Jan. 21, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Undefeated senior Jake Herbert (184 lbs.) and junior All-American Brandon Precin (125 lbs.) are set to lead 19th-ranked Northwestern into battle in the Big Ten, the nation's most challenging wrestling conference. NU welcomes Michigan State to Evanston at 7 p.m. Friday before No. 15 Wisconsin, with five nationally ranked wrestlers, invades Welsh-Ryan Arena at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Friday night's contest is the Chipotle BIG MATCH at Welsh-Ryan, with the first 50 NU students entering the arena receiving a coupon for a free Chipotle burrito. Plus, one lucky student will win a quarter's supply of Chipotle burritos. All fans can win Wildcat prizes by arm-wrestling or thumb-wrestling superback Mark Woodsum of the Northwestern football team, as well as by taking part in contests throughout the match.
Parking for the event is free and tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children. NU students are admitted free when they show a valid WildCARD. For more ticket information call 847.491.CATS or e-mail cat-tix@northwestern.edu.
Fans who can't make it out to the match can watch streaming video of both events on Wildcats All-Access or follow live play-by-play by clicking the link on the front page of NUsports.com.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Northwestern knocked off Michigan State in 2008 by a 25-15 decision after opening up a 21-9 advantage through seven matches. MSU enters tonight's match featuring one ranked wrestler in Franklin Gomez, who sits atop the polls in the 133-pound division where he will battle NU's Eric Metzler, who recently returned to the lineup from injury. The Spartans are coming off a weekend sweep in out-of-conference matchups with West Virginia and Ohio.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
After going 1-2 at the NWCA National Duals, with a win against Indiana and losses to Boise State and Minnesota, No. 15 Wisconsin comes to Evanston on the heels of what figures to be a hard-fought match at top-ranked Iowa on Friday night. The Badgers boast five ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including four in their weight class' top 10. Wisconsin put forth an excellent showing at this year's Midlands Championships, placing fourth to NU's fifth. Eighth-seeded Zach Tanelli (141) earned the title of Champion of Champions at the event following his upset win over Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis in the tournament finals. The Badgers also claimed a title at 197 pounds as No. 3 Dallas Herbst overcame top-seeded Jake Varner of Iowa State by a 2-1 margin in the final. Heavyweight Kyle Massey holds down the No. 7 national ranking while Kyle Ruschell sits fifth at 149 and freshman Andrew Howe earned the No. 13 spot at 165.
LAST TIME OUT
On Jan. 10, NU competed at the prestigious NWCA National Duals tournament for the fourth consecutive year, marking the first time in program history it has done so. The 'Cats squared off against fourth-ranked Nebraska in round one and took an 18-12 lead on the strength of pins by Brandon Precin and Jake Herbert. Despite solid efforts from Northwestern's Robert Kellogg and Ben Kuhar, the Huskers rallied in the upper weights, where they feature five ranked wrestlers beginning at 157 pounds, to score a 19-18 win. NU then faced No. 5 Missouri, which had been upset by unseeded Penn State in the opening round. Eric Metzler (133) posted his second win of the day vs. with a 7-4 decision of Taylor Crane, but in the end it was the Tigers who escaped with a 25-12 victory.
WILDCAT TO WATCH
Freshman Jason Welch, the 2008 Junior Dan Hodge Trophy winner as a high school senior, is off to a 15-5 start to his collegiate career. He notched a fifth-place finish in this year's Midlands Championships, reaching the semifinals before bowing out to 34-year old and eventual champion Chris Bono. In one of the tournament's most exciting matches, Welch pinned Missouri's Emmanuel Brooks in 4:01 while trailing on the scoreboard. The 17th-ranked 157-pounder will likely face MSU's Anthony Jones, who is 17-7 on the year and came in sixth--just behind Welch--at Midlands, and Wisconsin's Ben Jordan, who is 5-8 this season.