Feb. 5, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 16 Northwestern is in the midst of a three-week road trip, which includes a pair of top-10 foes beginning Friday against intra-state rival No. 9 Illinois before a trip north to visit No. 8 Minnesota on Sunday. Friday's match in Champaign will be broadcast on same-day delay (9:30 p.m. CT) by the Big Ten Network.
WRESTLER TO WATCH
After beginning his 2007-08 season with a 21-match unbeaten streak, NU's Brandon Precin has nearly equaled that feat as a junior, winning 21 of his first 22 bouts this year. His only loss came back on Nov. 9, 2008, against former national champion Paul Donahoe of Edinboro in a 4-1 double-overtime decision. On Sunday at Minnesota, Precin faces a stiff challenge at 125 in the form of freshman Zach Sanders, who is ranked eighth in the country and boasts a 28-2 record this season. Precin is now 37-8 in his last 45 matches dating to last year.
SCOUTING THE ILLINI
No. 9 Illinois enters Friday's contest with an 8-1 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the Big Ten following a 29-11 dismantling of Purdue last weekend. The Illini boast five nationally ranked wrestlers in their lineup, beginning with second-ranked senior Mike Poeta at 157. Poeta placed second at the 2008 NCAA Championships and is set for a bout against 14th-ranked NU freshman Jason Welch, who dropped a 21-7 decision to Poeta at the 2007 Midlands when Welch was still a high school senior. Welch is 18-5 in his freshman campaign.
Third-ranked Jimmy Kennedy (133) has won 18 of his 20 matches in 2008-09, presenting another tough match-up for Northwestern's Eric Metzler, who is 4-1 this year with his only defeat coming to top-ranked Franklin Gomez of Michigan State.
There will be another bout between ranked competitors at 184, where top-ranked Jake Herbert will square off against true freshman Jordan Blanton, who is ranked No. 12 nationally with a 20-6 record. Both are currently leading their respective squads in pins--Herbert has notched 12 falls while Blanton has collected six.
Also appearing in the InterMat rankings for the Illini are 10th-ranked heavyweight John Wise (10-2) and No. 15 at 165 Roger Smith Bergsrud.
NU will be looking to duplicate its 2008 home defeat of an Illinois squad ranked No. 8 at the time. Northwestern received crucial wins by current Wildcats Brandon Precin and Dominic Marella as well as a 7-4 upset by Keith Sulzer against then-11th-ranked Ryan Prater at 141 on its way to a 22-11 victory.
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS
No. 8 Minnesota has been rolling of late, getting off to a 3-0 Big Ten start to up its overall record to 13-4. The Gophers beat then-No. 16 Penn State for the second time this season, 20-18, on Jan. 30 and then defeated fifth-ranked Ohio State, 18-16, on Sunday, atoning for a lopsided 25-12 loss to the Buckeyes in the NWCA National Duals earlier in the year.
Last season, Minnesota claimed a 33-12 dual victory over Northwestern, posting three pins and three major decisions.
Each of the Gophers' three ranked grapplers can be found at the three lowest weight classes. In addition to Sanders at 125, Minnesota's fifth-ranked Jayson Ness is 25-4 with a team-leading 14 victories by fall at 133. When Northwestern last faced Minnesota, Ness was the top-ranked wrestler at 125 and notched a 12-4 major decision against then-No. 5 Brandon Precin. Also garnering a No. 8 ranking is 141-pounder Mike Thorn, who enters the weekend with a 24-9 record and 10 pins.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern built a 13-3 lead through five bouts at Michigan but the Wolverines responded in the upper weights as the match ended in a 17-17 draw in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday night. NU (9-3-1) maintained its unbeaten mark in the Big Ten with its first dual match tie since Dec. 12, 1999, against Central Michigan. After nine matches, Northwestern clung to a 17-14 advantage entering the heavyweight bout between NU's Ben Kuhar and Michigan's Edwin Phillips. Tied at two after three periods, the match required two extra sessions to find a winner as Phillips scored on an escape for the 3-2 decision and the three points needed for the Wolverines to tie.
NU found success at the lower weights where Brandon Precin began the match with a 9-3 decision for his 21st win of the year before Metzler won a critical 4-3 decision at 133 against U of M's Zac Stevens, who entered the match with an 11-5 record. No. 1 Jake Herbert remained unbeaten (21-0) with his 16-6 major decision over Anthony Biondo.
Northwestern Probable Lineup
125: Brandon Precin (#3) (Jr., 21-1)
133: Eric Metzler (Jr., 4-1)
-or- Robert Joyce (So., 4-10)
141: Keith Sulzer (#16) (So., 14-6)
149: Andrew Nadhir (So., 8-8)
157: Jason Welch (#14) (Fr., 18-5)
165: Dominic Marella (Sr., 5-10)
-or- Kyle Bertin (So., 5-7)
174: Robert Kellogg (RFr., 11-8)
184: Jake Herbert (#1) (Sr., 21-0)
197: John Schoen (RFr., 5-13)
285: Ben Kuhar (RFr., 5-12)
-or- Paul Rands (Fr., 5-5)
Illinois Probable Lineup
125: B.J. Futrell (Fr., 20-6)
133: #3 Jimmy Kennedy (Jr., 19-2)
141: Ryan Prater (So., 9-8)
149: Eric Terrazas (Fr., 12-11)
157: #2 Mike Poeta (Sr., 4-0)
165: #18 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Sr., 14-4)
174: John Dergo (Jr., 8-4)
184: #12 Jordan Blanton (Fr., 20-6)
197: Patrick Bond (Jr., 10-10)
HWT: #10 John Wise (Sr., 12-5)
Minnesota Probable Lineup
125: #7 Zach Sanders (R-Fr., 28-2)
133: #4 Jayson Ness (Jr., 25-4)
141: #8 Mike Thorn (So., 24-9)
149: Joe Grygelko (R-Fr., 7-12)
157: #17 Tyler Safratowich (Sr., 22-9)
165: Scott Glasser (So., 17-11)
174: Kaleb Young (R-Fr., 17-11)
-or- Matt Everson (Jr., 6-6)
184: Brent Eidenschink (Jr., 6-8)
-or- Sonny Yohn (R-Fr., 7-8)
197: Gordon Bierschenk (Jr., 12-8)
HWT: #19 Ben Berhow (So., 19-6)