Feb. 2, 2010
Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships Web site
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern senior Brandon Precin and sophomore Jason Welch are among the unattached entrants at this week's Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tournament, established by USA Wrestling in honor of the late Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, annually assembles a field composed of top wrestlers from around the world.
"This is the perfect opportunity for Brandon and Jason and exactly what we envisioned for them in their redshirt seasons," said NU head coach Tim Cysewski. "They each need to compete at the highest level possible to improve and the Dave Schultz is one of the best places for them to do that."
According to USA Wrestling, this year's Dave Schultz Memorial includes elite amateur wrestlers from no less than 22 countries. TheMat.com, the official Web site of USA Wrestling, will be posting live results throughout the event.
A two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds, Precin has compiled a 19-1 record while wrestling unattached during this his redshirt season, a mark that includes a third-place finish at the 2009 Midlands Championships.
Welch, a 2009 NCAA qualifier at 157 pounds for the Wildcats in his true freshman season, is also the redshirting the 2009-10 campaign.
Precin will be competing at the 55-kg weight class at the Dave Schultz Memorial while Welch will be in the field at 74 kg. Their freestyle bracket of this year's tournament is slated for Friday, Feb. 5.
Numerous World and Olympic champions have competed in this event in its 12-year history, including 2008 Olympic champion Henry Cejudo of the USA, who competed in Colorado Springs in 2005. Past Dave Schultz Memorial champions who have become Olympic champions include Brandon Slay and Rulon Gardner of the United States, Carol Huynh of Canada, and Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria.