Northwestern University Athletics
Three Wildcats Draw AWN Top 10 Preseason Rankings
9/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Sept. 29, 2008
Complete AWN Division I Individual Rankings
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Amateur Wrestling News released its preseason individual rankings on Saturday and put the spotlight on three Wildcat wrestlers: junior Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), sophomore Keith Sulzer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward) and senior Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). AWN tabbed Herbert as the top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds while ranking Precin third at 125 pounds and Sulzer 10th in the 141-pound weight class.
Herbert, who in 2006-07 went a perfect 32-0 and captured the national championship at 184, returns to competition for Northwestern after taking a year off to train for the 2008 Olympics. In three seasons wrestling for NU, Herbert has compiled a 115-4 record and a 47-1 mark in dual matches. He earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors on his way to the championship and will be out for his third Big Ten title when he takes to the mats this year.
In 2007-08, Precin earned All-American honors for the first time in his career and finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. He finished the year with a 37-9 record after starting the season on a 21-match winning streak. Precin took top seed and eventual-NCAA champ Angel Escobedo of Indiana to the wire in the NCAAs, falling in the second overtime by riding time.
Sulzer will look to build on a freshman campaign in which he qualified for the NCAA tournament and finished 17-9 at 141 pounds. He finished the regular season unbeaten in Big Ten duals (5-0) and placed fourth in his first Big Ten Championships.
Northwestern has finished in the top 15 nationally in each of the past four seasons. NU opens its season Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing, Mich.
