Dec. 30, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After one full day of Midlands competition under its belt, Northwestern's 14th-ranked wrestling team stands at sixth place in the Midlands team race with 37.5 points. Sophomore Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and senior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) are still alive in the championship brackets of their respective weight classes, with competition starting at noon at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Herbert, a 2004 Midlands champion, went 3-0 on the first day of competition, recording two decisions and a fall. In his first match of the day, the first-seeded Herbert met Northern Illinois' Danny Burke. Herbert topped Burke earlier this year during the Wildcats' dual at NIU, and the rematch went much the way the first meeting did. Herbert blew past Burke 12-5. In his next match, Herbert pinned Purdue's Nick Corpe at 2:23 to advance to the quarterfinals. There, he overpowered Penn's Keith Gavin. Gavin made the match close with a late reversal, but Herbert advanced with a 10-7 win. Herbert, who could become Northwestern's first repeat Midlands champion, will face Michigan State's R.J. Boudro in tomorrow's semifinal match.
Delguyd also went undefeated on the day, winning by a combined seven points in his first three matches. In his first match, Delguyd edged Iowa's Adam Fellers, 5-3. He followed that performance with a 3-1 decision over Northern Iowa's Jeff Knoll to advance to the quarterfinals. Delguyd, the No. 2 seed, outlasted Northern Illinois' seventh-seeded Derick Hunsinger in the quarterfinals, beating the Huskie grappler for the second time this season. Delguyd faces Illinois' third-ranked Tyrone Byrd in his semifinal match.
Senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) was the first Wildcat to take the mat today, fairing admirably throughout the competition. Velez began by topping Penn's Mike Silengo in a tight decision, 6-4. Velez came out on top in a close second-round match as well, topping Columbia's Brandon Kinney, 8-6. In his final round of the day Velez again was involved in a tight affair--this time versus Central Michigan's sixth-ranked Luke Smith.
After scoring a takedown with two second remaining in the first, Velez wrestled to a stalemate with Smith in the second and entered the third stanza with a 2-0 advantage. There, however, Velez suffered an injury and was forced to default, ending his run in the championship bracket. Velez is slated to face Central Michigan's Matt Steintrager in tomorrow's consolation round.
Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) made a spirited run in the late consolation rounds, putting him in good position to place high tomorrow. Fox won his first bout of the day, a 6-5 decision over Cal State Bakersfield's Eric Parker to move into the second round. There, Fox fell to Illinois' Matt Weight, 2-1. In the wrestleback, Fox notched a 7-3 decision over San Francisco State's Sandeep Singh and a 3-0 win versus Purdue's Aaron Deough. Fox faces Tyler Rhodes in his first match tomorrow.
At 165 lbs., Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) won his first two matches, but was edged in a close quarterfinal bout. Following a first-round bye, Durkee rattled off a 4-0 decision over Iowa State's Mike Somsky, then edged Iowa's Oleg Polyatski, 7-6, to move into the quarterfinals. There, Durkee fell to Illinois' Mike Poeta, 4-2. Durkee faces Stanford's Ray Blake in the consolation round.
At 184 lbs., sophomore Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) went 2-1 on the first day. Tamillow started with a narrow 3-1 decision over Charlie Pienaar of Slippery Rock. He then recorded a fall against Columbia's Justin Barent at 1:52, his third pin of the season. In the quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Tamillow fell to American's No. 4 seed Josh Glenn, 9-3. Tamillow is set to take the mat with Indiana's Justin Curran in wrestleback action.
Greg Hagel went 3-1 on the first day of action, giving him a legitimate chance to place. Hagel recorded a 4-2 decision over Purdue's Jake Murphy in his first match, but fell to Jeremiah Jarvis (UNA) 19-4. In the consolation bracket, Hagel topped Wheaton's Yevgenly Savenok and Sacred Heart's Sherwood Fendryk by a combined 12-3. Hagel faces sixth-seeded Zach Fryling in his first match tomorrow.