HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (December 29, 2019)  – Competing against some of the top wrestlers in the country, senior Troy Stanich and junior Brett Kaliner of the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team each won a pair of matches Sunday at the 57th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, presented by the United States Marine Corps and hosted by Northwestern University at the Sears Centre.

The victories earned the program 10.5 points as the Ducks finished the first day of competition 24th out of 37 teams. The two grappling Ducks were special invitees to the field that is almost entirely made up of some of the top Division I programs and wrestlers in the country. Stanich and Kaliner were each listed as a top contender in their respective weight class.

Stanich, Division III's second-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds received the 15th seed in the tournament and drew Harvard's Tucker Ribman in the opening round. The Succasunna, New Jersey native earned his fourth pin of the year, putting Ribman's shoulders on the mat in second period. Stanich scored a takedown just 16 seconds into the match and scored three, two-point near-falls to build an 8-0 lead after the first period.

Stanich advanced to the Round of 16 with a 14-4 major decision over Northern Iowa's Triston Lara. For the second straight match, it was Stanich that scored the early takedown, forcing Lara to the mat just 21 seconds into the opening period. Lara was able to maneuver into a reversal to even the match, before Stanich quickly escaped to head into the second period with a 3-2 lead.

Opting for the bottom to open the second period, Stanich quickly escaped Lara's grasp to take a 4-2 lead, however, the Northern Iowa wrestler evened the score with a takedown. However, Stanich nimbly escaped Lara's grip and followed with a takedown of his own to score the final three points of the period. 

With Lara in neutral to begin the final period, Stanich was able to hold off Lara in the early going before connecting for a takedown in the final minute. The takedown led to a four-point near-fall that secured Stanich's 12th victory of the year. Accumulated riding time led to the final margin of victory.

With a spot in the quarterfinals on the line, Stanich met Wisconsin's Tristan Moran. Moran, Division I's ninth-ranked wrestler at 141, was seeded second in the tournament. A defensive affair, Moran escaped with a 4-3 decision victory over Stanich to send the fourth-year grappler into the consolation bracket. Stanich scored the first points of the match for the third consecutive bout, but Moran scored a takedown with 35 seconds left in the opening period to take a slim one-point advantage. 

The margin would hold through the second period, with each side receiving a stall warning. Moran would score an escape early in the third period to take a 4-2 lead. A second stall by Moran led to an additional point for Stanich to provide the final margin. The setback was the first of Stanich's senior campaign. The victory matched Moran's smallest margin of victory this season and the Wisconsin wrestler's four points was his second-lowest output of the year.

Looking to make a run through the consolation bracket, Stanich met the weight class' 12th seed, Gabriel Tagg from the University of North Carolina. Stanich scored a takedown in the opening seconds of the match for the fourth straight bout, however, Tagg scored an escape and a takedown of his own to accumulate a 3-2 lead after the first period.

Tagg was able to escape Stanich to open the second round, but Stanich was able to tie the match with a takedown in the final seconds of the period. Neither side earned a point in the final period, however, Tagg accumulated enough riding time to earn the point to score a 5-4 decision victory and end Stanich's run.

Although he's Division III's top-ranked wrestler at 149, Kainer was unseeded in the bracket and drew Oklahoma's Nikolas Chavez in the opening round. The West Chester, Pennsylvania native built a 5-0 lead after the first two periods, while earning both a stall and caution warning against Chavez.

Kaliner was able to pull away in a spirited final period, scoring eight takedowns to earn a technical fall. Kaliner was leading 22-7 when the bout was halted with 13 seconds remaining in the final stanza.

Kaliner advanced to take on 14th-seeded Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern, where he built a 6-2 lead on the strength of three takedowns, before earning the fall with 17 seconds left in the opening period. The victory was the 14th of the year for Kaliner, with each victory coming with bonus points.

In the Round of 16, Kaliner suffered his first setback of the year, falling to No. 7 Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa via a 9-2 decision. Thomsen, seeded third in the field, jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a takedown early in the first. Thomsen scored a reversal and a four-point near-fall to take an 8-0 lead into the final stanza. Kaliner was able to get onto the scoreboard with a takedown, but Thomsen earned the riding time point to provide the final margin of victory.

Kaliner drew his second straight nationally-ranked opponent in the consolation bracket, meeting No. 19 Denton Spencer, who was ranked 10th in the field. It was Spencer that scored the early takedown and the University of Virginia wrestler scored an escape early in the second period to claim a 3-0 lead through two periods. 

Kaliner was able to take down Spencer to get on the board in the third, but Spencer quickly escaped to jump back ahead by two. Virginia's 149-pounder earned the riding point time to end Kaliner's day with a 5-2 decision.

Annually one of the prestigious and arguably the toughest in-season tournament in the country, the tournament features 10 the NWCA's top-25 Division I programs. 

Up Next: No. 22 Wrestling returns to the Midwest on Jan. 4 for the D3 National Challenge, hosted by Case Western. The Ducks will have duals with Millikin, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and University of Mount Union. Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com when available.

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