Wrestling | December 30

EVANSTON, Ill.— Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) claimed a first-place finish as action concluded for the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program at the 2025 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. The Huskies finished in sixth as a team with 70.5 points and saw three additional Huskies land on the podium.
 
Devon Dawson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Goddard) earned the Elias, John, & Pete George Sportsmanship Award as he claimed runner-up honors at 285 pounds.
 
"We are proud of the way our guys came to compete. We are finding our stride and we need to process all the situations from the weekend and continue to get better," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Blake bringing home a Midlands Championship means a great deal the program, and it couldn't have been earned by a more deserving guy. Devon wrestled really tough, and is among the elite in the country. It was also nice to have (Markel) Baker on the podium of a loaded bracket and Landen back in action with some big wins."
 
Competing at 125 pounds for NIU, West started his day against Christian Castillo of Iowa State, winning in sudden victory 15-8. In the championship match, West battled against Tyler Chappell of Pitt, edging him for a 6-5 decision win.
 
Dawson started his day with a tie-breaker win over Lucas Lawler of Bucknell, winning in a 6-3 decision in the semifinals. In the championship match, Dawson faced Hunter Catka of Rutgers, dropping the match in a major decision.
 
Landen Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) took seventh place at 157 pounds after opening his day with a sudden victory win over Ryan Bennett of Illinois. Johnson dropped a 10-3 decision to Conner Harer of Rutgers before facing Eric Almarinez (SIUE) in the seventh-place match. Johnson pinned Almarinez in 2:38 to take seventh place.
 
Markel Baker (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) finished the tournament in eighth place at 133 pounds. Baker took on Matty Lopes (Unattached-Lehigh) in the first match of the day, winning in an 11-4 decision. Baker dropped a 5-4 decision to Isaiah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC) in his second match as he moved to the seventh-place match. Baker battled against Dylan Shawver of Rutgers, dropping the match in sudden victory to finish in eighth place.
 
 
Charles Curtis (Canton, Ohio/Perry) represented the Huskies at 141 pounds and took on Drew Gorman on Virginia Tech in his lone match on the day. Gorman pinned Curtis in 1:39 as the Ohio native was eliminated from the tournament.
 
Caleb Roe (Arab, Ala./Arab) battled Tyler Bienus at 184 pounds, dropping the match in a 5-1 decision. Collin Arch (Palmyra, Mo./Palmyra) took on fellow-MAC wrestler Eric Almarinez (SIUE), falling in a close 4-3 decision. Sean Carroll (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas) competed against Parker Ferrell of Virginia Tech at heavyweight, dropping the match in an 11-1 major decision.
 
The Huskies return to action on January 9-10 as they travel to the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
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