LEBANON, Ill. – Dec. 13) – The McKendree University men's wrestling prepares to defend their title at the 41^st Annual Midwest Classic this weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. The two-day event is the largest NCAA Division II wrestling event in the nation. University of Indianapolis is hosting the event Saturday, Dec. 14-15, in Nicoson Hall.

Last season, the Bearcats left the 40^th Annual Midwest Classis with the title, scored 127.5 team points and had six finish in the top-7 of their weight classes. Below are the individual results for those returnees:

Marcus Povlick (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) placed seventh in the 125-lb bracket.

Charles McNeal (Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers Catholic) placed sixth in the 133-lb bracket.

Nate Smalling (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) placed third in the 157-lb bracket.

Nick Foster (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) placed first in the 165-lb bracket.

Daniel Filipek (Warrenton, MO/Warrenton) placed fourth in the 174-lb bracket.

Ryan Vasbinder (Grand Rapids, MI/Grandville) competed but did not place in the 197-lb bracket.

Most recently, the Bearcats competed at the 48^th Annual Jim Koch Wisconsin Open and placed six in the top-10 of their weight classes. McNeal, Cory Peterson (Valmeyer, IL/De Smet) and Caleb Gossett (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell Central) led their team with top-3 finished in their respective weight classes.

The 41^st Annual Midwest Classic will begin at 10:00 A.M. (ET) on Saturday and 1:00 P.M. (ET) on Sunday. Live stats and streaming can be found here.