Northwestern University Athletics
Six #B1GCats Ranked in Big Ten Championships Pre-Seeds
2/26/2018 3:45:00 PM | Wrestling
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Big Ten released pre-seeds Monday afternoon for the upcoming conference championships this weekend in East Lansing, Michigan. Six Wildcats are seeded in their respective weight classes, including three ranked at fifth or better.
The tournament will be a collection of the NCAA's best wrestlers, featuring nine past Big Ten champions and eight who have won a national title. Eleven of the conference's fourteen teams are ranked in the top-25 in the country.
NU is led by Ryan Deakin, slotted at No. 3 in the 149 lb. weight class. Deakin ranks first on the team with 28 wins on the season, including eight by fall — also good for the team lead. The newcomer has beaten three of the top twelve wrestlers at 149 lbs. this season, and finished 8-1 in the Big Ten, with his only loss coming in a controversial overtime penalty call against Iowa's Brandon Sorensen. Sorensen is ranked No. 2 in the nation and one of only two grapplers seeded ahead of Deakin.
At 125 lbs., fellow newcomer Sebastian Rivera will get the No. 4 seed to start the tournament. Rivera boasts a 22-3 record for the campaign, and his .880 winning percentage is the best on the squad. The Jackson, New Jersey, native has racked up four wins over nationally ranked opponents, including dominant defeats of then-No. 15 Travis Piotrowski (No. 9 seed) and current No. 18 Luke Welch (No. 6 seed).
Johnny Sebastian was awarded the fifth seed at 174, and will be looking to improve on his seventh-place finish at the championships last year. The redshirt junior tore through the dual season competition, finishing with an 11-2 mark and dropping only one Big Ten bout in a 2-1 decision to Dylan Lydy, ranked No. 12 in the country and seeded fourth for the tournament.
In the heavyweight division, Conan Jennings earned the No. 6 spot. Jennings ranks top four on the team in both victories and pins, and has rattled off victories in seven of his last eight dual matches. The weight class will be one of the most hotly-contested, as all five wresters seeded ahead of Jennings are ranked in the top-six in the country.
Zack Chakonis is slated at No. 7 in the conference in what will be his first appearance at the Big Ten Championships. Chakonis represented the 'Cats at 197 lbs. in seven of their nine conference matches, winning five of them. The sophomore recorded a win by fall over Christian Brunner of Purdue, who is seeded just ahead of him at No. 6, in NU's win over the Boilermakers on February 9.
The weekend's action will get underway Saturday, March 3 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, with Session I beginning at 9 a.m. CT. Session II will start at 5 p.m. Saturday evening, and Session III is set for 11 a.m. Sunday morning. The championship round will be held 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Sessions I through III will be streamed on BTN Plus via BTN2Go, while the final session will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
NORTHWESTERN BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS PRE-SEEDS:
The tournament will be a collection of the NCAA's best wrestlers, featuring nine past Big Ten champions and eight who have won a national title. Eleven of the conference's fourteen teams are ranked in the top-25 in the country.
NU is led by Ryan Deakin, slotted at No. 3 in the 149 lb. weight class. Deakin ranks first on the team with 28 wins on the season, including eight by fall — also good for the team lead. The newcomer has beaten three of the top twelve wrestlers at 149 lbs. this season, and finished 8-1 in the Big Ten, with his only loss coming in a controversial overtime penalty call against Iowa's Brandon Sorensen. Sorensen is ranked No. 2 in the nation and one of only two grapplers seeded ahead of Deakin.
At 125 lbs., fellow newcomer Sebastian Rivera will get the No. 4 seed to start the tournament. Rivera boasts a 22-3 record for the campaign, and his .880 winning percentage is the best on the squad. The Jackson, New Jersey, native has racked up four wins over nationally ranked opponents, including dominant defeats of then-No. 15 Travis Piotrowski (No. 9 seed) and current No. 18 Luke Welch (No. 6 seed).
Johnny Sebastian was awarded the fifth seed at 174, and will be looking to improve on his seventh-place finish at the championships last year. The redshirt junior tore through the dual season competition, finishing with an 11-2 mark and dropping only one Big Ten bout in a 2-1 decision to Dylan Lydy, ranked No. 12 in the country and seeded fourth for the tournament.
In the heavyweight division, Conan Jennings earned the No. 6 spot. Jennings ranks top four on the team in both victories and pins, and has rattled off victories in seven of his last eight dual matches. The weight class will be one of the most hotly-contested, as all five wresters seeded ahead of Jennings are ranked in the top-six in the country.
Zack Chakonis is slated at No. 7 in the conference in what will be his first appearance at the Big Ten Championships. Chakonis represented the 'Cats at 197 lbs. in seven of their nine conference matches, winning five of them. The sophomore recorded a win by fall over Christian Brunner of Purdue, who is seeded just ahead of him at No. 6, in NU's win over the Boilermakers on February 9.
The weekend's action will get underway Saturday, March 3 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, with Session I beginning at 9 a.m. CT. Session II will start at 5 p.m. Saturday evening, and Session III is set for 11 a.m. Sunday morning. The championship round will be held 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Sessions I through III will be streamed on BTN Plus via BTN2Go, while the final session will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
NORTHWESTERN BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS PRE-SEEDS:
- Sebastian Rivera (125) – 4th
- Ryan Deakin (149) – 3rd
- Michael Sepke (165) – 14th
- Johnny Sebastian (174) – 5th
- Zack Chakonis (197) – 7th
- Conan Jennings (285) – 6th
••••••
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, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
Wrestling - 'Cats Take Down Wisconsin, 27-11, on Senior Night (2/14/25)
Saturday, February 15
Wrestling - Seven 'Cats Claim Victory in 27-12 Win Over Michigan State (2/8/25)
Saturday, February 08
Wrestling - 'Cats Tame Mustangs, Take Down Cal Poly 29-14 (12/19/24)
Friday, December 20
Michael DeAugustino and Yahya Thomas Join 'Big Ten Wrestling & Beyond' (2/20/23)
Tuesday, February 21
