-ranked freshman in the 184 pound class (8th).
• Grad student Peter Pappas and sophomore Logan Messer were crowned champions at the ARMS Software Patriots Open on Dec. 4. Mason claimed 13 overall place-winners in the annual tournament.
• Pappas is ranked 5th in the MAC. He has won seven straight matches and is 13-1 at 157 pounds.
• Most technical falls – Markel Baker (3); Logan Messer, & Malachi DuVall each have two.
• The Patriots opened the 2022-23 season with six place-winners at the Princeton Open. Malachi Duvall (184 pounds) earned a third-place finish, the highest finish by a Patriot. Tyler Kocak finished fourth. Sophomores Michael Rapuano and Logan Messer earned a fifth place finishes. Freshman Markel Baker and sophomore Jonathan List each finished sixth.

UP NEXT
The George Mason wrestling team will compete against ACC programs Virginia and Virginia Tech, Jan. 7-8. The Patriots will travel to Richmond to take on the Cavaliers and will host Virginia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 8 inside the RAC.