IllinoisWrestling.Com

Here are the final seeds for the Midlands - brackets will be drawn after weighins are complete.

http://www.illinoiswrestling.com/2008-2009/results/Final_Seeds.pdf

I’ll be there shooting photos at the finals…

Mark McKnight added to the NU clinic this Saturday - this is such fresh information they did not add it to their clinic flyer (and probably won’t have time to update it). They are taking walk-up registration at the clinic so don’t miss out on your chance.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nw/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/ConantClinic.pdf

Here is a write up in a local paper about Lee Munster and the NU Wildcats -

http://blogs.suntimes.com/wrestling/2008/10/munster_staying_close_to_home.html

Herbert, Precin and Sulzer look to build off past successes in 2008-09

EVANSTON, Ill. — Amateur Wrestling News released its preseason individual rankings on Saturday and put the spotlight on three Wildcat wrestlers: junior Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), sophomore Keith Sulzer (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward) and senior Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). AWN tabbed Herbert as the top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds while ranking Precin third at 125 pounds and Sulzer 10th in the 141-pound weight class.
 
Herbert, who in 2006-07 went a perfect 32-0 and captured the national championship at 184, returns to competition for Northwestern after taking a year off to train for the 2008 Olympics. In three seasons wrestling for NU, Herbert has compiled a 115-4 record and a 47-1 mark in dual matches. He earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors on his way to the championship and will be out for his third Big Ten title when he takes to the mats this year.
 
In 2007-08, Precin earned All-American honors for the first time in his career and finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. He finished the year with a 37-9 record after starting the season on a 21-match winning streak. Precin took top seed and eventual-NCAA champ Angel Escobedo of Indiana to the wire in the NCAAs, falling in the second overtime by riding time.
 
Sulzer will look to build on a freshman campaign in which he qualified for the NCAA tournament and finished 17-9 at 141 pounds. He finished the regular season unbeaten in Big Ten duals (5-0) and placed fourth in his first Big Ten Championships.

Northwestern has finished in the top 15 nationally in each of the past four seasons. NU opens its season Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing, Mich.

For more information on Northwestern wrestling, visit NUsports.com.

Former Northwestern Assistant Now A Head Coach…

Zeke Jones Announces Resignation to Take USA Wrestling Position 
Courtesy: Charles Dorman, Athletic Communications Assistant
Release: 09/27/2008

PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania’s head wrestling coach Zeke Jones has announced his resignation to accept a position as the head coach of the United States freestyle national team.

With Jones’ resignation, Penn has also announced that assistant coach Rob Eiter has been appointed interim head coach of the program.

“Penn has been a tremendous place for me and my family,” Jones said. “It has been a great place to work and live. Penn is one of the best places for a student-athlete to achieve success academically and athletically and working with men as gifted as the ones at Penn has been a blessing.”

 “This is a great opportunity for Zeke and we wish him the best with U.S.A. Wrestling,” Penn’s Director of Athletics Steve Bilsky said. “At the same time, we feel very fortunate to have someone with Rob’s ability and credentials to step up to the head coaching position.”

 Penn begins its 2008-09 wrestling season on November 22 with a pair of dual matches against Princeton (noon) and Michigan (2 p.m.) at The Palestra.

I flipped through the new Wrestling USA rankings and picked out these guys that have connections to Illinois…if I missed anyone let me know and I’ll add them.

Top Guys:

184 - Jake Herbert - Northwestern

2nd Ranked:

157 - Mike Poeta - Illinois

4th Ranked:

125 - Brandon Precin - Northwestern
133 - Jimmy Kennedy - Illinois

6th Ranked:

133 - Nick Fanthorpe - Iowa State
165 - Stephen Dwyer - Nebraska
285 - John Wise - Illinois

8th Ranked:

197 - Patrick Bond - Illinois

9th Ranked:

174 - Mike Benefiel - Northwestern

Wrestling: Herbert one step closer to Beijing

Local camp features top competition

By: Wade Askew (The Daily Northwestern)

Posted: 4/16/08

Northwestern’s Jake Herbert inched one step
closer to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,
qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, last weekend.

Herbert did so by winning the 185-pound division
at the University National Freestyle Championships in Akron, Ohio.

The NCAA champion defeated Iowa State’s David
Bertolino 2-0, 1-0 in the finals. The win granted
Herbert a spot in the Olympic Trials, lifting a huge weight off his shoulders.

“It absolutely does (take pressure off),” he
said. “It’s really nice, because you never know
what can happen during these tournaments.”

A year ago, Herbert tore his meniscus at the U.S.
Nationals, which will be held this year in Las
Vegas April 23-26. Now, his main focus at the
tournament will be a victory to attain the No. 1
overall seed for the Olympic Trials.

After an undefeated 2007 campaign that culminated
in an NCAA Championship in the 184-pound
division, Herbert decided to take 2008 off from
collegiate competition. With an Olympic redshirt,
Herbert has been training with the New York
Athletic Club for the past year, devoted entirely
to competing in Beijing this summer.

“It’s been awesome,” Herbert said of his decision
to train away from school this year. “It’s been
like I’m actually a professional athlete. It’s
just (that) I don’t make any money.”

NU senior Mike Tamillow, who finished second at
the Freestyle Championships at 211.5 pounds, is
accompanying Herbert in his training. Other Cats
participants included senior Ryan Lang, a
second-place finisher at 145.5 pounds, and
redshirt freshman Mike Benefiel, a fifth-place finisher at 174 pounds.

Tamillow is also not enrolled in classes this
quarter and hopes to earn a spot on the Olympic
team. But even though Tamillow no longer has to
juggle classes with his training, his constant
workouts and hectic travel schedules have him
hard at work. This week, he and Herbert are
training in nearby Naperville at New York A.C.’s Overtime Camp.

“I’m busy,” Tamillow said. “I’m wrestling
everyday. It’s not like I’m done with classes and
I’m just being a rub. I’ve only been done with
classes for less than a month now, and everyday I’ve been working.”

With the Olympic Trials just two months away,
both are getting in as much work as they can with
the nation’s best. To Herbert, the quality of
competition in both practice and matches has been
the biggest difference from competing at NU.

“Everybody we have here (in Naperville) is ranked
top-10 on the ladder,” Herbert said. “There are
guys here who have medaled in the world, have
been on world teams, and won national titles.
It’s the same workouts, but with better caliber people.”

While happy with the win, the wrestler renowned
for his focus and intensity is looking forward,
aiming to take the next step to Beijing.

wadeaskew@northwestern.edu

© Copyright 2008 The Daily Northwestern

Here is the website - http://wildcatwc.com/index.html

Spring 2008 Session - THE FUTURE STARTS NOW! Expanded to a 7-week clinic

Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays: April 14th to May 28th (Monday, May 26 workout will be on Tuesday, May 27)

Please Note: There are no restrictions this session as to how many wrestlers from the same High School may attend the same workout. Regular competitions will be scheduled.

Time: 7:00 PM to 8:30, Mondays & Wednesdays

Location: The Ken Kraft Wrestling Complex in Anderson Hall, Northwestern University: 2701 Ashland Avenue, Evanston Illinois

Parking: North End of East Lot, just east of Northwestern’s Football Stadium on Central Street

Clinicians:

• Jake Herbert: World University Games bronze medalist, NCAA Champion at NU, 3-time NCAA All-American, Big Ten Champ; currently taking an Olympic redshirt year
• Tim Cysewski: current Northwestern University head wrestling coach, Iowa All-American, 5-time Midlands Champion, Freestyle National Champion
  
• Drew Pariano: current Northwestern University assistant wrestling coach, former head wrestling coach at Cornell College, and 3-time NCAA qualifier for Northwestern University
• Mark Massery: NCAA champion, National Freestyle champion & 4th place at World Championships
  
• Local guest clinicians
  

  Highlights include:
  

  • Group and individual instruction
  • Freestyle, Greco Roman, and Folk-style technique and mat strategy
  • Technical instruction on takedowns, escapes and pinning combinations
  • Drill matches
  • There will be live wrestling
    

Cost of the 7-Week Clinic: $350; pre-registration $315

Who should attend: The Wildcat Wrestling Club’s spring camp is open to high-school and middle-school wrestlers, both male and female, who want to prepare for the upcoming spring season, with both technical training/drilling and conditioning.

The 4 items you need to enroll:

1) WWC Session enrollment: Click here to fill out enrollment form online

2) 2007-2008 USA Wrestling Membership Card (their new fiscal year begins September 1st) - If you wrestle in the IKWF, you need this form CLICK HERE. If you are a high school wrestler or a non-ikwf wrestler, you need this form CLICK HERE.

(A separate $35 check for the USAW card should be made out to: IL-USA Wrestling). If you already have a current card, you do not need to purchase another one.

3) Northwestern University Waiver Form - Click here to download waiver form

4) A check made out to: Wildcat Wrestling Club

PLEASE: SIGN UP ON-LINE (per Item # 1), then…

COMPLETE Items 2 (if needed) & 3, and MAIL with Item 4 to:

Wildcat Wrestling Club, c/o Mark Massery, 3820 Timbers Edge, Glenview, Illinois 60025

For more information, contact Mark Massery at 847-803-0191 or email Mark at markmassery@alumni.northwestern.edu

During the period of March 31 to April 22, please contact…Drew Pariano at 847-491-5637 or email Drew at a-pariano@northwestern.edu

Between the Midlands and Northwestern’s Big Ten home schedule, I had the opportunity to see 11/20 finalists actually wrestle before the NCAA Championship Finals. Now if Northwestern had wrestled home matches against, Ohio State and Michigan this year, that number would have jumped up to 16 finalists…and it’s possible those matches could have been at home (e.g. they saw them on the road I believe this year).

I’d encourage local high school wrestlers and ikwf and iesa wrestlers to get more involved with attending wrestling matches. I don’t think we are going to lose NU as a wrestling program any time soon, but we have lost or will lose a 3 wrestling program in the past two years.

Get involved in all three of the Division I programs we have in the state and the many other Junior College programs and D2 and D3 programs that still remain in Illinois…let’s put some butts in seats next year and support these wrestlers…

Jeff Pape
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Here are the photos I shot today the dual…

http://www.illinoiswrestling.com/2007_2008/photos/2008_iu_vs_nu/