Jan. 31, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After opening up the dual match season on the road last week, the 10th-ranked Wildcats look for their first Big Ten victory as they host the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State in their Big Ten home opener at 7 p.m. Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The 'Cats will host their first dual since their matches against North Dakota State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Dec. 3.
Quoting Coach Cysewski
"Penn State is a true test for our team," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "Just two weeks ago, they were ranked No. 1 in the country. After coming off of a great effort against Iowa, we will need to be ready to go for the Nittany Lions. There are several top 10 match-ups, and those will decide the final outcome."
Last Time Out...
The Wildcats opened the Big Ten season with a tough loss against the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City. The 'Cats came out strong, with back-to-back victories by seniors Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) and Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) to give the team an early 7-0 lead. The Hawkeyes handled the early surge, however, and came out on top despite an impressive win by Keith Sulzer (Brecksville, Ohio/St. Edward's) at 141 lbs. over No. 9 Dan LeClere. Thirteen of the 20 wrestlers featured at the dual were ranked, including four matches where both wrestlers were ranked and two where both were ranked in the top five in the country.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
No. 8 Penn State features a strong line up with top-20 ranked grapplers at every weight class, save 133 and 165 lbs. Dan Vallimont at 157 lbs. and Phillip Davis at 197 lbs. are both ranked No. 2 in the nation in their weight class, bringing a combined record of 32-0 into Welsh Ryan Arena. The Nittany Lions have gone 7-4 this season against ranked opponents, including wins against No. 3 Oklahoma State and last Sunday against No. 17 Indiana.
Keep Your Eye On
125: #5 Precin (NU) vs. #10 McKnight (Penn State)
141: Sulzer (NU) vs. #10 Strayer (Penn State)
149: #4 Lang (NU) vs. #5 Jenkins (Penn State)
197: #3 Tamillow (NU) vs. #2 Davis (Penn State)
285: #1 Fox (NU) vs. #15 Laboranti (Penn State)
Passing a Milestone
With a 10-4 decision over Dave Bertolino of Iowa State on January 13, Mike Tamillow picked up his 100th career win. The win gives the senior sole possession of 10th place on the all-time career wins list at Northwestern. Tamillow reached the milestone nearly one year to the day after teammate Jake Herbert achieved the feat.