Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Indiana*
Northwestern Topped by Indiana
1/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 24, 2004
Northwestern-Indiana Results
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EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's wrestling team still seeks its first win in the Big Ten Conference.
A night after getting nipped by Purdue, the Wildcats (8-4, 0-3 Big Ten) were handed their third-straight loss, 19-12 to Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"We got off to a slow start and came out flat," said head coach Tim Cysewski. "We have to bring our 'A' game at all times, especially in this conference."
The Hoosiers (16-4, 1-1) began the match by winning the first four bouts and jumping to a 13-0 lead. One of those wins came against Jon Ott (Chesterfield, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit), who wrestled for the first time in 11 months after suffering a neck injury. He was edged 9-7 by Nick Spatola at 133 lbs.
Josh Ballard (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad) earned NU's first win of the day, an 8-2 decision over Cameron Sakon at 149 lbs. That victory cut Indiana's lead to 10.
Mike Kimberlin (Bradley, Ill./Bishop Martin McNamara) followed suit with a 3-2 decision over Matt Cooper at 157 lbs. The junior, who was the only Wildcat to against both Indiana and Purdue last year, repeated the feat this season, as he also was victorious last night against the Boilermakers.
Freshman sensation Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central), with his 1-0 decision over Nathan McMillin at 165 lbs., improved to 3-0 in Big Ten duals to begin his collegiate career. His win put the score at 13-9 in favor of the Hoosiers.
"The win felt great," said Hayes, whose current record now is 8-3. "I was able to learn a lot from watching matches while I was out with my knee surgery. I have finally gained a lot of confidence, and now I am getting out there and doing it."
Unfortunately for the 'Cats, they only took one of the next three bouts and consequently were unable to get Coach Cysewski his 100th-career win (99-136-5 overall).
The Wildcats will take on Missouri Baptist (12-6) at 4 p.m. today at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
