Jan. 27, 2010
Northwestern vs. Illinois Match Notes 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Big Ten season rolls on this weekend when NU, in search of its first league win, welcomes in-state foe Illinois to Welsh-Ryan Arena at 2 p.m. Sunday. The match will be aired by the Big Ten Network on same-day tape delay at 6 p.m. CT.
Calling the play-by-play action from Evanston for the Big Ten Network will be Tim Johnson with Jim Gibbons, a national championship-winning wrestler and head coach at Iowa State.
In addition, Northwestern Athletics has dubbed Sunday's match a "Guys' Day Out," with free Northwestern Wrestling steins and root beer available for the first 250 fans as well as a hot wing eating contest during intermission.
The Wildcats and Illini have split their last four dual match outings, with NU winning in 2006 (19-16) and 2008 (22-11) and U of I claiming victories in 2007 (21-13) and 2009 (22-13).
Roddy Shines in Big Ten Dual Debut
Coming into the season, redshirt freshman Brian Roddy, Jr. expected to make a splash in his first season starting at 174 pounds. His plans were slightly derailed, however, due to a leg injury suffered in the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open. But now Roddy is fully recovered and has won five of his first six outings as a dual starter. In his Big Ten dual debut vs. Indiana, Roddy notched a 6-4 decision over IU's Trevor Perry, who came into the bout with an 11-1 dual record and with two wins over Roddy during the Wildcat's redshirt season in 2008-09. Roddy also has a win this year over two-time NCAA qualifier Marcus Effner of Cleveland State, which came just down the road from his hometown of Highland Heights, Ohio.
Jones Settles in at 184
The arrival of Aaron Jones at Northwestern has helped the Wildcats solidify their lineup at the upper weights after the departures of stars Jake Herbert and Mike Tamillow to graduation. Jones came to NU as a transfer after one year at Rend Lake Community College (Ill.), where he was a 2008 Junior College All-American with a fifth-place finish at the national championships. Jones was 11-12 last season and is 6-5 in dual matches in 2009-10, a mark that includes a narrow 6-4 decision loss to former NCAA runner-up Mike Miller of Central Michigan at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 9.
Fresh Faces on Each Side
A number of prominent Wildcats made moves to different weight classes this season despite successful campaigns last year. It's a trend resonated by the visiting Illini, meaning there are just two probable matchups that feature any history between Sunday's wrestlers. NU's Andrew Nadhir topped Eric Terrazas of Illinois in last year's dual match at 149 while the Illini's John Deneen posted a major decision over Levi Mele (125) at the 2009 Midlands Championships.
When last these two teams met, NU's Robert Kellogg met John Dergo in the 174-pound bout. On Sunday, the two will be wrestling two weight classes apart with Kellogg having moved to 165 and Dergo having bumped up to 184, where he ranks No. 2 in the nation. Similarly, John Schoen and No. 14 Jordan Blanton are now two weight classes apart after facing each other at 197 last season.
Scouting the Illini
Illinois comes to Evanston as the 24th-ranked team in the country with a 5-4 dual mark, 1-1 in the Big Ten following its 23-12 win over Michigan State in its last outing. The Illini have five top-20 wrestlers, headlined by John Dergo No. 2 John Dergo, a Midlands champion, at 184. Ryan Prater has also climbed the 141-pound rankings in his junior season, while U of I's 20th-ranked Eric Terrazas will provide a test to NU's Andrew Nadhir at 149, as Terrazas puts his 11-2 record on the line.
Illinois is under the direction of first-year head coach Jim Heffernan, who spent the last 19 seasons as a top assistant under former Illini coach Mark Johnson (17 at Illinois, two at Oregon State). Heffernan is a 1987 graduate of Iowa where he was a four-time All-American and a member of three NCAA Championship-winning teams.