HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL -- RIT senior wrestler Josh Harkless placed seventh in the 285 lb. division at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Monday and Tuesday. Harkless, ranked No. 3 in Division III, was one of five ranked wrestlers in his division and the lone non-Division I wrestler in the 285 lb. weight class.

Harkless opened with an 11-4 decision over Peter Marinopoulos (Illinois) in his opening bout. He defeated Simon Lato (Central Michigan), 5-2 in his next match before a 7-3 loss to Hunter Catka (Rutgers) in the quarterfinals. Harkless rebounded with an 8-2 win over Aidan Fockler (Central Michigan) in the consolation round, but lost 4-1 to Bryan Caves (Central Michigan). Harkless defeated Rocco Dellagatta (SPartan Combat RTC), 4-2 in the seventh-place match.

Harkless is the first RIT wrestler to place at the Midlands Championships.

RIT returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 3) against Oswego and Nassau Community College.