Dec. 29, 2006

Friday Team Standings in PDF Format
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Midlands Brackets in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Northern Illinois wrestlers completed day one at the 44th Midlands Championships on the campus of Northwestern University by scoring 40.5 Friday points to rank sixth in the 56-team field. The Huskie point total is highest among MAC schools, 1.5 above Central Michigan, entering competition on Saturday.

NIU's day was highlighted by a pair of grapplers who reached the semifinals of their weight class.

Seventh-seeded Pat Castillo won three Friday matches to advance to the 125-pound semifinal. Along the way, Castillo defeated Fernando Martinez of Army 16-5, Tyler Mumbulo of Upper Iowa 14-3, and Nate Hansen of Luther 6-4. Castillo next faces third-seeded Angel Escobedo of Indiana.

Mike Grimes, seeded sixth at 149, also was victorious in a trio of bouts to reach the semis of his weight class. After a first-round bye, Grimes' path included wins over Ryan Osgood of Upper Iowa, 14-7, Mark Powell of Purdue, 11-4, and Central Michigan's Tyler Grayson 7-5. Grimes will next face second-seeded Matt Coughlin of Indiana.

For more information on the Midlands, visit the meet's official website at http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/nw-06-midlands-championship.html.