Chambana Sun

The Illinois wrestling team concluded the 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, finishing fifth with a total of 82 points. Redshirt junior Edmond Ruth secured his second consecutive title in the 174-pound category.

Ruth, the top seed in his bracket, achieved five straight victories to reach the finals. He scored three major decisions and two decisions, outscoring opponents 52-16 throughout the tournament. In the final match, Ruth defeated Harvard's Philip Conigliaro with a major decision score of 13-4.

Other notable performances from Illinois wrestlers included redshirt junior Luke Luffman, who placed second at 285 pounds. Luffman advanced to the finals by winning matches through various methods including decision, major decision, technical fall, and fall. However, he was narrowly defeated by NC State's Issac Trumble in a 2-1 decision.

True freshman Kannon Webster earned third place at 149 pounds after winning two matches via major decision and defeating Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan for the bronze medal with a score of 6-2.

Redshirt sophomore Danny Pucino finished fourth at 141 pounds. After winning initial consolation matches against Big Ten opponents and receiving a medical forfeit, Pucino faced Tom Crook again but lost by an 8-4 decision.

True freshman Chris Moore placed sixth at 165 pounds after advancing through five consecutive wins in the consolation bracket before being defeated by Northwestern's Maxx Mayfield and Michigan State's Caleb Fish.

The Illinois wrestling team will return to action on Friday, January 12th for their Big Ten dual season opener against Ohio State in Columbus.