Northwestern University Athletics
It's Big Ten Championships Time for NU
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 2, 2004
Northwestern Game Notes for Big Ten Championships
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EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's wrestling team (9-9, 0-8 Big Ten) heads to the Big Ten Championships this week, held March 6-7 at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, with a squad that head coach Tim Cysewski thinks will produce several qualifiers to the NCAA Tournament.
"I think the team is ready to wrestle well in the Championships, as we have been focusing on it all year," said Cysewski. "Every weight class is deep, so our guys have to wrestle their best to make NCAAs, which I am confident they will. The tournament is a new season for us."
Five NU wrestlers earned seeds this year, headed by Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central), who picked up the sixth seed at 165 lbs. Hayes and the other nine 'Cats entered in the Championships will know their opponents on Friday when brackets are announced.
In 2003, then-senior Jason Erwinski took seventh at 165 lbs. to become NU's lone qualifier for the NCAA Tournament. As a whole, the Wildcats had 12.0 points to end up in 11th place.
Session 1 will begin at 11 a.m. (ET) Saturday, followed by Session 2 at 6 p.m. The third session will be held the next day at noon, and the final session will start at 2 p.m. All competition will take place at St. John Arena.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO BUCKS or online at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The Ohio State Athletic Ticket Office is located in the southeast rotunda of the Jerome Schottenstein Center and is open Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
As preview of the Wildcats by each weight class follows:
125 lbs. -- No. 7 seed John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings), R-S Sophomore, 26-8 overall, 1-4 Big Ten: Velez has had an excellent season, winning the Beast of the East Invitational and claiming fourth place at the Michigan State Open. From November to December, he had a 14-match winning streak. Velez, ranked 12th by InterMat, also was 10-0 in nonconference dual action.
133 lbs. -- Jon Ott (Chesterfield, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit), Sophomore, 2-5 overall, 2-5 Big Ten: Ott returns from season-ending neck surgery to a spot in the lineup, where he has recorded two conference wins, the most recent of which was a major decision in NU's match against third-ranked Michigan.
141 lbs. -- Paul Augle (Tinley Park, Ill./Providence Catholic), Senior, 5-12 overall, 0-7 Big Ten: Augle posted a 5-1 record in nonconference dual matches this season, in a busy year in which he participated in the NU Duals, the Beast of the East and the Midlands Wrestling Championships.
149 lbs. -- No. 7 seed Josh Ballard (Carlsbad, N.M./Carlsbad), Senior, 18-14 overall, 2-6 Big Ten: Ballard started off the season well, grabbing second place at the Michigan State Open, then following that with a 3-0 record at the Northern Illinois Duals. He ended the season with a 7-3 nonconference record.
157 lbs. -- No. 8 seed Mike Kimberlin (Bradley, Ill./Bishop Martin McNamara), Junior, 20-11 overall, 3-5 Big Ten: Kimberlin is one of three NU wrestlers that reached the 20-win plateau this season, and one of those victories came against No. 5 seed Brad Harper of Purdue. Kimberlin's accomplishments include taking fourth place at the Beast of the East and advancing to the third session of the Midlands Wrestling Championships.
165 lbs. -- No. 6 seed Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central), Freshman, 11-6 overall, 5-3 Big Ten: Hayes' conference record is best on the team. He strung together seven-consecutive wins from January to February, including an upset of a 20th-ranked opponent from Illinois.
174 lbs. -- Andrew Curran (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel), Senior, 9-12 overall, 0-5 Big Ten: Curran notched three wins at the Beast of the East to help NU take fourth place. He also tallied three victories by fall this season.
184 lbs. -- Joseph Gulotta (Meraux, La./Brother Martin), R-S Freshman, 4-21 overall, 0-8 Big Ten: Gulotta competed in every single dual match this season, making for an active season. He went 2-1 at both the Beast of the East and the Northwestern Duals, and he competed at the Midlands Wrestling Championships.
197 lbs. -- No. 8 seed Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield), Sophomore, 21-6 overall, 4-4 Big Ten: Delguyd had an 11-match winning streak from November to December, en route to having the best record on the team. He also finished second at the Beast of the East, and went undefeated in nonconference dual action. Delguyd's resume includes a win over No. 4 seed Pat DeGain of Indiana back in late January.
Heavyweight -- Michael Little (El Reno, Okla./El Reno), Senior, 13-12 overall, 1-7 Big Ten: Little took second place at the Beast of the East and went 2-0 at the Northern Illinois Duals to cap off his final season at NU. He also posted five wins by fall.
