Among those on hand were Northwestern's back-to-back NCAA individual champions, Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) and Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). Fox, who twice reached All-American status, finished his collegiate career by taking home the championship in the heavyweight division last March in Saint Louis, claiming the first heavyweight title by a Wildcat since 1932.
Herbert is a three-time All-American who capped off his 32-0 2007 season with an NCAA crown in the 184-pound weight class. After taking one year off from Northwestern in an attempt to qualify for the Olympics, Herbert is back for NU as a sixth-year senior in search of his third Big Ten title and second NCAA championship.
Junior Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) earned All-American honors for the first time in 2008, finishing 37-9 overall and claiming seventh place at 125 pounds in the NCAA tournament. Precin and Herbert are joined this year by fellow NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds Keith Sulzer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward) and newcomers such as freshman Jason Welch (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas), winner of the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best high school wrestler as a senior.
Northwestern's student-athletes weren't the only members of the program receiving recognition on Saturday. Andrew Pariano, who was promoted to the position of associate head coach during the off-season, was acknowledged for being honored by the NWCA as Assistant Coach of the Year. Pariano, a 2000 graduate of Northwestern, is in his fourth year as a member of Northwestern's coaching staff.
NU opens the 2008-09 season on Nov. 9 at the Michigan State Open and hosts its first home match on Dec. 4 against Northern Illinois.
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