Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Set To Host Fourth-Ranked Minnesota Friday
2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 7, 2008
Northwestern Wrestling Notes (vs. Minnesota/at Michigan State) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In its only televised dual match of the season, the 11th-ranked Northwestern Wildcats are set to welcome fourth-ranked and defending national champion Minnesota to Welsh-Ryan Arena. First match is set for 6:30 p.m. and the dual will be televised live by the Big Ten Network with Tim Johnson and Mark Massery on the call. After Friday's match, the Wildcats head to East Lansing to face Michigan State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
"The Big Ten is extremely competitive and Minnesota is the returning NCAA team champion," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "Our guys are coming off of an emotional match against Penn State and our challenge will be to win the close matches and get bonus points in others. We are looking forward to competing."
Last Time Out
The Wildcats suffered a tough loss against the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions to open up the home Big Ten season. The 'Cats jumped out to an early lead, with three straight victories by seniors Mike Tamillow and Dustin Fox and sophomore Brandon Precin to give the team an early 9-0 advantage.
The Nittany Lions answered the early barrage, however, and come out on top despite another impressive win by Keith Sulzer at 141 lbs. this time over No. 10 Jake Strayer. Tamillow's victory came against Phil Davis, the No. 2 contender in the nation at 197 lbs. Six of the 10 matches were decided by three points or less, including a one-point double tiebreaker victory for Precin.
Keep Your Eye On...
125: #5 Precin (NU) vs. #1 Ness (Minn)
141: #17 Sulzer (NU) vs. #3 Rivera (Minn)
149: #5 Lang (NU) vs. #3 Schlatter (Minn)
174: #12 Hayes (NU) vs. #11 Dretsch (Minn)
Scouting the Golden Gophers...
No. 4 Minnesota comes into Welsh-Ryan Arena just one week removed from the No. 1 ranking in the nation. The Golden Gophers boast five top-five wrestlers in the nation, including No. 3 contenders Manuel Rivera at 141 lbs. and Dustin Schlatter at 149 lbs., and Jayson Ness, the top-ranked 125 lb. wrestler in the nation. This combo brings a combined record of 66-5 into the match.
The Series...
Minnesota leads the series, 37-17-1. Minnesota won the last time these two teams met with a 24-11 victory. The last win for the Wildcats came during the 1995-96 season, with a 25-9 win at home.
