Northwestern University Athletics
No. 17 Northwestern Hosts No. 14 Penn State
2/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 9, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - For the fifth time in their last six matches, the Wildcat wrestling squad will battle a top-25 opponent. This time it's the 14th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, who come to Welsh-Ryan Arena Saturday, Feb. 12 for a 7 p.m. bout.
The Nittany Lions will be on limited rest, as they are set to wrestle third-ranked Illinois in Champaign Friday, Feb. 11.
Most recently, Penn State cruised to a 34-13 victory over Lock Haven on Feb. 8. The Nittany Lions and Bald Eagles each forfeited one match -- Penn State at 133 lbs. and Lock Haven at 149 lbs. -- and Penn State won six of eight bouts wrestled all by major decision or fall.
The win moved Penn State to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten.
Northwestern enters Saturday's match with a 9-3 overall mark and an identical 2-3 record in conference action.
Penn State has five wrestlers currently ranked in the nation's top-20, while the Wildcats boast six.
Freshman Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) is the highest ranked Wildcat, currently No. 3 at 174 lbs. Herbert is a perfect 21-0 on the year and holds a team-best 5-0 mark in conference matches.
After not competing in Northwestern's past two dual matches, freshman Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edwards) moved up a spot in the 141-lb. rankings to 10th. Lang is also flawless in the Big Ten with a 3-0 record.
Junior John Velez (Kings Mills/Ohio/Kings) ranks 11th at 125 lbs. Like Lang, Velez also was out of the lineup this past weekend against Michigan State, but will look to return and improve upon his 10-2 season record.
After going 1-1 over the weekend, with a narrow 1-0 loss to second-ranked Cole Konrad of Minnesota, freshman Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) held strong as the nation's 13th-ranked heavyweight.
Junior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield Heights) has a team-high 23 wins on the year and recently moved up a spot in the 197-lb. rankings to 16th.
Freshman Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) also ranks 16th at 184 lbs. Tamillow is tied with senior Mike Kimberlin (Bradley, Ill./Bishop Martin McNamara) for second-most wins on the team, each with 22.
Following this weekend, Northwestern has two Big Ten matches remaining on its schedule. The `Cats are at intra-state rival Illinois Feb. 17 before closing the conference season at home against 13th-ranked Wisconsin, Feb. 20.
