Quoting Coach Cysewski
"We have some matches that didn't go our way at Midlands and we'd like to turn those around," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "When we are at full strength, our lineup can compete with any team in the country."
Last Time Out
True freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) upset Penn State's seventh-ranked Mark McKnight to start the dual, but the Nittany Lions controlled the middle weights to defeat the 10th-ranked Wildcats Friday night, 25-8. Top-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) put on a show in his home state, winning by major decision at 184 lbs.
Sunday against Ohio State, Northwestern led 16-12 heading into the final two matches, but the Buckeyes won the last two bouts to top the Wildcats at St. Edward High School, 18-16. Herbert won the showcase match of the afternoon, topping Ohio State's third-ranked Mike Pucillo at 184 lbs., 11-5. The Buckeyes took an early 9-0 lead, but the Wildcats fought back to lead 13-12 with a win by Dustin Fox at heavyweight. Precin extended the lead to 16-12 with a win at 125, but OSU took the last two bouts to win the dual, 18-16.
Scouting the Hoosiers
No. 22 Indiana enters the weekend in the middle of a four-match losing streak, dropping contests to Illinois, Ohio State, Minnesota and N.C. State. The Hoosiers scored a victory against Purdue, 25-12, to open the Big Ten slate. Indiana features five ranked grapplers and are strong in all parts of the lineup. Matt Coughlin is ranked 18th at 149 lbs. and Brandon Becker is seventh at 157. Angel Escobedo, ranked seventh at 125 lbs., took home a Midlands title earlier this season while 133-pounder Andrae Hernandez cracked the top-20 in the rankings this week. Senior Marc Bennett is 11th at 184.
Keep Your Eye On
125: #20 Precin (NU) vs. #7 Escobedo (IU)
133: Metzler (NU) vs. #20 Hernandez (IU)
184: #1Herbert (NU) vs. #11 Bennett (IU)
Truly Spectacular
True freshman Brandon Precin has started every dual match for the 'Cats this season at 125 lbs. and has been a solid contributor in tournament action. Precin started the Big Ten season with losses against Illinois and Iowa, but has won his last three matches, including a win over Penn State's seventh-ranked Mark McKnight last weekend. The freshman is 28-10, 14-4 in dual matches and is currently ranked 20th by InterMat.
Herbert's Playground
Jake Herbert has owned the Big Ten in his two-plus seasons wrestling in the conference. The 184-pounder has not lost a Big Ten dual match since the 2004-05 season and owns a 20-1 career mark in conference. Herbert is 5-0 in Big Ten duals this year and made a big statement last weekend. He scored a 22-7 technical fall against Penn State before cruising to an 11-5 decision over Ohio State's third-ranked Mike Pucillo.
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