Jan. 7, 2011
PITTSBURGH DUALS
Sunday, Jan. 9 Pittsburgh, Pa.
Fitzgerald Field House
8 a.m. CT: Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Millersville (0-2)
10 a.m. CT: Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Drexel (4-7)
2 p.m. CT: Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Pittsburgh (4-4)
Northwestern Weekly Release -- Jan. 7 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Led by the nation's newly anointed No. 1-ranked 125-pounder in Brandon Precin, No. 21 Northwestern ventures east Sunday to compete in the Pittsburgh Duals. Head coach Drew Pariano's 10-0 squad will square off with Millersville and Drexel in the morning before meeting the host Panthers at 2 p.m. in Pitt's Fitzgerald Field House.
Live statistics will be available for Northwestern's match against Pitt and complete results of all three duals will be posted on NUsports.com at their conclusion.
What to Watch For
Northwestern's matchup with No. 26 Pittsburgh (4-3) presents a number of interesting bouts that will go a long way in determining the dual outcome. The first could come immediately at the 125-pound match where Brandon Precin and Pitt sophomore Anthony Zanetta will meet for the second time in 10 days in a rematch of the Midlands semifinals (Precin won, 6-0). At 141, NU freshman Kaleb Friedley (17-3) will have a chance to knock off a ranked opponent in No. 9 Tyler Nauman, who is 12-2 entering Sunday. Another Midlands rematch is slated for 157 pounds where NU's 10th-ranked Jason Welch aims to avenge his 8-4 loss last week to sophomore Donnie Tasser.
Other ranked Pitt competitors include No. 10 Zac Thomusseit (197) and No. 4 Ryan Tomei (285).
Preceding the showdown with Pitt, Northwestern squares off with Millersville (0-2) and Drexel (4-7). The Dragons are led by head coach Jack Childs who, in his 35th and final season at the helm for Drexel, is the active Division I leader in coaching victories with 418.
Midlands Championships Set to Air on Big Ten Network
The 48th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships was an event to remember, highlighted by two championship matches between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2-ranked wrestlers as well as a team title going to Missouri despite the Tigers' absence in the 10 finals matches. Wrestling fans will have two opportunities to watch the Big Ten Network's coverage of the finals beginning at 3 p.m. CT Saturday. The telecast will replay at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 14, as a lead-in to live coverage of Northwestern's dual match vs. rival Illinois from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Veteran wrestling announcer Tim Johnson and Northwestern's own Jake Herbert provide the call for Big Ten Network on the one-hour long telecast.
Precin Downs Defending NCAA Champion for Second Midlands Title
Northwestern senior Brandon Precin has always felt fortunate to compete at a tournament as prestigious as the Midlands Championships on his home mats and just a few miles from his hometown of Orland Park. He made the most of his final chance on Dec. 30, downing defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Matt McDonough of Iowa, 3-1, to win his second career 125-pound Midlands crown.
After the match, Precin was announced as winner of the Art Kraft Champion of Champions award, which is voted on by all 10 Midlands champions.
Precin, now 19-0 on the year and in a tie for fourth all-time at NU with 122 career wins, follows Jake Herbert in becoming the second Wildcat in the 48-year history of the Midlands to claim two championships. Northwestern wrestlers have now won eight Midlands titles since 2004.
Joining Precin on the Midlands medal stand for NU were senior Andrew Nadhir (fourth, 149) and true freshman Mike McMullan (eighth, heavyweight), who competed unattached.
Pinning for the Win
Including open tournaments, Northwestern wrestlers have totaled 54 pins this season while suffering only nine losses by pin, none of which came in dual matches. True freshman Kaleb Friedley (141) has terrorized his opponents with the pin of late, collecting a team-best nine that includes a stretch of five straight in November and December. Friedley also owns the team's quickest fall in varsity action, which came in 38 seconds against Eastern Michigan's Mike LeHolm.
Just Pointing Out
As Northwestern enters the latter half of its dual match schedule, a look at NU's high point scorers in duals reveals a tie between Brandon Precin (125) and Kaleb Friedley (149) with 47 points in 10 matches. Sophomore Jason Welch (157) holds a slim one-point lead over Andrew Nadhir (149) for third with 39 points.
Looking Ahead
On Friday, Jan. 14, when No. 21 Northwestern hosts No. 15 Illinois in a battle of Big Ten rivals, fans are invited to Welsh-Ryan Arena to take in the action on the mat as well as events surrounding Family Fun Night Presented by Coke Zero. As part of the special event, the first 300 fans in attendance will receive free color-changing Northwestern Wrestling mugs and a voucher for Coke Zero to be redeemed at the Welsh-Ryan Arena concession stands.
Start time for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Welsh-Ryan Arena at a price of $7 for adults, $4 for students, youth and senior citizens and $3 for large groups.
After the match begins, be sure to cheer Northwestern on to victory in its Big Ten home-opener because with every Wildcat takedown, NU T-shirts will be tossed into the crowd as part of the "T's for Takedowns" promotion. One lucky fan in attendance also will be named Northwestern's Fan of the Match and walk away with an Apple iPod!
No. 21 Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh: Probable Lineups
125: #1 Brandon Precin (NU) (19-0) vs. Anthony Zanetta (PITT) (5-8)
133: Robert Joyce (NU) (6-5) or Levi Mele (NU) (10-3) vs. Shelton Mack (PITT) (8-8)
141: Kaleb Friedley (NU) (17-3) vs. #9 Tyler Nauman (PITT) (12-2)
149: #12 Andrew Nadhir (NU) (18-2) vs. Dane Johnson (PITT) (11-11)
157: #10 Jason Welch (NU) (14-2) vs. Donnie Tasser (PITT) (10-11)
165: Robert Kellogg (NU) (3-6) or Kevin Bialka (NU) (7-7) vs. Ethan Headlee (PITT) (17-7)
174: Brian Roddy, Jr. (NU) (8-3) vs. Andy Vaughn (7-5) or Karl DeCiantis (PITT) (7-4)
184: Aaron Jones (NU) (12-3) vs. Max Thomusseit (PITT) (15-8)
197: John Schoen (NU) (12-5) vs. #10 Zac Thomusseit (PITT) (20-3)
285: Ben Kuhar (NU) (8-9) vs. #4 Ryan Tomei (PITT) (15-3)
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!