The Wildcats have been idle since Nov. 13, when they participated in the 2005 Michigan State Open.
In the tournament, Northwestern had three wrestlers earn titles in their respective weight classes, while placing eight overall.
Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) went 4-0 at the open, beating Michigan State's 2005 All-American Andy Simmons, 6-5, in the title bout to take home the 141-pound crown. For his efforts in the tournament, Lang was named Michigan State Open Most Outstanding Wrestler, Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and Themat.com Wrestler of the Week.
Sophomore Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) also had a successful tournament. Herbert went 4-0 for the weekend by outscoring his opponents 36-7 and recording a first-round fall en route to the 174-pound title.
Herbert, a 2005 All-American, was also invited to participate in the 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic, hosted by Oklahoma State on Nov. 21. Herbert won his match against Nebraska's No. 4 Jacob Klein, 8-5.
This week, Northwestern looks to win its first dual competition of the season for the fourth-consecutive year.
Last season, the 'Cats got wins from Lang, Herbert, Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick), Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) and John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) to top the then-No. 23 Huskies, 21-13. A win over a top-25 team in the first dual of the season gave Northwestern an early boost of confidence, and the 'Cats finished the season ranked 14th.
This season, the 14th-ranked Wildcats enter as the favorite, bringing seven nationally ranked wrestlers--No. 6 Velez (125 lbs.), No. 9 Lang (141 lbs.), No. 2 Herbert (174 lbs.), No. 12 Tamillow (184 lbs.), No. 8 Delguyd (197 lbs.), No. 19 Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) (165 lbs.) and No. 5 Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) (285 lbs.)--into the match.
The toughest matches look to be at 149 lbs.--where No. 9 Lang faces No. 6 Mike Grimes--and 174 lbs.--where No. 2 Herbert faces No. 18 Danny Burke.
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