HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — On the eve of the 55th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, 38 teams from across the country are preparing for some of the most highly-anticipated matches so far this season.
For some athletes, Midlands is the first true test of the season. For others, it is just one of the many hurdles on the road to the NCAA Championship. However, for redshirt senior Jason Tsirtsis, Midlands serves as more of a homecoming.
The Crown Point, Indiana native returns to his home turf to compete at Midlands for the sixth time in his collegiate career. In 2016, Tsirtsis traded in his Northwestern purple and black to don the maroon and gold for the Sun Devils and will represent ASU for the second time at Midlands.
"I've definitely wrestled here a lot. I feel like I have the structure of the tournament down to where I feel confident and comfortable being here. But just like any other tournament, you have to go out and perform every single match, so those things don't really matter if you're not ready to compete," Tsirtsis said.
Tsirtsis is a five-time place winner at Midlands, and will look to become the 32nd athlete in the history of the tournament to place six times. He could also become the first-ever athlete to place six times at Midlands while still an NCAA-eligible, attached competitor.
During his redshirt freshman season at Northwestern, Tsirtsis claimed an eighth-place finish. The following year, he worked his way up to a fifth-place finish, before claiming a title and a second-place finish in the following years for Northwestern. Last year as a Sun Devil, he claimed another fifth-place finish.
Tsirtsis went 5-0 at the Reno Tournament of Champions to claim the title at 149 lbs. on December 17. He'll look to harvest that momentum moving into this weekend of competition.
"I think it gives me some confidence, personally. It's been a couple years since I've won a tournament, so having that under my belt coming into a big tournament like this gives me some added confidence," Tsirtsis said.
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Nine Sun Devils are ranked in Midlands seeding with three (Anthony Valencia at 165, Zahid Valencia at 174, and Tanner Hall at HWT) ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.
Ryan Millhof (No. 4/125), Ali Naser (No. 8/133), Tsirtsis (No. 5/149), Josh Maruca (No. 7/149), Josh Shields (No. 2/157), and Kordell Norfleet (No. 11/184) are also seeded in the top of their weight classes.
For a fee, Midlands can be viewed on FloWrestling HERE with live stats on Trackwrestling.com.
Full brackets can also be viewed HERE.
Sun Devils at Midlands:
Ryan Millhof (No. 4/125)
Josh Kramer (NR/125)
Ali Naser (No. 8/133)
Nikko Villarreal (NR/141)
Cory Crooks (NR/141)
Jason Tsirtsis (No. 5/149)
Josh Maruca (No. 7/149)
Oliver Pierce (NR/157)
Josh Shields (No. 2/157)
Anthony Valencia (No. 1/165)
Zahid Valencia (No. 1/174)
Kordell Norfleet (No. 11/184)
Cade Belshay (NR/197)
Tanner Hall (No. 1/HWT)
For some athletes, Midlands is the first true test of the season. For others, it is just one of the many hurdles on the road to the NCAA Championship. However, for redshirt senior Jason Tsirtsis, Midlands serves as more of a homecoming.
The Crown Point, Indiana native returns to his home turf to compete at Midlands for the sixth time in his collegiate career. In 2016, Tsirtsis traded in his Northwestern purple and black to don the maroon and gold for the Sun Devils and will represent ASU for the second time at Midlands.
"I've definitely wrestled here a lot. I feel like I have the structure of the tournament down to where I feel confident and comfortable being here. But just like any other tournament, you have to go out and perform every single match, so those things don't really matter if you're not ready to compete," Tsirtsis said.
Tsirtsis is a five-time place winner at Midlands, and will look to become the 32nd athlete in the history of the tournament to place six times. He could also become the first-ever athlete to place six times at Midlands while still an NCAA-eligible, attached competitor.
During his redshirt freshman season at Northwestern, Tsirtsis claimed an eighth-place finish. The following year, he worked his way up to a fifth-place finish, before claiming a title and a second-place finish in the following years for Northwestern. Last year as a Sun Devil, he claimed another fifth-place finish.
Tsirtsis went 5-0 at the Reno Tournament of Champions to claim the title at 149 lbs. on December 17. He'll look to harvest that momentum moving into this weekend of competition.
"I think it gives me some confidence, personally. It's been a couple years since I've won a tournament, so having that under my belt coming into a big tournament like this gives me some added confidence," Tsirtsis said.
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Nine Sun Devils are ranked in Midlands seeding with three (Anthony Valencia at 165, Zahid Valencia at 174, and Tanner Hall at HWT) ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.
Ryan Millhof (No. 4/125), Ali Naser (No. 8/133), Tsirtsis (No. 5/149), Josh Maruca (No. 7/149), Josh Shields (No. 2/157), and Kordell Norfleet (No. 11/184) are also seeded in the top of their weight classes.
For a fee, Midlands can be viewed on FloWrestling HERE with live stats on Trackwrestling.com.
Full brackets can also be viewed HERE.
Sun Devils at Midlands:
Ryan Millhof (No. 4/125)
Josh Kramer (NR/125)
Ali Naser (No. 8/133)
Nikko Villarreal (NR/141)
Cory Crooks (NR/141)
Jason Tsirtsis (No. 5/149)
Josh Maruca (No. 7/149)
Oliver Pierce (NR/157)
Josh Shields (No. 2/157)
Anthony Valencia (No. 1/165)
Zahid Valencia (No. 1/174)
Kordell Norfleet (No. 11/184)
Cade Belshay (NR/197)
Tanner Hall (No. 1/HWT)