Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Heads to St. Louis for NCAA Championships
3/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
NCAA Championships Game Notes in PDF Format
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March 15, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Five Wildcats continue their postseason run this weekend by descending on the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo. for the NCAA Championships, set for Thursday through Saturday, March 17-19. The last time Northwestern sent five to nationals was in 1999, when the 'Cats finished 29th.
Freshmen Dustin Fox, Jake Herbert, and Ryan Lang, and juniors Matt Delguyd and John Velez aim to improve on Northwestern's 50th-place finish in 2004.
"All five of these guys competing this weekend have the ability to really go far in this tournament," Head Coach Tim Cysewski said.
Last year, four NU wrestlers -- Delguyd, Nick Hayes, Mike Kimberlin and Velez -- competed at the Championships. Delguyd and Velez were the most successful, each posting a 1-1 record on day one to advance to the second day of competition. The duo each won their first matches on day two, but dropped their subsequent bouts to finish the tournament 2-2. Hayes and Kimberlin did not make it out of day one, bowing out with 0-2 marks.
"Delguyd and Velez both earned valuable experience at last year's Championships," Cysewski said. "They need to show our freshmen what it's all about."
2005 NCAA Championships Schedule
Session 1 - Thursday, March 17 @ 11 a.m.
Session 2 - Thursday, March 17 @ 6:30 p.m.
Session 3 - Friday, March 18 @ 10 a.m.
Session 4 - Friday, March 18 @ 6 p.m.
Session 5 - Saturday, March 19 @ 9:30 a.m.
Session 6 - Saturday, March 19 @ 4 p.m.
A preview of Northwestern's NCAA Qualifiers by weight class follows:
125 lbs. -- John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) • R-S Junior • 16-5 overall • 5-1 Big Ten: Despite seeing limited action because of a shoulder injury, Velez fought his way to a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He finished the regular season strong with three-straight conference wins, including a victory over second-ranked Kyle Ott from Illinois. Velez won the Beast of the East Invitational and started the season 9-0 before dropping his first match at the Midlands. Velez is ranked 12th by InterMat and is seeded 11th heading into the NCAA Championships. This is his second-consecutive NCAA Championships bid.
141 lbs. -- Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward's) • R-S Freshman • 25-8 overall • 4-2 Big Ten: Lang put up a 2-2 mark in his first-career Big Ten Championships, finishing fourth. He is one of three freshmen (Herbert and Tamillow) to reach the 20-wins plateau this year. Lang won the Beast of the East Invitational and took second at the Michigan State Open. His 25 wins rank third on the team, behing Delguyd (28) and Herbert (26). Lang -- ranked 13th by InterMat -- is tied with Herbert for most wins by fall with six.
174 lbs. -- Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) • R-S Freshman • 26-2 overall • 7-1 Big Ten: Herbert finished second at the Big Ten Championships, recording one of his team-leading three technical falls along the way. His young career got off to a legendary start, as he won his first 22 matches, while claiming titles at the Beast of the East and Midlands Championships. As the No. 7 seed at the Midlands, Herbert upset the No. 2, 5 and 6 seeds en route to becoming NU's first individual champion since 1974. At one point, he was ranked as high as third in the nation. He is tied with Lang for most wins by fall with six and boasts a team-best No. 4 ranking by InterMat. Herbert enters the NCAA Championships seeded fourth.
197 lbs. -- Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) • Junior • 28-6 overall • 6-2 Big Ten: Delguyd won the Big Ten Championships, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Mark Bybee in 2000. For the second-consecutive year, Delguyd leads the 'Cats in wins (28) heading into the Championships. He posted a Wildcat-best fourth-place finish at last year's Championships. Delguyd finished first at the Beast of the East, seventh at the Midlands and went undefeated in nonconference dual action. He put together a 10-match winning streak from November to December and is ranked ninth by InterMat. This is Delguyd's second-consecutive NCAA Championships bid and he enters seeded eighth.
Heavyweight -- Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) • Freshman • 15-10 overall • 5-2 Big Ten: Fox went 2-2 at his first Big Ten Championships, finishing fourth. He also finished second at the Michigan State Open and fourth at the Beast of the East Invitational. He excelled in the Big Ten by posting a 5-2 mark, solidifying himself as one of the top heavyweights in the country. His biggest win came over then-seventh-ranked Matt Fields in NU's 22-19 win against Iowa (1/29). Fox is ranked 10th by InterMat and enters the NCAA Championships seeded 12th.
Wildcats' Session 1 Matchups
125 - No. 11 John Velez (NU) vs. Matt Pitts (Chattanooga)
141 - Ryan Lang (NU) vs. Roberto Vargas (Cal-State Bakersfield)
174 - No. 4 Jake Herbert (NU) vs. Jeremy Larson (Oregon State)
197 - No. 8 Matt Delguyd (NU) vs. Joe Phillips (Cleveland State)
Hwt. - No. 12 Dustin Fox (NU) vs. Clint Walbeck (Fresno State)
