Wrestling | December 30

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.—Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) captured a second-place finish at 125 pounds as the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling team concluded action at the 60th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.
 
West defeated No. 17 Max Gallagher of Penn in a 6-3 decision in the semifinals to reach the championship bout. West, who is ranked No. 26 in Intermat, faced off against No. 18 Dean Peterson of Rutgers in the championship, falling 8-7 to take runner-up honors.
 
As a team, the Huskies finished with 43.5 points and a ninth-place finish.
 
"The guys competed hard and I'm proud of our efforts," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "We can shore some things up technically and strategically to make gains as we move into dual meet season. Blake wrestled a fine tournament and continues to build as (the) season progresses."
 
The Huskies return to action on January 12, 2025 as they are set to host Big Ten foe Purdue to the NIU Convocation Center. Action is set to get underway at 2 p.m.