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
No. 17 Wrestling Claims Team Title at Midlands Championships
EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite not sending a full roster, No. 17 Rutgers wrestling claimed its first Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Team Title in school history on Tuesday in Evanston, Illinois.
Behind individual titles from No. 15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 25 Hunter Catka (HWT), along with runner-up results from No. 18 Remy Cotton (197) and No. 32 Andrew Barbosa (165), the Scarlet Knights finished with 93 team points, ahead of No. 14 Pittsburgh (92.5) and Bucknell (83).
With it being an unofficial date on its competition calendar, RU was only able to send six student-athletes to compete attached at the championships. With two attached entrants at both 165 and 197 pounds, only four of those scores counted towards the team title. “Winning a team title at this historic tournament is a pretty cool achievement,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “I’m happy for these guys that they were able to come here, compete and get it done. It’s pretty exciting to have nine out of our 10 guys place. We wrestled a lot of matches and have a lot of work to do, but we’ll build off this team title heading into our Big Ten dual schedule.”
It marks the first Midlands team title in school history after the program finished second last season and in 2017. Along with a fourth-place result from Ryan Ford (165) and an eighth-place finish from PJ Casale (197), all six entrants placed for Rutgers. … more at … https://scarletknights.com/news/2025/12/30/no-17-wrestling-claims-team-title-at-midlands-championships
DI Live Streaming Guide (12/29 – 1/4/2026)
It’s the week after Christmas and before New Year’s which means its tournament time with the Midlands, Soldier Salute, and Southern Scuffle. A few duals have been mixed in, as well. A total of 11 duals will be contested.
Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).
Since this article is a couple of days earlier than normal, I’m still looking for links for a couple of events. They will be added once available.
All times eastern
Monday, December 29:
Bucknell, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Illinois, Indiana, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford at Ken Kraft Midlands, hosted by Northwestern 10:30 AM
Session I B1G+ (Links for 10 mats)
Session II B1G+ (Links for 10 mats)
Tuesday, December 30:
Bucknell, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Illinois, Indiana, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford at Ken Kraft Midlands, hosted by Northwestern 11:30 AM
Session I B1G+ (Links for 10 mats)
Session II B1G+ (Links for 4 mats)
Northern Colorado at California Baptist 5:00 PM FloWrestling
Friday, January 2:
Purdue at Drexel 1:00 PM FloWrestling
Bloomsburg at Ohio 7:00 PM ESPN+ … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-1229-142026-r100723/
Pinecrest boys, South Brunswick girls win team titles at 54th annual WRAL wrestling invitational
Cape Fear’s Mac Johnson and Cleveland’s Abigail Brewer earned most outstanding wrestler honors for the boys and girls tournaments
KNIGHTDALE, N.C. – A thrilling championship Saturday at the 54th annual WRAL series of wrestling invitational, presented by HighSchoolOT, saw the 910 area code rise to the top. Pinecrest held off Corinth Holders for the boys team title while South Brunswick finished ahead of Cleveland to claim the girls’ team crown.
Cape Fear junior Mac Johnson was named the most outstanding boys wrestler at the invitational. Cleveland’s Abigail Brewer took home plenty of hardware with the girls’ most outstanding wrestler award and the plaque for most falls/least time. On the boys’ side, Metrolina Christian had a strong showing. Gavin Ulrich earned honors for the most falls/least time. Team sportsmanship trophies were presented to the Washington boys and Pinecrest girls. … more at … https://www.highschoolot.com/story/pinecrest-boys-south-brunswick-girls-win-team-titles-at-54th-annual-wral-wrestling-invitational/22289364/
Top-ranked Nittany Lions set new Division I win streak record; Second-ranked Buckeyes handle third-ranked Cyclones in Nashville
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A major college record that stood since the early 1950s fell over the weekend as top-ranked Penn State improved to 6-0 and won the program’s 77th dual meet in a row at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.
Penn State (6-0) shutout North Dakota State and then-No. 23 Stanford and remained atop the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions are now tied with Division II St. Cloud State for the longest win streak in NCAA wrestling history. The Nittany Lions can take hold of the NCAA mark on January 10 at Rec Hall when they host Rutgers.
No. 2 Ohio State continued its perfect start, moving to 10-0 with wins over Little Rock, 34-9, and Iowa State, 21-13 also at the Collegiate Duals.
Iowa State split its weekend, defeating then-No. 20 Lehigh 26-11.
Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State added another ranked win with a 22-12 victory over No. 6 Nebraska in Lincoln. The dual drew 7,094 fans, setting a new home attendance record for the Huskers. Nebraska picked up a ranked win on Friday, defeating then-No. 16 North Carolina 27-9. North Carolina would pick up a solid win on the road in Cedar Falls, beating then No. 12 Northern Iowa 19-13. The Tar Heels (7-1) jumped to No. 13 this week, the highest the program has been ranked since it checked in at No. 7 in the final poll of the 2019-20 season.
No. 8 South Dakota State moved to 3-0 with a 45-3 win over Campbell. No. 9 NC State went 3-0 on the week, defeating The Citadel, George Mason and Buffalo.
Back in Nashville, No. 10 Illinois earned two ranked wins, edging then-No. 18 Cornell 21-18 and defeating Lehigh 24-12. Other ranked teams in action saw No.14 Pittsburgh earn a 23-12 win over Edinboro. Oklahoma posted two wins, defeating SIU Edwardsville 23-13 and Duke 40-6.
Cornell split its weekend, picking up a win over Little Rock. Wisconsin (8-0) remained unbeaten with three wins, defeating Lock Haven, Utah Valley and Arizona State.
Stanford earned a win over North Dakota State, while Oregon State … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2025/12/23/national-wrestling-coaches-association-top-ranked-nittany-lions-set-new-division-i-win-streak-record-second-ranked-buckeyes-handle-third-ranked-cyclones-in-nashville.aspx
Taylor Smith and Hunter Moore earn ODAC Wrestler of the Week honors
FOREST, Va. – The Roanoke College wrestling team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Athlete of the Week awards for the week of December 22. Taylor Smith earned Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week accolades while Hunter Moore took home Heavier Weight Wrestler of the Week honors.
Smith, a junior from Mifflintown, Pa., went 4-1 on the way to a second-place finish at 149 pounds at the 92nd Wilkes Open Championship Friday. Smith opened with a win by technical fall (18-3 – 2:26) over Brady Quinn from Misericordia University. He then earned a 12-9 decision over Sean O’Donnell, who was competing unattached out of Duke University. In the quarterfinals, Smith registered a win by technical fall (21-5 – 6:54) over Adonis Iparraguirre from Marymount University, who is the fourth-ranked competitor in Region 3. In the semifinals, he registered a 4-1 decision by sudden victory over teammate Jackson Rowling. In the final, Smith dropped a 6-0 decision to Easton Broxterman from the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School. Smith is currently ranked fifth in Division III and first in Region 4 at 149 pounds. Moore, a junior from Boulder City, Nev., posted a 5-0 week at 197 pounds overall that included a win in an ODAC dual with Randolph College and the weight class title at the 92nd Wilkes Open Championship. He opened his week with a tech fall (21-6 – 4:31) over Gabriel Wade in the Maroons 57-0 dual win over Randolph. Moore then went 4-0 to claim the 197-pound crown at Wilkes. … more at … https://roanokemaroons.com/news/2025/12/22/wrestling-taylor-smith-and-hunter-moore-earn-odac-wrestler-of-the-week-honors.aspx
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 8 Roundup: 2nd Semester-ers
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
Merry Christmas from the Caption Hotel in Nashville, where I am currently filling the lobby with the pitter-patter of little fingertips as I type out the latest roundup of noteworthy happenings from the 8th week of the 2025-26 NCAA D1 college wrestling season!
Week 7 Rankings | Week 8 Box Scores
Roundups: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
I’m going to be totally real with everyone: It’s already 9:00pm on Sunday night, and I’m just now starting the Roundup. As such, it’s going to be a very truncated edition, due in part (although this is not an excuse!) to me leaving for Nashville on Friday and then being enmeshed with the Journeymen Collegiate Duals almost exclusively since then.
So consider it your Christmas gift to me to not give me a hard time this week for leaving out some noteworthy happening that you, the wise and learned fan, thought should have been included. I’m sure I will agree with you that the omission was regrettable!
I will make it up to you next Monday, when there will be literally no NCAA D1 wrestling to round up, with something special, the likes of which I will determine in the interim.
With that housekeeping out of the way, let us turn our attention to…
The Dual of the Century of the Week
Cowboys Spoil the Huskers Record-Setting Crowd
Nebraska hosted North Carolina on Friday and were victorious to the tune of 27 to 9. Sunday, however, was a different story, as most of the 7,094 fans in the Devaney Center left disappointed due to Oklahoma State placing the proverbial lump coal in the stocking by beating the home team 22-12. Still, that crowd, plus having a raised stage, and a national audience on the Big Ten Network, in addition to all the star power on the mat, is enough to earn the DotCotW this week.
#2 Sergio Vega pinning #3 Brock Hardy in the first period set the Cowpokes up for the dub. Antrell Taylor, Chris Minto and Silas Allred all got top ten wins for Nebraska, but it would not enough, especially with Nebraska being without the services of AJ Ferrari. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/15042666-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-8-roundup-2nd-semester-ers
NCAA DI Rankings Updated (12/23/2025)
After a record-setting Journeymen Collegiate Duals for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have once against put some distance between themselves and #2 Ohio State. Much of the online chatter around the team rankings focused on the fact that we were conservative regarding true freshman Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke. That was true; however, the main reason Penn State came back to the pack was because top-ranked Josh Barr missed the first month and a half of the season. Barr is back and takes his spot atop the 197 lb weight class. Blaze and Duke also get their first wins over returning All-Americans and have climbed into the top-five at their respective weights. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/ncaa-di-rankings-updated-12232025-r100717/
Men’s College Notebook: Penn State Snaps Dual-Meet Record, Ohio State and Oklahoma State notch top-10 wins
Penn State Breaks 74-Year-Old Record
Not only did Penn State set a new DI team record, but they also did it in style. With a pair of wins at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals, the Nittany Lions won their 76th and 77th consecutive duals, breaking the record set by Oklahoma State in 1951.
In Nashville, Penn State shut out both North Dakota State (46-0) and then #23 Stanford (42-0). The last Penn State dual loss was January 31, 2020, at Iowa (19-17).
Nittany Lion Freshmen Shine
There was a lot of discourse this week on social media about ranking true freshmen—predictions versus season results. One thing is for sure, a pair of freshmen in the Penn State starting lineup will be national title threats come March.
Both Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke earned top-10 wins in the Stanford dual. At 133 pounds, Blaze earned a fall over 2025 All-American #6 Tyler Knox (he was up 12-2 at the time). At 157 pounds, Duke downed 2024 All-American Daniel Cardenas, 5-2.
Blaze (10-0) and Duke (9-0) are both undefeated through the first couple of months in their collegiate careers.
Barr’s Season Debut
Returning NCAA finalist Josh Barr made his season debut for Penn State at 197 pounds. He was a perfect 2-0 on the day, as both of his matches ended in the second period via technical fall. His first bout was a 19-3 tech over North Dakota State’s Devin Wasley. In his second bout of the day, Barr scored a dominant, 19-3, tech fall over #20 Angelo Posada of Stanford. In the bout, Barr reeled in five takedowns and a turn before ending the match early in the second period.
Ohio State Reigns Supreme
For the fifth time this season, Ohio State racked up a top-10 win. Even more impressive, the Buckeyes 21-13 win over #3 Iowa State was their third top-5 victory in the first two months of the season. Ohio State once again dominated in the first half of the dual, winning four of the first five bouts to take a 15-3 lead midway through the dual after … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/22/men-s-college-notebook-penn-state-snaps-dual-meet-record-ohio-state-and-oklahoma-state-notch-top-10-wins
#9 Wolfpack Closes Out 2025 with Three More Victories
RALEIGH – Ninth-ranked NC State wrestling improves to 8-3 after tallying wins over The Citadel, George Mason, and Buffalo at home on Sunday afternoon to close out the 2025 portion of the season.
As the final part of its competition for 2025, NC State hosted a quad-meet on Sunday in Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack picked up wins over all three teams with a score of 29-12 over The Citadel, 34-14 over George Mason, and 42-3 over Buffalo.
16 members of the Pack saw action across the three duals, with the highlight being the addition of Patrick Brophy at 197 lbs. Making his debut in the red and white, he went 3-0 on the day, which included competition against his former team, The Citadel.
Heavyweight Isaac Trumble commanded the day with the most dominant bonus point wins that came via two first-period falls and one technical fall. Brophy, Trumble, Zach Redding, and Will Denny were the four wrestlers who went 3-0 on the day.
Denny, the freshman, had yet another exciting weekend after picking up another ranked win, over Citadel’s #30 Thomas Snipes, and then a first-period fall over Brady Unger of Buffalo. At 141 lbs, Ryan Jack got back on track in his two bouts by landing a technical fall against The Citadel and then a fall in the first period against George Mason. A trio of redshirt-freshmen stepped into the lineup … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2025/12/21/wrestling-9-wolfpack-closes-out-2025-with-three-more-victories
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 