Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Unveils Schedule for 2009-10 Campaign
7/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
July 23, 2009
2009-10 Wrestling Schedule
EVANSTON, Ill. -- With three NCAA qualifiers and nine of 10 dual starters returning from last year's lineup, Northwestern has announced a rigorous 2009-10 schedule that includes six home events. The season includes a program-best fifth straight invitation to the prestigious NWCA National Duals in January as well as the first edition of the NU Duals (Nov. 14) since 2006.
Northwestern's campaign officially begins on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Eastern Michigan Open. The following week, the Wildcats square off with St. Cloud State, Stanford and Purdue in the Northwestern Duals at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northern Iowa, North Central and Eastern Michigan are also slated to be part of the field at this year's NU Duals.
“We're really looking forward to hosting a dual tournament early in the year to help us prepare for the rest of the season,” said head coach Tim Cysewski, now in his 20th season at the helm for Northwestern. “Jason Borrelli has Stanford on the rise and certainly Purdue is a tough test. We'll have a challenging day of competition that afternoon but I know the guys are looking forward to it.”
From there, Cysewski and the Wildcats kick off their official dual season with three consecutive road matches. First on the docket is a return trip to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a dual with Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Northwestern visits Northern Illinois and Cleveland State in the month of December before coming back to Evanston to host the 47th Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena Dec. 29-30. Two-time All-American Brandon Precin (125) will be out to defend the Midlands title he captured as a junior in 2008.
Once again, NU begins the new year with a trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, an invitational tournament comprised of the top wrestling programs in the nation. The Lone Star Duals in Dallas, Texas, (Jan. 16) present another stiff one-day test for the 'Cats as they take on Air Force, Brown and either Harvard or Oklahoma.
“For us to compete at Midlands, National Duals and Lone Star Duals in a matter of three weeks is a great opportunity to see where we stand midseason,” Cysewski said. “Everyone in our lineup will have numerous chances to face NCAA qualifiers and start building their own resumes for when NCAA selection time rolls around.”
NU returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 22 to face Southern Illinois before opening the Big Ten schedule with a home bout vs. Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 24. The 'Cats stay in town to host in-state foe Illinois the following weekend before heading off on a four-match road swing against Big Ten opponents. NU concludes the regular season against Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.
This year's Big Ten Championships will be contested in Ann Arbor, Mich., while the site of the NCAA Championships shifts to Omaha, Neb., after two years in St. Louis.
Despite losing two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Jake Herbert to graduation, Northwestern returns a strong lineup in 2009-10 that includes a trio of NCAA qualifiers from a year ago, including a national third-place finisher in Precin at 125 pounds.
