CMU will be one of 32 teams in the tournament. Fourteen teams are ranked in this week's InterMat top 25.
"It's going to be really good competition," said CMU head coach Tom Borrelli. "It will be similar to the Cliff Keen Invitational, where we had nine of the top 15 teams in the country. This is the same type of event and will be a great challenge for our guys."
Midlands will mark the Chippewas' first competition since a 23-9 dual loss at No. 12 Lehigh on Dec. 12. Borrelli said the 17-day layoff has given the Chippewas an opportunity to improve conditioning and continue to refine technique.
"We haven't competed the way we would have liked this semester and haven't had the results we would have liked to have," Borrelli said. "We don't feel like we're competing at the level we want to compete at, so this tournament will give us a chance to right some things and redeem ourselves a little bit."
Chippewas Open New Practice Facility: CMU held its first practice this week in its new practice facility at the CMU Events Center. Built as part of the Events Center construction project, the new practice room has space for three full mats and fitness equipment. The practice room is just steps away from the competition floor in McGuirk Arena.
"During dual meets our guys will be able to warm up in the wrestling room and then run from the wrestling room, where they’re comfortable, right into the arena to wrestle a match," Borrelli said. "That is a perfect situation that not many other programs in the country have."
Follow Midlands Online: Brackets and team standings will be updated throughout the tournament at Northwestern's official Midlands page at nusports.com.
Midlands Pre-Seeds Announced: Three Chippewas are included in the Midlands Championships pre-seeds: Scotti Sentes (No. 6, 133 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 3, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (No. 7, heavyweight). Official seeds for the tournament will be announced next week.
Reviewing the 2009 Midlands: Jarod Trice won the heavyweight title to lead CMU to a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships. Trice was CMU's first Midlands champion since Wynn Michalak in 2005. Ben Bennett was runner-up at 174 pounds, and six other Chippewas placed in the top eight of their weight class.
The Chippewas' third-place finish was their fifth top-four finish in six seasons. CMU finished with 118 team points, the most it has ever scored at Midlands.
In the Rankings: CMU is ranked No. 17 in this week's NWCA/USA Today coaches' poll and No. 25 in this week's InterMat rankings. Four Chippewas are ranked in the top 20 nationally in their weight class by InterMat: Scotti Sentes (No. 10, 133 pounds), Mike Miller (No. 19, 165 pounds), Ben Bennett (No. 5, 174 pounds) and Jarod Trice (No. 8, heavyweight).
Trice Travels the World: Junior heavyweight Jarod Trice has competed in a pair of events outside of CMU's schedule this season. In October, Trice placed eighth in Greco-Roman at the University World Championships in Italy. He was the highest placing American in Greco-Roman at the event. In November, Trice represented CMU at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. American's Ryan Flores scored a third-period takedown to defeat Trice, 3-1.
CMU Adds Four During Early Signing Period: Four high school student-athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Chippewas for the 2011-12 season, including three of the top-60 ranked recruits in the country. Ty Davis (141 pounds), Zach Horan (133), Joey Kielbasa (157) and Devin Pommerenke (285) committed to CMU during the early signing period. Horan (No. 16), Kielbasa (No. 59) and Pommerenke (No. 42) are ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by InterMat. The group was ranked as the No. 13 recruiting class in the country by W.I.N. Magazine.
Coming Up: The Chippewas open Mid-American Conference competition on Thursday, Jan. 6 when they visit Northern Illinois.
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