EVANSTON, Ill. – Wrestling season is finally here for the Northwestern Wildcats. The 2015-16 season is a special one for Chicago's Big Ten Team as the program celebrates its 100th season of competition.
Interim head coach Matt Storniolo leads a dynamic mix of veterans and underclassmen into a season that sees the Wildcats wrestle one of the most competitive schedules in the country.
Nine Big Ten schools are ranked by Intermat in both the dual and tournament rankings as of Nov. 10, one of which is Northwestern. The Wildcats wrestle each of the other eight this season, including No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 22 Minnesota at home in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
100 Years of Northwestern Wrestling
Northwestern wrestling is celebrating its 100th year during the 2015-16 season. The first organized wrestling took place at Northwestern University in 1915 and 1916. Since that time, the Wildcats have produced 10 national champions, 40 Big Ten champions and 63 All-Americans. The team has finished as high as fourth at the NCAA championships twice - in 1990 and again in 2007.
In the Polls
Jason Tsirtsis is ranked first at 149 lbs. by InterMat, The Open Mat and FloWrestling to begin the 2015-16 season. The redshirt junior has won consecutive Big Ten titles, is a two-time All-American and won the 2014 national championship at 149 lbs.
Senior Dominick Malone is ranked 13th by InterMat at 125 lbs., but Malone is projected to wrestle at 133 lbs., where he wrestled all of last season. Malone was 22-19 and earned an NCAA berth.
Johnny Sebastian is coming off a 17-3 redshirt freshman campaign where he wrestled unattached. Sebastian opens the 2015-16 season at No. 16 in the InterMat rankings.
Bryce Brill, another redshirt freshman, is No. 19 in the The Open Mat's initial poll at 157 lbs. Brill began last season 4-0 before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Veterans
Northwestern will rely on a steady senior class to provide leadership to a young roster. The first three weight classes for the Wildcats are comprised of senior starters. Garrison White (125), Dominick Malone (133) and Jameson Oster (141) have 130 career wins between them, and Malone and Oster qualified for the NCAA tournament a year ago.
Two-time Big Ten champ and All-American and 2014 national champion Jason Tsirtsis will hold down the 149 lbs. spot. The redshirt-junior has posted a 71-5 record in his first seasons and ranks second on the program's all-time winning percentage list at .934.
Young, but Talented
The Wildcats' projected lineup features five underclassmen, four of whom are redshirt freshmen. Bryce Brill, Johnny Sebastian, Regis Durbin and Conan Jennings will all contribute significantly this season after redshirting and wrestling unattached last year. Sophomore Mitch Sliga will be a starter for the second straight year.
The current freshman class is also very talented. 285-pounder Zack Chakonis was the top-ranked amateur heavyweight in the country coming out of high school. Luke Norland won a Minnesota state championship and was ranked 15th in the nation at 170 lbs., while local talent Alec McKenna is the winningest wrestler in New Trier High School history.
Braxton Cody, Ian Cramer, Jason Ipsarides, Anthony Petrone and Anthony Rubinetti round out the eight-man freshman class.
Biggest Midlands Ever
The 53rd annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships is going to be something special. Forty-two teams and more than 400 competitors are set to converge upon Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 29-30. The two-day, all-day event will feature some of the best teams and wrestlers in the country. Nine Big Ten programs and 10 ranked teams overall will be in attendance.
The finals will once again be televised live by the Big Ten Network. The championship round is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Interim head coach Matt Storniolo leads a dynamic mix of veterans and underclassmen into a season that sees the Wildcats wrestle one of the most competitive schedules in the country.
Nine Big Ten schools are ranked by Intermat in both the dual and tournament rankings as of Nov. 10, one of which is Northwestern. The Wildcats wrestle each of the other eight this season, including No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 22 Minnesota at home in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
100 Years of Northwestern Wrestling
Northwestern wrestling is celebrating its 100th year during the 2015-16 season. The first organized wrestling took place at Northwestern University in 1915 and 1916. Since that time, the Wildcats have produced 10 national champions, 40 Big Ten champions and 63 All-Americans. The team has finished as high as fourth at the NCAA championships twice - in 1990 and again in 2007.
In the Polls
Jason Tsirtsis is ranked first at 149 lbs. by InterMat, The Open Mat and FloWrestling to begin the 2015-16 season. The redshirt junior has won consecutive Big Ten titles, is a two-time All-American and won the 2014 national championship at 149 lbs.
Senior Dominick Malone is ranked 13th by InterMat at 125 lbs., but Malone is projected to wrestle at 133 lbs., where he wrestled all of last season. Malone was 22-19 and earned an NCAA berth.
Johnny Sebastian is coming off a 17-3 redshirt freshman campaign where he wrestled unattached. Sebastian opens the 2015-16 season at No. 16 in the InterMat rankings.
Bryce Brill, another redshirt freshman, is No. 19 in the The Open Mat's initial poll at 157 lbs. Brill began last season 4-0 before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Veterans
Northwestern will rely on a steady senior class to provide leadership to a young roster. The first three weight classes for the Wildcats are comprised of senior starters. Garrison White (125), Dominick Malone (133) and Jameson Oster (141) have 130 career wins between them, and Malone and Oster qualified for the NCAA tournament a year ago.
Two-time Big Ten champ and All-American and 2014 national champion Jason Tsirtsis will hold down the 149 lbs. spot. The redshirt-junior has posted a 71-5 record in his first seasons and ranks second on the program's all-time winning percentage list at .934.
Young, but Talented
The Wildcats' projected lineup features five underclassmen, four of whom are redshirt freshmen. Bryce Brill, Johnny Sebastian, Regis Durbin and Conan Jennings will all contribute significantly this season after redshirting and wrestling unattached last year. Sophomore Mitch Sliga will be a starter for the second straight year.
The current freshman class is also very talented. 285-pounder Zack Chakonis was the top-ranked amateur heavyweight in the country coming out of high school. Luke Norland won a Minnesota state championship and was ranked 15th in the nation at 170 lbs., while local talent Alec McKenna is the winningest wrestler in New Trier High School history.
Braxton Cody, Ian Cramer, Jason Ipsarides, Anthony Petrone and Anthony Rubinetti round out the eight-man freshman class.
Biggest Midlands Ever
The 53rd annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships is going to be something special. Forty-two teams and more than 400 competitors are set to converge upon Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 29-30. The two-day, all-day event will feature some of the best teams and wrestlers in the country. Nine Big Ten programs and 10 ranked teams overall will be in attendance.
The finals will once again be televised live by the Big Ten Network. The championship round is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30.