Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Head South for Lone Star State Showdowns
1/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 13, 2010
Lone Star Duals Match Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Led by 15th-ranked 149-pounder Andrew Nadhir, Northwestern heads to Texas Saturday to join the field at the annual Lone Star Duals tournament. The 'Cats, making their first trip to the event since 2003, are slated to meet the Air Force Academy, Brown and No. 11 Oklahoma at South Grand Prairie High School outside Dallas, Texas.
Northwestern head coach Tim Cysewski brought his squad to Dallas for the event three years in a row from 2001-03. His team's match schedule for Saturday is as follows:
8 a.m.: Air Force Academy (1-3)
10 a.m.: No. 11 Oklahoma (8-1-1)
6 p.m.: Brown (2-1)
NATIONAL RANKING SUITS NADHIR JUST FINE
Junior Andrew Nadhir (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) has proven himself to be the most consistent performer in the Wildcat lineup in 2009-10, going 14-3 and coming out on top in all eight of his dual match bouts thus far. His 14 victories and eight dual wins each match his totals for all of last season. Following a 3-2 win over then-ninth-ranked Mario Mason of Minnesota at the Midlands Championships, Nadhir made his first appearance in the InterMat rankings, debuting at No. 17 on Jan. 5. In his first career matches as a ranked wrestler, Nadhir polished off Central Michigan's Justin McDermitt by major decision and later pinned Missouri's Brandon Wiest during Northwestern's stint at the NWCA National Duals last Saturday.
TRUE FRESHMEN PERMEATE NU's LINEUP
Northwestern has been relying on the contributions of numerous true freshmen this season. The following is a weight-by-weight look at those newcomers making a positive difference in NU's dual lineup:
125: In the absence of redshirting All-American Brandon Precin, Levi Mele (Vernal, Utah/Uintah) is making the most of his opportunity as a starter at 125. Mele, 22, is coming into his own as a college wrestler following a two-year Mormon mission in the southcentral United States. He is 6-3 on the year and at Midlands defeated Northern Illinois' Izzy Montemayor 7-6 after losing to the Huskie 4-3 on Dec. 3.
157: Similar to Mele's position at 125, Kevin Bialka (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) earned the starting position held last year by NCAA qualifier Jason Welch, who is also redshirting the 2009-10 campaign. Bialka 6-8 on the year but has made significant strides in recent outings, avenging an earlier loss 17th-ranked Bryan Deutsch of NIU with a win at Midlands. He also put forth a strong effort at the National Duals with a win over CMU's Donnie Corby.
184: Marcus Shrewsbury (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) has been splitting time with Aaron Jones and is coming into his own as a college wrestler. Shrewsbury is 3-5 overall with a win at Cleveland State in his most recent dual outing.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force enters the Lone Star Duals with a 1-3 record, losing a close 20-16 match to Southern Oregon in addition to a pair of blowout losses against Oregon State and Ohio. The Falcons are led by 141-pounder Cole VonOhlen, a true freshman who has run his record to 15-4 following a fifth-place showing at the Southern Scuffle tournament on Dec. 30. For NU head coach Tim Cysewski, Saturday will mark the first time in his 20 years at the helm in Evanston that the Wildcats and Falcons have squared off in a dual match.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Eleventh-ranked Oklahoma brings an 8-1-1 record to the Lone Star Duals following an impressive third-place finish at the Virginia Duals, where the Sooners knocked off No. 14 Penn State after falling to Lehigh in the semifinals. Three OU wrestlers--Jarrod Patterson (125), Tyler Caldwell (165) and Nathan Fernandez (HWT)--have already eclipsed the 15-win plateau this season while two others--Jeff James (174) and Eric Lapotsky (197)--have coasted to perfect 6-0 dual records. Lapotsky was one win away from becoming an All-American at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
At 2-1 on the year, Brown is coming off a thrilling 18-17 victory over Hofstra on Saturday. Senior Stephen DeLorenzo (141) has won his last three matches for the Bears, most recently a 3-1 decision against Hofstra's Luke Vaith. Brown is led by head coach Dave Amato, who is in his 26th season at the helm in Providence. The 'Cats and Bears have not met in a dual since Northwestern's 2002 trip to the Lone Star Duals, where Brown managed a 21-17 victory.
