Big Ten preview: No. 1 Hawkeyes heavily favored, five past NCAA champions in the field
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by Craig Sesker
The Big Ten Championships are always one of the best college events of the season. And this year is no exception.
The Big Ten tournament is set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at Penn State University.
The Big Ten already has secured 61 automatic berths for the NCAA Championships. The league will gain more qualifiers for nationals when an additional 52 at-large qualifiers will be announced by the NCAA on March 11.
Returning Big Ten and NCAA champion Iowa is heavily favored to repeat as Big Ten champions.
Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the nation's top 20 by InterMat. They include No. 1 Iowa, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Illinois, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 18 Michigan, No. 19 Northwestern, No. 22 Indiana and No. 25 Purdue.
Iowa rolled to the title at the National Duals and has eight wrestlers ranked in the top seven in the country.
The Big Ten features five past NCAA champions in Indiana's Angel Escobedo (125 pounds), Ohio State's J Jaggers (141), Iowa's Brent Metcalf (149), Ohio State's Mike Pucillo (184) and Northwestern's Jake Herbert (184).
Metcalf won the Hodge Trophy last year as the nation's best college wrestler.
Here is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the 2009 Big Ten Championships:
125 POUNDS
Escobedo is the returning Big Ten and NCAA champion, but he enters this tournament ranked fifth in the nation.
Northwestern's Brandon Precin is ranked third nationally after scoring a pin over Iowa's Charlie Falck, who is ranked fourth.
Falck owns a win over Escobedo, but Falck also fell to No. 8 Zach Sanders of Minnesota in a recent dual meet.
Falck and Precin are returning All-Americans.
Penn State's Brad Pataky is another wrestler to watch here.
TheMat.com's pick: Escobedo
133 POUNDS
This weight class alone will be worth more than the price of admission.
Five of the top six ranked wrestlers in the country at 133 will compete in the Big Ten Championships.
The group includes returning All-Americans Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois and Jayson Ness of Minnesota along with World University silver medalist Reece Humphrey.
Gomez, the returning Big Ten champion, is ranked second in the country. Kennedy is ranked third, Humphrey fourth and Ness sixth.
But Iowa's Dan Dennis towers above them all as the top-ranked wrestler in the country.
Dennis has been one of the surprise stories in college wrestling this year. He is starting ahead of Hawkeye teammate Joey Slaton, who finished second at the 2008 NCAA meet.
The hard-nosed, aggressive style of Dennis has been the key to his run of success this season.
Also in this class, Penn State's Jake Strayer is ranked ninth in the nation.
TheMat.com's pick: Dennis
141 POUNDS
Jaggers is the returning national champion here, but is not the favorite after an up-and-down regular season.
Wisconsin senior Zach Tanelli has turned in a superb season and is ranked No. 1 in the country. Tanelli won the Midlands Championships and has been on a roll ever since.
Returning Big Ten champion Kellen Russell of Michigan is ranked second nationally. The sophomore is eager for another shot at the NCAAs, where he fell one win short of All-American honors in 2008.
Third-ranked Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa also is in the mix here. Tsirtsis is lethal on his feet, but has struggled when he doesn't go to his offense enough.
Don't count Jaggers out. He obviously proved he can perform when the stakes are highest. Plus, this is his last shot as a senior.
Minnesota sophomore Mike Thorn is ranked No. 8 in the nation.
TheMat.com's pick: Russell
149 POUNDS
Metcalf hasn't been seriously challenged all year and is in the mix to repeat as Hodge Trophy winner.
Metcalf didn't face NCAA runner-up Bubba Jenkins of Penn State or All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State during the regular season.
Metcalf beat Jenkins 14-8 the last time they met, in the 2008 NCAA finals. Metcalf edged Palmer 3-2 in the quarterfinals of that tournament. Metcalf is ranked No. 1 nationally, Jenkins is second and Palmer fourth.
Jenkins was a Junior World champion in freestyle in 2007.
Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell and Purdue's Jake Patacsil also are ranked in the nation's top 10. Ruschell is fifth and Patacsil seventh.
TheMat.com's pick: Metcalf
157 POUNDS
Mike Poeta of Illinois won this tournament last year en route to placing second in the NCAA meet.
Poeta is back healthy again and the senior has his sights set on winning a loaded weight class at nationals. Poeta is very slick and talented on his feet, and is tough to defend.
Poeta is ranked second in the country.
NCAA qualifier Kurt Kinser of Indiana and Northwestern freshman Jason Welch are ranked in the nation's top 15.
TheMat.com's pick: Poeta
165 POUNDS
This shapes up to be one of the most wide-open battles in the tournament.
True freshman Andrew Howe of Wisconsin is now ranked second in the country. Howe owns wins over third-ranked Colt Sponseller of Ohio State and fourth-ranked Ryan Morningstar of Iowa.
Howe has not allowed a takedown since the Midlands Championships.
Sponseller and Morningstar have elevated their level of wrestling considerably this year.
Sponseller did not even qualify for nationals last year and Morningstar looks much stronger after moving up from 157 to 165 this year.
Penn State's Dan Vallimont also can't be overlooked. Vallimont is unranked at 165 after placing third at NCAAs at 157 in 2008.
This weight class also includes No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois and No. 16 Luke Manuel of Purdue.
TheMat.com's pick: Sponseller
174 POUNDS
NCAA runner-up and returning Big Ten champion Steve Luke of Michigan has been ranked No. 1 all season.
Luke will face a challenge from Iowa's Jay Borschel, who placed third at the 2008 NCAAs. Borschel is ranked fourth.
Also at 174, Indiana's Trevor Perry is ranked 14th in the country and Penn State freshman Quentin Wright is 16th.
TheMat.com's pick: Luke
184 POUNDS
The Herbert-Pucillo matchup is one wrestling fans have been looking forward to all season.
Herbert won an NCAA title in 2007 and Pucillo won it all last year when Herbert sat out while taking an Olympic redshirt.
Herbert is ranked No. 1 and Pucillo is No. 2
All-American Phil Keddy of Iowa may prevent the Herbert-Pucillo matchup from happening. Keddy, who continues to improve, is now ranked third in the country and lost a one-point match to Herbert in a recent dual.
Keddy and Pucillo would meet in the semifinals.
Herbert is considered a top contender to make the U.S. World Team in freestyle in 2009.
Also in this class is No. 12 Jordan Blanton of Illinois, No. 13 A.J. Kissel of Purdue and No. 14 Anthony Biondo of Michigan.
TheMat.com's pick: Herbert
197 POUNDS
This could come down to a battle between third-ranked Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin and No. 6 Tyrel Todd of Michigan.
Both are returning All-Americans.
Iowa's Chad Beatty has made big strides in his second season at 197, after previously competing at 174. Beatty is ranked 15th.
TheMat.com's pick: Todd
HEAVYWEIGHT
This is another class that could be wide-open.
Iowa's Dan Erekson is the favorite. The former 197-pounder is ranked seventh in the nation.
Also in the mix is No. 8 John Wise of Illinois, No. 17 Ben Berhow of Minnesota and No. 18 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin.
Massey was an All-American in 2008.
Erekson and Wise provided one of the most entertaining bouts of the season when the teams faced off in a dual meet in Iowa City. Erekson pulled out a wild 9-8 win.
TheMat.com's pick: Erekson
TEAM RACE
The Hawkeyes are heavily favored to win this and it looks like the real battle will be for second place.
Ohio State looks capable of putting up its share of points with a number of proven wrestlers in its lineup. A number of other teams could be in the mix to finish second.
This promises to be another highly competitive event with an abundance of great matchups in nearly every division.
TheMat.com's pick: Iowa
The Big Ten tournament is set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at Penn State University.
The Big Ten already has secured 61 automatic berths for the NCAA Championships. The league will gain more qualifiers for nationals when an additional 52 at-large qualifiers will be announced by the NCAA on March 11.
Returning Big Ten and NCAA champion Iowa is heavily favored to repeat as Big Ten champions.
Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams are ranked in the nation's top 20 by InterMat. They include No. 1 Iowa, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Illinois, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 18 Michigan, No. 19 Northwestern, No. 22 Indiana and No. 25 Purdue.
Iowa rolled to the title at the National Duals and has eight wrestlers ranked in the top seven in the country.
The Big Ten features five past NCAA champions in Indiana's Angel Escobedo (125 pounds), Ohio State's J Jaggers (141), Iowa's Brent Metcalf (149), Ohio State's Mike Pucillo (184) and Northwestern's Jake Herbert (184).
Metcalf won the Hodge Trophy last year as the nation's best college wrestler.
Here is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the 2009 Big Ten Championships:
125 POUNDS
Escobedo is the returning Big Ten and NCAA champion, but he enters this tournament ranked fifth in the nation.
Northwestern's Brandon Precin is ranked third nationally after scoring a pin over Iowa's Charlie Falck, who is ranked fourth.
Falck owns a win over Escobedo, but Falck also fell to No. 8 Zach Sanders of Minnesota in a recent dual meet.
Falck and Precin are returning All-Americans.
Penn State's Brad Pataky is another wrestler to watch here.
TheMat.com's pick: Escobedo
133 POUNDS
This weight class alone will be worth more than the price of admission.
Five of the top six ranked wrestlers in the country at 133 will compete in the Big Ten Championships.
The group includes returning All-Americans Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois and Jayson Ness of Minnesota along with World University silver medalist Reece Humphrey.
Gomez, the returning Big Ten champion, is ranked second in the country. Kennedy is ranked third, Humphrey fourth and Ness sixth.
But Iowa's Dan Dennis towers above them all as the top-ranked wrestler in the country.
Dennis has been one of the surprise stories in college wrestling this year. He is starting ahead of Hawkeye teammate Joey Slaton, who finished second at the 2008 NCAA meet.
The hard-nosed, aggressive style of Dennis has been the key to his run of success this season.
Also in this class, Penn State's Jake Strayer is ranked ninth in the nation.
TheMat.com's pick: Dennis
141 POUNDS
Jaggers is the returning national champion here, but is not the favorite after an up-and-down regular season.
Wisconsin senior Zach Tanelli has turned in a superb season and is ranked No. 1 in the country. Tanelli won the Midlands Championships and has been on a roll ever since.
Returning Big Ten champion Kellen Russell of Michigan is ranked second nationally. The sophomore is eager for another shot at the NCAAs, where he fell one win short of All-American honors in 2008.
Third-ranked Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa also is in the mix here. Tsirtsis is lethal on his feet, but has struggled when he doesn't go to his offense enough.
Don't count Jaggers out. He obviously proved he can perform when the stakes are highest. Plus, this is his last shot as a senior.
Minnesota sophomore Mike Thorn is ranked No. 8 in the nation.
TheMat.com's pick: Russell
149 POUNDS
Metcalf hasn't been seriously challenged all year and is in the mix to repeat as Hodge Trophy winner.
Metcalf didn't face NCAA runner-up Bubba Jenkins of Penn State or All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State during the regular season.
Metcalf beat Jenkins 14-8 the last time they met, in the 2008 NCAA finals. Metcalf edged Palmer 3-2 in the quarterfinals of that tournament. Metcalf is ranked No. 1 nationally, Jenkins is second and Palmer fourth.
Jenkins was a Junior World champion in freestyle in 2007.
Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell and Purdue's Jake Patacsil also are ranked in the nation's top 10. Ruschell is fifth and Patacsil seventh.
TheMat.com's pick: Metcalf
157 POUNDS
Mike Poeta of Illinois won this tournament last year en route to placing second in the NCAA meet.
Poeta is back healthy again and the senior has his sights set on winning a loaded weight class at nationals. Poeta is very slick and talented on his feet, and is tough to defend.
Poeta is ranked second in the country.
NCAA qualifier Kurt Kinser of Indiana and Northwestern freshman Jason Welch are ranked in the nation's top 15.
TheMat.com's pick: Poeta
165 POUNDS
This shapes up to be one of the most wide-open battles in the tournament.
True freshman Andrew Howe of Wisconsin is now ranked second in the country. Howe owns wins over third-ranked Colt Sponseller of Ohio State and fourth-ranked Ryan Morningstar of Iowa.
Howe has not allowed a takedown since the Midlands Championships.
Sponseller and Morningstar have elevated their level of wrestling considerably this year.
Sponseller did not even qualify for nationals last year and Morningstar looks much stronger after moving up from 157 to 165 this year.
Penn State's Dan Vallimont also can't be overlooked. Vallimont is unranked at 165 after placing third at NCAAs at 157 in 2008.
This weight class also includes No. 15 Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois and No. 16 Luke Manuel of Purdue.
TheMat.com's pick: Sponseller
174 POUNDS
NCAA runner-up and returning Big Ten champion Steve Luke of Michigan has been ranked No. 1 all season.
Luke will face a challenge from Iowa's Jay Borschel, who placed third at the 2008 NCAAs. Borschel is ranked fourth.
Also at 174, Indiana's Trevor Perry is ranked 14th in the country and Penn State freshman Quentin Wright is 16th.
TheMat.com's pick: Luke
184 POUNDS
The Herbert-Pucillo matchup is one wrestling fans have been looking forward to all season.
Herbert won an NCAA title in 2007 and Pucillo won it all last year when Herbert sat out while taking an Olympic redshirt.
Herbert is ranked No. 1 and Pucillo is No. 2
All-American Phil Keddy of Iowa may prevent the Herbert-Pucillo matchup from happening. Keddy, who continues to improve, is now ranked third in the country and lost a one-point match to Herbert in a recent dual.
Keddy and Pucillo would meet in the semifinals.
Herbert is considered a top contender to make the U.S. World Team in freestyle in 2009.
Also in this class is No. 12 Jordan Blanton of Illinois, No. 13 A.J. Kissel of Purdue and No. 14 Anthony Biondo of Michigan.
TheMat.com's pick: Herbert
197 POUNDS
This could come down to a battle between third-ranked Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin and No. 6 Tyrel Todd of Michigan.
Both are returning All-Americans.
Iowa's Chad Beatty has made big strides in his second season at 197, after previously competing at 174. Beatty is ranked 15th.
TheMat.com's pick: Todd
HEAVYWEIGHT
This is another class that could be wide-open.
Iowa's Dan Erekson is the favorite. The former 197-pounder is ranked seventh in the nation.
Also in the mix is No. 8 John Wise of Illinois, No. 17 Ben Berhow of Minnesota and No. 18 Kyle Massey of Wisconsin.
Massey was an All-American in 2008.
Erekson and Wise provided one of the most entertaining bouts of the season when the teams faced off in a dual meet in Iowa City. Erekson pulled out a wild 9-8 win.
TheMat.com's pick: Erekson
TEAM RACE
The Hawkeyes are heavily favored to win this and it looks like the real battle will be for second place.
Ohio State looks capable of putting up its share of points with a number of proven wrestlers in its lineup. A number of other teams could be in the mix to finish second.
This promises to be another highly competitive event with an abundance of great matchups in nearly every division.
TheMat.com's pick: Iowa
