Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Adds Three to 2009-10 Recruiting Class
6/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
June 15, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Tim Cysewski, entering his 20th season at the helm of NU's wrestling program, has announced the addition of three more freshmen recruits in his incoming class. Kevin Bialka (Lockport, Ill./Lockport), Jeff Olsen (Marietta, Ga./Walton) and Terrance Scotton (Willingboro, N.J./Burlington) are set to join the Wildcats squad next fall.
The trio of newcomers joins David Helmer (McLean, Va./Langley) and Marcus Shrewsbury (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point)--each a state champion in their respective states--in their arrival to Northwestern, which lost just two seniors to graduation in 2009.
"This is an exciting group of wrestlers we have coming in next season and each of them is going to make a positive impact on our program," Cysewski said. "It's important to have good depth on your team so that each guy on your roster is forced to work as hard as he can every day in practice, and this group of recruits is certainly going to help in that regard."
Bialka comes to NU following a stellar career at Lockport where he was the state runner-up in Illinois at 152 pounds and claimed sectional, regional and conference championships in 2009, racking up a school-record 44 wins. Bialka won a freestyle title while training with the Overtime School of Wrestling in Naperville, Ill., where Jake Herbert--NU's two-time NCAA champion and 2009 Hodge Trophy winner--is currently on the staff.
Olsen brought home a state title in Georgia in 2008 wrestling at 171 pounds before placing second at 189 pounds as a senior in 2009, helping Walton to a runner-up finish in the team standings. He is a three-time region champion and finished his high school career with a record of 170-28. Earlier this year, Olsen was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his wrestling club, Team Georgia, with which he twice won the USA Wrestling Triple Crown and was a four-time Ohio Tournament of Champions winner.
Rounding out the group is Scotton, who was a regional third-place winner and a state qualifier en route to a 107-30 career record, becoming the first wrestler in Burlington High School history to reach the 100-career victories plateau. Scotton, an 11-year member of the Willingboro Recreation club team, was named first-team All-South Jersey Group II and in 2008 was declared the Ewing Christmas Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler. His father, Danny, was an NCAA qualifier while wrestling at Northwestern and his mother, Linda, was a gymnast and cheerleader for the Wildcats in her undergraduate years.
Complete bios for each individual are below:
Kevin Bialka
5'11 • 157
Lockport, Ill./Lockport
High School: Illinois state runner-up at 152 pounds as a senior, finishing the season with school-record 44 victories ... Totaled 63 near-falls, 20 pins and 10 tech falls ... Also won sectional, regional and conference championships as a senior ... Varsity captain ... 2009 freestyle champion while wrestling for Overtime School of Wrestling ... 2008 freestyle runner-up ... Team placed first in Southwest Suburban Conference as a senior ... National Honor Society member and named to the 2009 Academic All-State squad.
Personal: Born Kevin Robert Bialka on 2/27/1991 ... Son of John and Linda Bialka ... Competed against fellow NU recruit David Helmer in high school ... Chose Northwestern over Illinois.
Jeff Olsen
6'1 • 197
Marietta, Ga./Walton
High School: 2008 5A Georgia state champion at 171 pounds ... Named to 2008 Georgia All-State team and Georgia Coaches Dream Team ... State runner-up at 189 pounds as a senior in 2009 ... Three-time region champion ... Finished career with a 170-28 overall record ... Helped Walton to a second-place 5A state finish as a senior ... Two-time varsity captain ... Wrestled for Team Georgia club team and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2009 ... Two-time USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner and four-time Ohio Tournament of Champions winner.
Personal: Born Jeffrey Robert Olsen on 2/16/1991 ... Son of Scott and Leslie Olsen ... Older brother Andy wrestles for Harvard ... Chose Northwestern over North Carolina ... Anticipated major is psychology.
Terrance Scotton
5'1 • 125
Willingboro, N.J./Burlington Township
High School: Finished with a career record of 107-30, becoming the first wrestler in school history to top 100 career wins ... New Jersey state tournament qualifier ... Won third place in regional competition and had finishes of third, third and second in district tournament ... Named an All-South Jersey Group II All-Star and a Burlington County Scholastic League First-Team All-Star ... In four years at the Ewing Christmas Tournament, placed first two times and second two times, taking home Most Outstanding Wrestler honors as a senior in 2008 ... Team was ranked in the top 15 in New Jersey and posted a school-best 21-4 mark in 2008-09 ... Two-time varsity captain ... Competed for the Willingboro Recreation Club and was a medal-winner of Grapevine League Wrestling ... 2007 Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA) Eastern National champion ... National Honor Society member ... Drum major of high school marching band.
Personal: Born Terrance Lamont Scotton on 9/22/1991 ... Son of Danny and Linda Scotton ... Father is a former wrestler and 1982 NCAA qualifier for Northwestern, where NU head coach Tim Cysewski was his assistant coach ... Mother is a former gymnast and cheerleader at Northwestern ... Chose Northwestern over Howard ... Anticipated majors are creative writing and drama.
