While that is a difficult act to follow, coach Tim Cysewski believes the 2007-08 team cannot only match last year's squad, but improve on the strong finish, as well.
"Our team has the potential to become NCAA champions this year. We have a good complement of All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers coming back," Cysewski said. "At Northwestern, we know that we will be in the hunt for an NCAA title year-in and year-out and believe our recent recruiting is indicative of that."
Returning to this year's team are nine of the Wildcats' 10 starters, which includes three All-Americans in Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick). While on the way to garnering All-American status, Lang and Tamillow also collected Big Ten titles last season. Add in Herbert's Big Ten title and the 'Cats three conference crowns became the most individual champions NU has had since 1931. It is also the first time Northwestern has had more than one since 1990.
Lang returns to the team after his best year as a wrestler at Northwestern. The senior finished second at last year's NCAA Championships and scored two pins in his five matches while there. Lang also won the Big Ten Championship at 141 lbs by beating sixth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in the semifinals and 15th-ranked Kyle Ruschell in the finals. Overall at the Big Ten Championships, Lang put up a 4-0 record. The 141-lb. wrestler also won at the 44th Midlands, the NWCA All-Star Classic and the Eastern Michigan Open.
A 22-match winning streak to start the season helped Tamillow to a finish with a team-high 37 wins, including a 16-3 dual mark. The senior posted three wins at the NCAA Championships riding the victories to a seventh-place finish. At the Big Ten Championships, Tamillow won his first career Big Ten title, posting a 4-0 record with wins over ninth-ranked Patrick Bond in the semifinals and 10th-ranked J.D. Bergman in the finals. Wins in the Eastern Michigan Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions and the Midlands Championship helped Tamillow earn his first ever All-American honors.
Starting the season with a 14-match winning streak, Fox garnered a career-best 33-5 record that included going 13-2 in duals and 6-1 in the Big Ten. In the postseason, Fox won four of five matches in the Big Ten Championships for a third-place finish, which he then matched at the NCAA Championships. Following the 2006-07 season, Fox joined Lang, Herbert and Tamillow on the list of Northwestern All-Americans.
Also returning to the team are starters Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill./Conant) and Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central). Precin started every Big Ten dual for the 'Cats as a freshman and finished 2-2 in his first-ever NCAA Championships. Metzler also started each Big Ten dual for NU and finished sixth at the Midlands Championships defeating then-sixth-ranked and third-seeded Mario Galanakis of Iowa in the quarterfinals. Marella finished the year 6-17 overall and went undefeated in two matches at the NU duals. Hayes wrestled to a mark of 22-14 overall and made an appearance the NCAA Championships finishing seventh. Hayes was named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 13 after notching wins in each of Northwestern's duals against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois.
Pursuing an Olympic redshirt this year is National Champion, Jake Herbert. Herbert still has a year of eligibility left, but will not wrestle for the team this season.
"The Olympic redshirt is an opportunity that is rare for collegiate athletes. Most of our current US Olympic hopefuls in the sport of wrestling are post-graduates," Cysewski said.
"Jake is very fortunate to be considered for this program and we know that he will be a more seasoned wrestler upon his return to the NU team in 2008-09. He has already competed overseas at the University World Championships and we are hoping that he will once again have this opportunity in the coming months."
In addition to its nine returning starters, Cysewski has brought in an all-star crop of freshmen, who look to have an immediate impact on the program.
"I couldn't be happier with our freshmen class," Cysewski said. "Some of these guys are going to experience what Big Ten wrestling is all about this year."
Frank Battaglia (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) finished high school with a career record of 141-27 and finished first at the IHSA Regionals and Sectionals in 2007 and was an all-state selection his senior year.
Coming to NU as the No. 1 heavyweight prospect in the nation, big things are expected of Ben Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio/St. Edward) as well. Kuhar ended his high school career with a record of 50-13 and was a two-time Cadet Freestyle national champion on the No. 1 high school program in America, according to Amateur Wrestling News.
John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) was a two-time ESCC Champion and wrestled to top-three finishes in the state finals in 2006. Schoen also set school records for both takedowns and escapes, while taking the top position at the IHSA Regionals as a senior when he was named and ESCC Outstanding Wrestler. Schoen was ranked 11th nationally in his weight class by W.I.N. Magazine.
Perhaps the most highly touted recruit to join the Wildcats squad since Jake Herbert's arrival in Evanston is Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic). Benefiel overwhelmed his high school competition to the tune of a 195-4 record, won four-straight high school championships and holds the Illinois record for most career wins. His four titles put him in elite company with just eight other Illinois wrestlers to accomplish the feat in his four years. Additionally, Benefiel won the Cadet National Freestyle Championship, was an Ironman Champion in 2004 and was rated as the top high school prospect at his weight class by Intermatwrestle.com.
This season's schedule offers plenty of opportunity to return to the glory NU has experienced in the past with a familiar twist to it in the 45th annual Midlands Championships as a tune-up before the conference duals schedule starts.
Probable starters by weight class:
Brandon Precin, 125 lbs.: Posted 2-2 record at first NCAA Championships ... Finished seventh at Big Ten Championships by pinning Ohio State's Will Livingston ... Started every dual for the Wildcats at 125 lbs. in freshman season ... Entered season-opening Eastern Michigan Open unseeded and placed sixth ... Defeated top-seeded Mark Moos of Michigan in first collegiate match ... Captured third place at the Reno Tournament of Champions with wins over Oklahoma State's then-18th-ranked Tyler Schinn and Central Michigan's then-13th ranked Luke Smith ... Eighth at the 2006 Midlands Championships ... Scored a technical fall against Cornell's Luis Salinas at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (1/13) ... First win against a Big Ten opponent came in a triple overtime win over Collin Cudd of Wisconsin (1/26) ... Upset Penn State's then-seventh-ranked Mark McKnight in dual match (2/2) ... Topped Michigan's Mike Watts in last Big Ten dual (2/18).
Eric Metzler, 133 lbs.: Started every Big Ten dual at 133 lbs. ... Earned a major decision over Chicago's Ben Hart at the NU Duals (11/12) ... Took fifth place at the 2006 Midlands Championships, defeating then-sixth-ranked and third-seeded Mario Galanakis of Iowa in the quarterfinals ... Pinned West Virginia's Mark Anderson at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals (1/13) ... Won first career Big Ten dual match against Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli on 1/26 ... Defeated Michigan's Chris Diehl by 4-0 decision to seal NU's 20-14 win in dual finale.
Ryan Lang, 141 lbs.: Finished second at NCAA Championships ... Earned second career All-America honor ... Score two pins in five matches at NCAA Championships ... Won Big Ten Championship at 141 lbs. ... Downed sixth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis in the semifinals and 15th-ranked Kyle Ruschell in the finals ... Went 4-0 overall at Big Ten Championships ... Won Eastern Michigan Open by going 5-0, scoring two major decisions and not allowing a point scored against him ... Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for week of 11/8 ... Won NWCA All-Star Classic by beating then-fifth-ranked Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State ... Won 2006 Midlands Championships with wins over fifth-seeded Max Metzler of Harvard and second-seeded Alex Tsirtis of Iowa ... Missed NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals and first five Big Ten duals due to injury ... Returned to action with three-straight Big Ten wins ... Finished Big Ten season with a pin against Purdue (2/16) and technical fall against Michigan (2/18).
Keith Sulzer, 149 lbs.: Redshirted ... Went 7-5 while wrestling unattached ... 3-2 record at Wisconsin Open ... Went 3-1 at Edinboro Open.
Kyle Bertin, 157 lbs.: Redshirted ... Posted 7-3 record while wrestling unattached ... 4-1 at Edinboro Open.
Dominic Marella, 165 lbs.: Went 6-17 overall with a 4-13 record in duals and a 0-8 record in the Big Ten... Posted a 2-2 record at the Eastern Michigan Open and was undefeated in two matches at the NU Duals.
Nick Hayes, 174 lbs.: Posted 22-14 overall record ... Went 1-2 at NCAA Championships ... Posted 2-2 record at Big Ten Championships to finish seventh ... Won matches over Michigan State's John Murphy and Illinois' Matt Winterhalter ...Went 3-0 at ACC/Big Ten Clash with wins over Virginia, North Carolina and NC State ... Named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on 12/13 after notching wins in each of Northwestern's duals against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois ... Sixth place at Reno Tournament of Champions.
Mike Tamillow, 197 lbs.: Moved up to 197 lbs. and enjoyed the best season of his career ... Had team-high 37 wins with only five losses ... Posted 16-3 dual mark ... Second on the team with eight falls ... Went 3-2 and finished seventh at NCAA Championships to earn first career All-America honor ... Won 197 lbs. Big Ten Championship for first career Big Ten title ... Posted 4-0 record at the championships with wins over ninth-ranked Patrick Bond in the semifinals and 10th-ranked J.D. Bergman in the finals ... Won final match by an 11-5 decision ... Started season with 22-match winning streak ... First loss came to Missouri's then-top-ranked Max Askren ... Won Eastern Michigan Open by beating then-ninth-ranked Nathan Moore of Purdue ... Won Reno Tournament of Champions with win over then-eighth-ranked Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan in the finals ... Named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on 12/25 ... Won 2006 Midlands Championship by notching a win over Iowa State's fifth-seeded Kurt Backes in the finals ... Defeated Wisconsin's 12th-ranked Dallas Herbst in NU's 19-18 win ... Topped Purdue's 14th-ranked Nathan Moore by 8-0 major decision in dual match (2/16).
Dustin Fox, Hwt.: Posted career-best 33-5 record, 13-2 dual mark and went 6-1 in the Big Ten ... Finished third at NCAA Championships to earn first career All-American honor ... Used wins over third-seeded Bubba Gritter of Central Michigan and fifth-seeded Ty Watterson of Oregon State to earn third place ... Posted 4-1 record for third-place finish at Big Ten Championships ... Topped sixth-ranked Matt Fields in third-place match ... Started season with 14-match winning streak ... Won Eastern Michigan Open with a perfect 5-0 record for his first tournament win ... Knocked off UNC's then-third-ranked Spencer Nadolsky at ACC/Big Ten Clash ... Won second place at the 2006 Midlands Championships defeating Wartburg's eighth-seeded Blake Gillis and Central Michigan's fifth-seeded Bubba Gritter ... Defeated Wisconsin's Kyle Massey 3-2 to secure a 19-18 win against ninth-ranked Wisconsin (1/27) ... Closed Big Ten season with four-match winning streak ... Earned second fall of the season against Purdue's David Pisarcik (2/16).
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