Takedown Report

Rutgers takes team title at 61st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships behind champions Cartagena-Walsh, Catka

Dec 30, 2025, 7:26 PM EST

by Brian Reinhardt
Rutgers wins the 2025 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.
EVANSTON, Ill. – Kicking off the holiday tournament season, the 61st annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships proved to be an exciting event as it returned to Northwestern’s campus after being held in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for the past several seasons.
More true freshmen made headlines, this time for Virginia Tech, as Aaron Seidel (133) and Collin Gaj (149) both won titles. Also in their class, Elijah Cortez took the title at 141 pounds. He is a grayshirt who will suit up for Cornell next year.
The Big 10 was dominant in the upper weights. Ohio State and Rutgers both brought home a pair of titles. Scarlett Knight Shane Cartagena-Walsh was awarded a medical forfeit in the final at 184 pounds, while teammate Hunter Catka used a dominant third period to score a major decision at heavyweight. For the Buckeyes, it was backups e’Than Birden (165) and Seth Shumate (197) winning top honors. Pitt’s Dylan Evans earned a championship at 157 pounds. The Panthers also had runners-up at both 125 pounds and 141 pounds.  The final two champions were Blake West of Northern Illinois at 125 pounds and Myles Takats of Bucknell at 174 pounds.
Rutgers bagged its first Midlands team title in program history by a half point over Pittsburgh, 93-92.5, … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/30/rutgers-takes-team-title-at-61st-ken-kraft-midlands-championships-behind-champions-cartagena-walsh-catka

December 31, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized