Northwestern University Athletics
Pre-Seeds Announced for Big Ten Wrestling Championships
2/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 27, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's 13th-ranked wrestling team has seven wrestlers pre-seeded for the 2006 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, the conference office announced Monday. Leading the way for the Wildcats is sophomore All-American Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) who is the top pre-seed at 174 lbs. The 'Cats also boast two No. 3 pre-seeds, as well as a No. 4, five, six and seven. The pre-seeds are determined by voting from the conference's head coaches.
Herbert takes his perfect 28-0 season record into the weekend and looks to win his first Big Ten title. Herbert, who is the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 174 lbs., is riding a 34-match winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the country. Herbert finished second at the 2005 Big Ten Championships when he was edged by Illinois' Pete Friedl in the match's final seconds.
Senior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) looks to become only the sixth wrestler in NU history to repeat as conference champion when he enters this weekend as the No. 3 pre-seed at 197 lbs. Delguyd has compiled a 25-7 record this season and has moved into tenth-place on Northwestern's all-time wins list with 102 career victories.
Northwestern's other No. 3 pre-seed is senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings). Velez enters the championships with a 20-6 record, including a 6-2 conference mark. Velez finished sixth at the 2005 Big Ten Championships.
Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) has earned the No. 4 pre-seed at 285 lbs. Fox, who finished fourth at the championships last season, has compiled a 23-8 overall record this season, including a 5-3 conference mark.
At 141 lbs., sophomore Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) has been selected as the No. 5 pre-seed. Lang enters the weekend with a 15-4 overall record and a 7-3 dual record this season. Lang finished in fourth place at the conference championships in 2005.
Sophomore Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) has received the No. 6 pre-seed in the 184-pound weight class. While tabbed as No. 6, Tamillow has competed admirably versus some higher seeded opponents -- he fell to No. 3 pre-seed Roger Kish of Minnesota and No. 5 Paul Bradley of Iowa by a combined five points, and he topped Illinois' No. 4 pre-seed Pete Friedl 5-4 in Northwestern's upset of then-No. 3 Illinois earlier this season.
Senior Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) rounds out the list for Northwestern as he has garnered a No. 7 pre-seed in his first trip to the Big Ten Championships. Durkee stands at 18-10 overall this season.
The 2006 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, at Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 3.
