Nov. 17, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Northwestern wrestling team gets its first taste of dual action this season when it plays host to the NU Duals Nov. 22 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Gardner-Webb, as well as Division III schools Augustana College and Wisconsin-La Crosse, are all scheduled to compete in the three-match, round robin tournament.
"This is a crucial evaluation time in order for us to see how we are progressing as a team," said head coach Tim Cysewski. "I am anxious to see how we wrestle during the seven-minute matches, compared to the six-minute matches we have had so far this season."
The Wildcats opened their season Nov. 8-9 at the Michigan State Open, where Josh Ballard (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad) took second place at 149 lbs. He is one of five seniors who is expected to start this Saturday.
The others are Paul Augle (Tinley Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) at 141 lbs., Nolan Walther (Anchorage, Alaska/Anthony J. Dimond) at 165 lbs., Andrew Curran (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel) at 174 lbs. and Michael Little (El Reno, Okla./El Reno) at heavyweight.
Freshman Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) may also see action at 165 lbs. in what would be his first collegiate dual meet. He is part of a recruiting class that was ranked seventh best in the nation.
The rest of the starters for NU will be John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) at 125 lbs., Tommy Vargas (Highland, Calif/Pacific) or Daniel Quintela (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) at 133 lbs., Jimmy Kim (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria Community) as another possibility at 141 lbs., Mike Kimberlin (Bradley, Ill./Bishop McNamara) at 157 lbs., Joseph Gulotta (Merauz, La./Brother Martin) at 184 lbs., Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) at 197 lbs. and Scott Johnson (Kanab, Utah/Kanab) as another heavyweight.
"It will be interesting to see how the team reacts in its first dual meet," said Cysewski. "I am particularly looking forward to seeing the freshmen in action."
NU's first opponent, Augustana, has won the last six College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) titles and posted a 15-6-1 dual meet-record last year. The Vikings are led by sophomores Dan Stanton and Larry Amedio, both of whom won CCIW titles in their respective weight classes (125 lbs. and 141 lbs.). Amedio, who had a team-high 41 wins last season, also qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Wisconsin-La Crosse also had a successful season last year, going 20-4 en route to winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title and placing eighth in the NCAA Division III National Championships.
The Golden Eagles' achievements were driven, in part, by sophomores Jason Lulloff and Ryan Allen. The former went 35-8 last season and finished third nationally at 174 lbs., while the latter posted a 36-2 record, won the WIAC title and took second nationally at heavyweight.
Gardner-Webb, meanwhile, will showcase senior Erik Wince, a team captain who is coming off a 21-14 record in 2002-03. Wince is 3-1 in the 174-pound weight class this season after competing in the West Virginia Open, where he also had two pins.
Another Bulldog to check out is junior Justin Lansley, a top returnee who went 15-12 last season at 141 lbs.
Schedule of Competition:
Noon -- Northwestern vs. Augustana; Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. Gardner-Webb
2 p.m. -- Northwestern vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse; Augustana vs. Gardner-Webb
4 p.m. -- Northwestern vs. Gardner-Webb; Augustana vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse