Northwestern University Athletics
The 2002-03 Wrestling Outlook
10/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 22, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's wrestling program has a lot to look forward to in 2002-03. NU returns eight of its 10 starters from last year and welcomes a strong incoming class for a season that marks the 40th Midlands Championships.
"We're looking for a good year," said head coach Tim Cysewski. "We have very talented kids returning who had a great offseason. At this stage, everyone's healthy unlike the last couple of years. We have great talent coming in to complement our seasoned veterans. We should improve tremendously.
"It's also the 40th Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern, which is one of the best amateur wrestling events around. All the great ones want to win it. The Midlands set the stage for individuals and teams to emerge for the rest of the season, and I hope we can do the same."
Back from their NCAA Championships appearances, John Giacche and Ryan Kane have all but locked up their weight classes. Giacche is coming off a 29-12 season, including a 16-4 mark in duals and 6-2 record in the Big Ten. He also finished sixth in the Big Ten Championships. Giacche, who wrestles at 141, came to Northwestern from Flemington, N.J. where he attended Blair Academy, one of the nation's best prep programs.
"John will probably be ranked and challenge for a Big Ten and national title," Cysewski said. "He had a great showing last year, and he followed that with a great summer. He's really focused on having a great senior year, and that's what we expect."
Kane, a Temecula, Calif. native, posted a 28-13 mark, qualifying for the NCAA Championships at 157 lbs. Kane went 15-3 in duals and 5-1 in conference.
"Ryan had a breakthrough sophomore season," Cysewski said. "Qualifying for nationals was a great experience for him, and I feel he'll have another great year."
Injury slowed the progress of a few Wildcats last year, including Jason Erwinski. The Tinley Park, Ill. native never found his comfort zone after knee surgery and finished the year with a 7-10 mark. Erwinski returns fully recovered and ready to contribute at 174 lbs.
"It's the first time he's been healthy in two years," Cysewski said. "He'll be a lineup regular for us as a senior."
Josh Ballard was thrown in the mix after a season-ending injury to former Wildcat Ryan Cumbee. Ballard could not find his rythm wrestling at 149, but Cysewski said he will be a mainstay there this year.
"He's one we feel could have a breakout year," Cysewski said. "Josh got off to a slow start last year because he was thrown into it in the middle of the season."
Tommy Vargas will start at 125. Vargas, a sophomore, started at 133 last season and went 6-15. Cysewski said he expects bigger things from Vargas, who, at his natural wrestling weight, is more confident. Redshirt freshman Jon Ott, a former two-time state champion from Missouri, is ready to take over at 133 after seeing limited duties last year. At 157, Mike Kimberlin, who won two Illinois state titles, is back after starting as a true freshman and going 13-18.
In the upper weight classes, junior Brendan Curran could get the nod at 184. Curran showed promise, winning 14 more matches last season than the one before. Michael Little returns as the top heavyweight competitor. Little, a junior, gained a lot of experience after wrestling 30 matches and should make major strides.
The one true freshman expected to come in and contribute this year is Matt Delguyd, who is an All-American from Mayfield, Ohio. Delguyd will likely be the starter at 197.
"Matt had a great high school career," Cysewski said. "He was ranked as one of the top three wrestlers in the nation at his weight class. We think he'll have a major impact on the team right away. As for the other freshmen, we'll have to wait and see."
The rest of the class of 2006 adds talent and depth to the Wildcats. Scott Johnson, relatively unknown to the wrestling world, just returned from a mission after winning two state titles in Utah. Johnson will compete with Little for time at the heavyweight spot, and Cysewski said both will get their fair shot. Joseph Gulotta, a Meraux, La. native, also won two state titles but will have to battle for time behind Erwinski and Brendan Curran at 174 and 184 lbs.
Dan Quintela at 133 and Jimmy Kim at 149 add depth to the lower weight classes. Kim is a three-time state qualifier from East Peoria, Ill., and Quintela is a two-time state qualifier from St. Paul, Minn.
"It'll be difficult to get these true freshmen in the lineup," Cysewski said. "We have a bunch of seasoned wrestlers who have already been hardened for Big Ten competition, but we haven't had that for a while. So we feel comfortable with the experience we have out there.
"We're still young when you compare us to other Big Ten teams, but we feel like we can compete with anybody. It's just a matter of keeping a positive attitude and staying healthy."
