2006 Big Ten Championships Brackets
Download Free Acrobat Reader
March 2, 2006
Northwestern Big Ten Championships NotesDownload Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After a plethora of memorable individual moments, a host of unforgettable team victories and months of training, it all comes down to this for Northwestern's 13th-ranked wrestling team. The Wildcats are set to travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take part in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships Saturday-Sunday, March 4-5. This year's installment looks to be too close to call as nine of the conference's 11 teams are ranked top-20 in the most recent USA Today/NWCA/Intermat poll.
Northwestern enters the weekend with seven wrestlers pre-seeded for the tournament.
The 'Cats are led by Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), who takes his perfect 28-0 season record into the weekend and looks to win his first Big Ten title. Herbert, who is the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 174 lbs., is riding a 34-match winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the country. Herbert finished second at the 2005 Big Ten Championships when he was edged by Illinois' Pete Friedl in the match's final seconds.
Senior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) looks to become only the sixth wrestler in NU history to repeat as conference champion when he enters this weekend as the No. 3 pre-seed at 197 lbs. Delguyd has compiled a 25-7 record this season and has moved into tenth-place on Northwestern's all-time wins list with 102 career victories.
Northwestern's other No. 3 pre-seed is senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings). Velez enters the championships with a 20-6 record, including a 6-2 conference mark. Velez finished sixth at the 2005 Big Ten Championships.
Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) has earned the No. 4 pre-seed at 285 lbs. Fox, who finished fourth at the championships last season, has compiled a 23-8 overall record this season, including a 5-3 conference mark.
At 141 lbs., sophomore Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) has been selected as the No. 5 pre-seed. Lang enters the weekend with a 15-4 overall record and a 7-3 dual record this season. Lang finished in fourth place at the conference championships in 2005.
Sophomore Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) has received the No. 6 pre-seed in the 184-pound weight class. While tabbed as No. 6, Tamillow has competed admirably versus some higher pre-seeded opponents--he fell to No. 3 pre-seed Roger Kish of Minnesota and No. 5 Paul Bradley of Iowa by a combined five points, and he topped Illinois' No. 4 pre-seed Pete Friedl 5-4 in Northwestern's upset of then-No. 3 Illinois earlier this year.
Senior Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) rounds out the list pre-seeded 'Cats as he has garnered a No. 7 pre-seed in his first trip to the Big Ten Championships. Durkee stands at 18-10 overall this season.
Head coach Tim Cysewski has led this year's squad to one of the most impressive season's in recent memory. The Wildcats won five Big Ten matches for the first time since 1990 and finished tied for fourth in conference.