Midlands Recaps and Results

Hawkeyes Crown Three Champions, Win Midlands Title

EVANSTON, IL — The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won its 21st overall and third straight Midlands Championships title with 168.5 points at the 47th annual tournament Wednesday night in Evanston, IL. Iowa State placed second with 144.5, while Central Michigan placed third with 118.0.

Final Team Scores: Midlands Team Standings

Final Brackets: Midlands Brackets

The Hawkeyes went 3-3 in the finals, crowning three champions in redshirt freshman Matt McDonough (#3 seed at 125), and seniors Brent Metcalf (#1 seed at 149) and Jay Borschel (#1 seed at 174). It was Metcalf’s third Midlands title and the first for McDonough and Borschel. Metcalf was named the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament, and took home the Individual High Scorer Award for racking up 32.5 team points. Hawkeye redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133) earned the tournaments Fastest Fall Award, sticking his first opponent in 46 seconds.

McDonough sparked a strong Iowa start with a 9-7 win in sudden victory over #4 seed Andrew Long in the 125-pound title match. Down 5-2 at the end of the first period, McDonough scored an escape and takedown to tie the score at 5-5 in the second period. Long, who accumulated over one minute of riding time in the bout, scored an escape to start the third period to take a 6-5 lead. McDonough scored a takedown near the end of the third period to take a 7-6 lead, but Long’s riding time point sent the match into sudden victory. McDonough scored a takedown in the first sudden victory period for the win. The Hawkeye redshirt freshman remains undefeated at 15-0 this season.

In a rematch of the 2008 Midlands title match, Metcalf won a 9-2 decision over #2 seed Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin. The Hawkeye senior improved to 15-0 on the season, scoring team bonus points in five of his six Midlands matches.
Borschel picked up his 75th career victory with a 6-1 win over #2 seed Ben Bennett of Central Michigan in the finals. The Hawkeye senior scored a takedown and two nearfall points near the end of the first period, an escape early in the second period and accumulated over two minutes of riding time in the match. He is now undefeated at 14-0 this season and is a three-time Midlands placewinner. He placed second in 2007, third in 2008 before winning the 2009 title.
Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Slaton (#4 seed at 141-3rd), Ryan Morningstar (#3 seed at 165-3rd), Phillip Keddy (#3 seed at 184-4th) and Chad Beatty (#5 seed at 197-3rd), sophomore Montell Marion (#9 seed at 141-6th), redshirt freshman Nate Moore (133-6th) and Grant Gambrall (184-6th), and true freshman Derek St. John (157-5th). It is the first time that Beatty, Moore, Gambrall and St. John have placed at Midlands.

Slaton, who is 10-1 while competing unattached this season, recorded a dominating 9-0 major decision over #8 seed Lou Ruggirello, who was also competing unattached. Morningstar scored a takedown near the end of the second sudden victory period to beat #4 seed Nick Marable of Missouri, 4-2. Morningstar, a four-time Midlands placewinner, is now 11-2 on the season. Beatty scored a third-period escape and takedown to score a 6-3 win over #4 seed Trevor Brandvold of Wisconsin, improving to 13-2 this season. St. John, who was competing unattached, recorded a medical forfeit over #3 seed Steve Brown of Central Michigan for fifth place in his first Midlands appearance. The Hawkeye true freshman is 21-4 while wrestling unattached this season. Moore, who was also wrestling at Midlands for the first time, took #1 seed Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State to the tie break period, but lost the bout 2-1.

Iowa’s next competition will be Jan. 9-10 at the 2010 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes (9-0) are the defending Division I team champion, and will be making their 17th appearance at the two-day annual tournament, which features top wrestlers from each collegiate athletic division (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, JUCO and Women’s). The Division I field includes eight of the top 10 ranked teams in the most recent USA Today/NWCA coaches poll. All-session tickets are $45 for adults and $35 for seniors and students. Individual session tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the UNI-Dome box office at 877-216-3663 or 319-273-4849.

FINAL MIDLANDS TOP 10 TEAM STANDINGS
Place Team – Points
1. Iowa – 168.5
2. Iowa State – 144.5
3. Central Michigan – 118.0
4. Missouri – 103.0
5. Wisconsin – 90.5
6. Maryland – 74.5
7. Lehigh – 65.5
8. American – 65.0
Oregon State – 65.0
10. Illinois – 64.0

Courtesy of Iowa Sports Information

Varner Wins, ISU Wrestlers Take Second at Midlands

EVANSTON, Ill. – Iowa State finished second at the Midlands Championships for the third-straight year Wednesday evening in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The second-ranked Cyclone squad, which scored 144.5 points, capped the event by crowning Jake Varner as an individual champion at 197 pounds in the 2009 tournament’s finals. Iowa’s squad placed first with 168.5 and Central Michigan (118) followed with third place.

Iowa State’s Varner added a second Midlands Championship to his impressive wrestling resume with a 6-1 decision of Wynn Michalak of the Chippewa Wrestling Club. Varner controlled the post-collegiate competitor by allowing only one point from an escape. The Cyclone had previously been a champion of the event as a sophomore at 184 pounds in 2007.

The 47th edition of the Midlands, hosted by Northwestern, featured over 360 individual entries from around the country. Iowa State’s wrestlers amassed a 48-30 record over the two-day tournament.

Making his third-straight Midlands finals appearance at 165 pounds, ISU’s Jon Reader was unable to topple top-seed Andrew Howe of Wisconsin. Reader fell to the Badger in triple-overtime, 3-1 (SV2). The defeat was Reader’s first loss of the 2009-10 season, as his record drops to 11-1.

An amazing string of big wins ended for ISU redshirt freshman Andrew Long as he fell in the 125-pound final to Iowa’s Matt McDonough by decision, 9-7. The Creston, Iowa native lead 5-2 after the first period but could not overcome a late barrage of takedown attempts by his opponent. Long recorded a 4-1 mark in the tournament to improve his season record to 14-2.

In the last finals match of the evening, third-seeded Cyclone heavyweight David Zabriskie fell to the upset-minded No. 8-seed, Jarod Trice of Central Michigan, 3-2. Zabriskie was unable to find a shot in the last period to take the lead on the larger Chippewa heavyweight. Zabriskie was 4-1 in his senior try at the Midlands and has an 11-1 overall mark this season.

ISU 149-pounder Mitch Mueller made the most of his fourth trip to the Midlands by notching his best finish ever. Mueller, who hails from Iowa City, Iowa wrestled to fourth place after previously placing sixth as a sophomore and freshman. Mueller fell in the final Midlands session to Bucknell’s Kevin LeValley by a score of 2-0 in the third-place match. Mueller notched a record of 5-2 in the Midlands to advance to 16-4 in his senior campaign.

Cyclone senior Nick Fanthorpe capped his fourth Midlands outing with a fifth-place finish at 133 pounds. Fanthorpe edged Iowa’s Nate Moore in overtime, 2-1 (TB1). Fanthorpe recorded a 4-2 Midlands record and stands at 6-3 overall.
Senior 174-pounder Duke Burk fell in the fifth-place match to Missouri’s Dorian Henderson by a score of 3-1 (SV). Burk’s 3-3 mark in the tournament drops his overall record to 10-4.

Sophomore Jerome Ward clinched a seventh-place Cyclone finish at 184 pounds in the afternoon session of Midlands wrestling by receiving a medical forfeit. Ward went 4-2 in his second trip to the event.

The second-ranked Cyclones return to action with a road trip to dual No. 6 Minnesota Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. in the Sports Pavilion.

Courtesy of Iowa State Sports Information

Dergo Wins Midlands Title, Kennedy Takes Second

EVANSTON, Ill. — Senior No. 6 John Dergo won the Midlands title at 184 pounds Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, his first title in a major tournament, by defeating American’s No. 2 and second-seeded Mike Cannon, 11-9 in sudden-victory overtime. Dergo beat three two-time All-Americans in a row in Cannon, Missouri’s top-ranked Max Askren and fourth-seeded Louis Caputo (Harvard). Also for the Illini, senior Jimmy Kennedy took second at 141, junior No. 16 Ryan Prater took fifth at 141 and senior Patrick Bond finished sixth at 197. The Illini placed 10th in the 54-team field.

“He had an unbelievable tournament,” Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. “He beat three two-time All-Americans in a row, so it was awesome. A lot of times last year, he saw what he was supposed to do and he was a half-step behind. But he’s going full-speed now. There’s no holding back. He’s going as hard as he can every time he wrestles.”

Dergo had the most exciting run of the Illini on Wednesday, avenging a loss earlier in the season with a 3-2 win over top-ranked and top-seeded Max Askren (Missouri) in the semifinals to set up a title bout with American’s second-ranked and second-seeded Mike Cannon. Dergo trailed Cannon 8-6 late in the bout but scored a takedown and Cannon was called for a technical violation, giving Dergo a 9-8 lead. Cannon earned a point for the riding-time advantage, tying the bout and sending it to sudden-victory overtime. Dergo stayed aggressive, recording a takedown to win the match and the championship. In the tournament, Dergo defeated Askren, Cannon and Harvard’s fourth-seeded Louis Caputo all for the first time in his career.

Kennedy won his third career bout against Iowa’s fourth-seeded Joey Slaton in the semifinals, 6-5, but fell behind early in his championship bout against Maryland’s 10th-ranked and third-seeded Alex Krom and dropped a 9-2 decision to finish second.

Prater was one of the bigger surprises of the tournament, reaching the semifinals against Krom before being pinned by the Terrapin. Prater dropped a tight 4-3 bout to Hofstra’s eighth-seeded Lou Ruggirello but rebounded by pinning Iowa’s ninth-seeded Montell Marion in 2:24 to earn fifth place.

After Bond dropped his quarterfinal bout on Tuesday, he responded by winning a pair of consolation bouts to stay alive. He began Wednesday by knocking off Purdue’s 12th-ranked and seventh-seeded Logan Brown, 5-3, in the round of 12 to ensure a placing finish. Bond kept rolling with an 8-5 win over No. 11 and sixth-seeded Brent Haynes (Missouri), avenging a dual loss earlier in the season, but dropped a 6-2 match to Iowa’s No. 9 and fifth-seeded Chad Beatty in the consolation semifinals. That set up a fifth-place match with second-seeded and third-ranked Hudson Taylor (Maryland), which Taylor took by fall in 3:55, giving Bond a sixth-place finish.

The Illini return to action on Jan. 8 when they host SIUE at Huff Hall at 7 p.m.

Courtesy of Illinois Sports Information

Davis Lifts No. 25 Wrestling to Eighth Place Finish at Midlands Championship

Evanston, Ill. – Senior Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore.) posted the highest place for the No. 25 Oregon State wrestling team, finishing third at 157 pounds, lifting the Beavers to a tie for eighth place out of 54 with 65.0 team points at the Midlands Championships.

Oregon State tied with American University, edging out No. 20 Illinois and 21 Pittsburgh. The Beavers moved up three spots from yesterday’s finish, tacking on 28 team points.

Davis found himself narrowly behind in the third place match at 157 pounds before chalking up a final takedown late in the match to earn the 4-3 decision over sixth-seeded Jake Deitchier, wrestling unattached for Minnesota, and his highest placing at the Midlands Championships and first placing of the season. Davis began the day as the only remaining Beaver wrestler in the championship bracket, but fell to top seeded Steve Fittery of American in a 15-5 major decision. Davis came back in the consolation bracket with a 9-6 win over Derek St. John, wrestling unattached for Iowa, before his placing victory.

Also competing in the third place match, junior Colby Covington (Springfield, Ore.) had already solidified himself as the only unseeded wrestler guaranteed to place at 174 pounds. Covington opened the final day with three straight nail biting decisions over Ethan Lofthouse of Iowa, wrestling unattached, 5-4, a 9-8 victory over seventh-seeded Shane Riccio of Bucknell and a 2-1 win over fifth-seeded Duke Burke of Iowa State to get to the deciding match. But in the final match, Covington came up just shy of third place in a 5-3 loss to third-seeded Luke Manuel of Purdue.

Redshirt sophomore Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif.) earned the first placing for the Beavers, tallying seventh place honors at 125 pounds. Lara started the day off with a 6-3 decision over JJ Krutsinger of Iowa but fell to sixth-seeded Ben Kjar of Utah Valley in a tough 4-3 heartbreaker in the consolation semifinals. But Lara rebounded with a 5-3 decision over ninth-seeded Anthony Zanetta of Pitt to earn his first placing at the Midlands Championships and of his collegiate career.

Next to place was sophomore Kelly Kubec (Lake Stevens, Wash.) at 133 pounds, earning seventh place. Kubec started out strong with a fall over Jimmy Kirchner of Rider in 2:22, but came up just short against seventh-seeded Matt Fisk of Lehigh in a 6-4 decision. But Kubec got back to his pinning ways with a 2:08 fall over eighth-seeded Billy Ashnault in the seventh place match. Kubec has now placed in both big tournaments this season and has a team-high tying 10 falls – tied for 42nd all-time in a single season and ninth most for a sophomore in school history.

Earlier in the day, freshman RJ Pena (Salem, Ore.) fell just short of a placing match at 149 pounds, losing to seventh-ranked Mitch Mueller of Iowa State, 5-1, in overtime. And sophomore heavyweight Clayton Jack (Vacaville, Calif.) was unable to overcome sixth-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri, falling 10-1, just out of placing.

The Beavers return home to host Wyoming next on Thursday, Jan. 7, in legendary Gill Coliseum beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Courtesy of Oregon State Sports Information

Trice Wins Heavyweight Title at Midlands

EVANSTON, Ill. – Jarod Trice’s individual title at heavyweight led Central Michigan to a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships.

Trice, the No. 8 seed, capped his run through the bracket with a 3-2 decision over No. 3 seed David Zabriskie (Iowa State) in the finals Wednesday night. He earned his spot in the championship match by defeating No. 1 seed Aaron Anspach in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Dom Bradley in the semis.

Trice, just a sophomore, is CMU’s first Midlands champion since Wynn Michalak won the 197-pound title as a sophomore in 2005.

CMU finished third in the team standings with 118 points, trailing only Iowa (168.5 points) and Iowa State (144.5). It is the Chippewas’ fifth top-four finish at Midlands in the past six years, and the 118 team points are the most CMU has ever scored at Midlands.

Trice was one of seven Chippewas to finish in the top eight of their weight class.

Redshirt freshman Ben Bennett, seeded second at 174 pounds, finished runner-up after dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 1 Jay Borschel in the finals.

Also finishing in the top eight were Matt Steintrager (fourth, 125 pounds), Tony D’Alie (sixth, 149 pounds), Steve Brown (sixth, 157 pounds), Tyler Grayson (sixth, 165 pounds) and Eric Cubberly (seventh, 165 pounds).

Michalak, a three-time NCAA All-American at CMU and the 2008 NCAA Championships runner-up, represented Chippewa Wrestling Club at Midlands and finished runner-up.

The Big Ten Network will air the finals on tape delay on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

CMU next competes at National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa Jan. 9-10.

Courtesy of CMU Sports Information

Kjar Places Fifth at the Prestigious Midlands Championships to Lead UVU

The 16th nationally ranked wrestler had a good showing as he went 5-2 to place fifth.

EVANSTON, Ill. – Utah Valley junior wrestler Benjamin Kjar (125-pounds) placed fifth at Tuesday and Wednesday’s 47th annual Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern University to lead four Wolverine wrestlers who competed at the prestigious tournament. The sixth-seeded Kjar wrestled well the entire tournament and was able to defeat, the two-seed and seventh-nationally ranked, Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech in the fifth-place match by decision, 6-4.

“Ben wrestled very well today,” UVU head wrestling coach Greg Williams said. “He got in on single legs a few times last night in the quarters, but did not finish them. He made a couple of adjustments today and finished very well.”

Kjar got off to another good start on day two at the Midlands Championships as he made easy work of his first opponent, Christopher Quiroga of Purdue, beating him by major decision, 16-5. Kjar then took on the seven-seed and the 17th nationally-ranked Jason Lara from Oregon State. Kjar was able to use his experience as he defeated Lara for his second time on the season, by a 4-3 decision.

With the win, Kjar advanced to the consolation semifinal to take on the tournaments number one-seed and two-time All-American, Brandon Precin of Northwestern (unattached) on his home mat. Kjar ended up falling to the defending Midlands Champion, Precin, by a 4-0 decision. With the loss Kjar advanced to the fifth-place match where he battled back nicely as he defeated Garnett by decision to place fifth. Kjar’s fifth-place finish at Midlands was three spots higher than he finished at the same tournament a year ago as he placed eighth during his sophomore season.
Overall Kjar finished with a 5-2 record at his second Midlands Championships.

On day one Kjar started well as he began 2-0 but in the quarterfinal he dropped the match to the No. 8 ranked wrestler in the nation, Matt McDonough from Iowa.

Kjar who is ranked No. 16 in the country, began his day by defeating both Arsenia Barksdale of Adams State (by dec., 7-1) and Conor Beebe of Central Michigan (by dec., 8-2). In the quarterfinal matchup against the three-seed McDonough, Kjar lost a hard fought 8-3 decision.

UVU Senior Jeffrey Newby (133-pounds) and sophomore Brad Darrington (174-pounds) also performed well at Midlands as they both also won their first two matches of the day. Newby won his by defeating Pitt’s Zac Grove and Iowa’s Mark Ballweg both by decision. Newby then lost by fall to the No. 12 ranked Tyler Graff from Wisconsin to drop him into the wrestleback bracket. Newby then found himself on the wrong end of a major decision as Rider’s Jimmy Kirchner defeated him to eliminate him from the tournament. Newby finished at his first-ever Midlands Championships with a 2-2 record.

Darrington won his first two matches as he defeated the No. 6 wrestler in the nation in Maryland’s Mike Letts by forfeit and Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Sam Engelland by decision. Darrington then dropped a very tight 2-0 decision to the No. 15 ranked Shane Riccio of Bucknell.

Then in the wrestleback’s, Darrington barely lost to Cal Baptist’s Enock Francois by decision, 3-2, to end his tournament run. Darrington also finished at his first Midlands with a 2-2 record.

At 149-pounds, Utah Valley junior Justin Morrill drew the toughest first-round matchup as he squared-off with the No. 1 wrestler in the nation in Iowa’s Brent Metcalf. Morrill fought hard but lost by technical fall, 22-6. With the loss Morrill had a tough road ahead of him in the wrestleback bracket but he won his next matchup as he defeated Binghamton’s Donny Vinson by decision, 4-1. Morrill then lost his final bout to Clarion’s James Fleming by decision 11-6. Morrill finished with a 1-2 record at his first Midlands.

“It was such a loaded tournament,” Williams added. “I thought all four of our guys wrestled well this week and the things they learned here will help them get ready for the post-season in March.”

The Wolverines will be back in action on Jan. 9, when they host the UVU Open in the Shurian Family Activity Center.

Courtesy of Utah Valley Sports Information

Bucknell’s LeValley, Rendos Place at Midlands Championships

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Bucknell wrestling team entered the second day of competition at the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern, Wednesday with four grapplers alive in the consolation brackets. Two Bison ended up placewinners as Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) took third in the 149-pound bracket and Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) placed seventh at 174.

As a team, Bucknell finished 13th in the 54-team field with 45.5 points. The Bison have four nationally ranked wrestlers and all four advanced to the second day of the Midlands Championships.

LeValley, who was seeded fourth in the tournament and is ranked eighth nationally, posted a 4-0 record Wednesday. He lost his quarterfinal match Tuesday, but bounced back and is now a team-best 26-4 this season.

LeValley clinched a top-eight finish with a 17-0 tech fall against Wisconsin’s Shawn Perry in his opening bout. He followed with a 9-5 decision over Michigan State’s David Cheza and a medical forfeit victory against No. 12 Tony D’Alie from Central Michigan to advance to the third-place bout. The junior proceeded to dispatch Iowa State’s Mitch Mueller, 2-0. Mueller entered the competition ranked No. 13 in the nation.

LeValley, who is 6-3 against ranked foes this season, now has four top-five showings in tournaments this year. He won both the Navy Classic and Clarion Open and took fifth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Riccio posted a 2-1 record for the second consecutive day. Like LeValley, he needed just one win to secure at least a top-eight finish. He did that with a 5-0 blanking of Dubuque’s Evan Brown, his third shutout in a four-match span. Riccio then lost a hard-fought 9-8 decision to Colby Covington (Oregon State), but bounced back to defeat Lehigh’s No. 18 Robert Hamlin 3-2 in the seventh-place bout.

Riccio is now 22-6 this year and has won at least 20 matches for the third consecutive year. He is just three wins shy of becoming the fourth Bison with at least 100 career victories.

David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central) and Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) were both also in action Wednesday. However, Rendos lost by medical forfeit and Marble was eliminated from competition by tech fall against Lehigh’s Matt Fisk, the No. 16 wrestler in the nation at 133 pounds.

John Regan (Plum Borough, Pa./Kiski School), Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes), David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) and Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) also competed at the Midlands Championships, but were eliminated on Tuesday.

Bucknell will be back in action Jan. 8-9 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va.

Courtesy of Bucknell Sports Information

Purdue’s Manuel Takes 3rd At Midlands

EVANSTON, Ill. – Purdue junior Luke Manuel captured third place at 174 pounds at the 47th Annual Midlands Wrestling Championships, hosted by Northwestern University at Welsh Ryan Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday. Manuel avenged his only loss of the tournament in the bronze medal match, defeating Colby Covington of Oregon State by decision, 5-3.

Manuel dominated the entire match against Covington, scoring the only two takedowns of the bout and applying constant pressure on his opponent. He snared his first points about halfway through the first period, getting the best of a scramble and working behind his Beaver opponent. Covington escaped after about a 20-second ride by Manuel, but Manuel quickly ducked behind Covington and pulled him to the mat for a second score and after another escape held a 4-2 lead. The pair traded escapes in the second and third periods, but Manuel steered the action, keeping constant pressure on Covington’s head and not coming close to giving up a takedown.

Manuel had an outstanding tournament, continuing his excellent season in progress at 174 pounds. After bumping up to 174 from 165 pounds this season, he’s reeled off a 27-2 record to date, including a 7-1 mark at Midlands. His current record is good for the third best single-season winning percentage in Purdue history at 93.1%, while his career mark of 82-26 (75.9%) is tied with Boilermaker great Bernie Barrile for 10th all-time at Purdue. He’s also on the doorstep of climbing on to the Boilermakers’ career takedown leaderboard, improving his collegiate total to 183, just four shy of 20th in school history.

The Boilermakers finished 11th as a team, totaling 58.5 team points.

The Boilermakers continue their season on Sunday, Jan. 3, heading to Old Dominion University for a trio of dual matches. Visit PurdueSports.com for a full preview of Sunday’s action and information on event coverage.

Courtesy of Purdue Sports Information

Panthers Wrap-Up Competition at Midlands Championships

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team wrapped up competition Wednesday afternoon at the 47th Midlands Championships.

Tyson Reiner and Andy O’loughlin were the lone Panthers to advance to the second day of competition for the Panthers.

At 157 pounds Reiner fell to No. 9 seeded Colton Salazar (Purdue) in a
6-4 decision to end his run for a chance at the medal stand.

At 184 pounds O’loughlin fell 12-0 to No. 4 seeded Louis Caputo (Harvard).

The Panthers return to action Jan. 9-10 as they play host to the NWCA National Duals in the UNI-Dome.

Courtesy of UNI Sports Information