Big Ten Conference Tournament pre-seeds announced

Conference officials announced the preliminary seeds for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships today. The pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference’s head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results. This year’s Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on the campus of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. at Williams Arena on March 8-9. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 7.

Six different schools are represented as No. 1 seeds in the 10 weight classes. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State all lead the way with the most top seeds at two each.

Illinois’ James Kennedy (25-4 at 133) and Mike Poeta (26-2 at 157) represent the Illini as top pre-seeds for this year’s event. Kennedy is currently ranked No. 3 nationally at 133, and Poeta is No. 2 at 157, which is best in the conference in both classes.

Brent Metcalf (30-1 at 149) and Mark Perry (18-2 at 165) earned top-billing for Iowa. The Hawkeyes were Big Ten regular season dual champions and are currently the No. 1 nationally-ranked team. Metcalf is the top-ranked wrestler in the land at 149. Perry is the defending Big Ten champion at 165 after defeating this year’s No. 2 seed Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the 2007 finale. Perry is also ranked No. 1 in the nation at 165.

Michigan’s top seeds consist of Kellen Russell (26-5 at 141) and Steve Luke (27-3 at 174). Russell is ranked fourth in the country and finished with a 9-1 record in Big Ten matches. Luke will defend his 174 lbs. title this year after winning the Big Ten crown with a 5-2 decision over Penn State’s James Yonushonis in last year’s championship bout.

Mike Pucillo (25-1 at 184) and J.D. Bergman (27-1 at Hwt.) represent Ohio State as No. 1 pre-seeds. The Buckeyes finished second in the Big Ten regular season dual standings this year. Pucillo’s only loss this season came to Michigan’s Tyrel Todd. Todd was voted as the No. 2 pre-seed for this year’s event. Bergman’s lone loss also came to the No. 2 seed at Hwt. in Northwestern’s Dustin Fox.

Rounding out the top seeds are Minnesota’s Jayson Ness (33-0 at 125) and Northwestern’s Mike Tamillow (27-2 at 197). Ness hopes to lead the Golden Gophers to their third consecutive Big Ten Championship and repeat as individual champion at 125. Tamillow is in search of his second consecutive 197 lbs. title after winning at last year’s competition.

Last year Minnesota won the conference championship with a score of 156 points and had four wrestlers win individual titles. Wisconsin (100.5) placed second and Iowa (91), Penn State (90.5) and Indiana (85) rounded out the top five.

The complete list of pre-seeds follows.

2008 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS PRELIMINARY SEEDS

125 lbs.
1. Jayson Ness, Minnesota
2. Charlie Falck, Iowa
3. Angel Escobedo, Indiana
4. Brandon Precin, Northwestern
5. Gabriel Flores, Illinois
6. Mark McKnight, Penn State
7. Nikko Triggas, Ohio State
8. Collin Cudd, Wisconsin

133 lbs.
1. James Kennedy, Illinois
2. Joe Slaton, Iowa
3. Franklin Gomez, Michigan State
4. Zach Tanelli, Wisconsin
5. Mack Reiter, Minnesota
6. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana
7. Reece Humphrey, Ohio State
8. Tim Haas, Penn State

141 lbs.
1. Kellen Russell, Michigan
2. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin
3. J Jaggers, Ohio State
4. Dan LeClere, Iowa
5. Garrett Scott, Penn State
6. Manuel Rivera, Minnesota
7. Keith Sulzer, Northwestern
8. Ryan Prater, Illinois

149 lbs.
1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa
2. Joshua Churella, Michigan
3. Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota
4. Bubba Jenkins, Penn State
5. Lance Palmer, Ohio State
6. Jake Patacsil, Purdue
7. Ryan Lang, Northwestern
8. Grant Paswell, Illinois

157 lbs.
1. Michael Poeta, Illinois
2. Dan Vallimont, Penn State
3. Brandon Becker, Indiana
4. C.P. Schlatter, Minnesota
5. Craig Henning, Wisconsin
6. Jeff Marsh, Michigan
7. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa
8. John Fulger, Michigan State

165 lbs.
1. Mark Perry, Iowa
2. Eric Tannenbaum, Michigan
3. Tyler Safratowich, Minnesota
4. Colt Sponseller, Ohio State
5. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, Illinois
6. Matt Coughlin, Indiana
7. Dave Rella, Penn State
8. Rex Kendle, Michigan State

174 lbs.
1. Steve Luke, Michigan
2. Jay Borschel, Iowa
3. Gabriel Dretsch, Minnesota
4. Nick Hayes, Northwestern
5. John Dergo, Illinois
6. David Erwin, Penn State
7. Nick Corpe, Purdue
8. Dan Clum, Wisconsin

184 lbs.
1. Mike Pucillo, Ohio State
2. Tyrel Todd, Michigan
3. Phil Keddy, Iowa
4. Roger Kish, Minnesota
5. Phil Bomberger, Penn State
6. Marc Bennett, Indiana
7. Ben Friedl, Illinois
8. A.J. Kissel, Purdue

197 lbs.
1. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern
2. Phil Davis, Penn State
3. Patrick Bond, Illinois
4. Dallas Herbst, Wisconsin
5. Joe Williams, Michigan State
6. Justin Bronson, Minnesota
T7. Chad Beatty, Iowa
T7. Anthony Biondo, Michigan

HWT
1. J.D. Bergman, Ohio State
2. Dustin Fox, Northwestern
3. Kyle Massey, Wisconsin
4. Matt Fields, Iowa
5. John Wise, Illinois
6. Chris Kasten, Purdue
7. John Laboranti, Penn State
8. Ben Berhow, Minnesota

 

Chippewas to honor John Matthews and Tom Minkel

MOUNT PLEASANT – A pair of former Central Michigan University wrestlers will be honored on Jan. 20 with the retirement of their singlets.

John Matthews and Tom Minkel will become the first wrestlers in school history to have their singlets ceremoniously raised to the rafters of Rose Arena. CMU is hosting a special recognition event when the Chippewas host the Michigan Wolverines for a dual meet beginning at 2 p.m.

There will be a pre-meet reception hosted by the Chippewa Club at 1 p.m. in Rose Arena and the group will reconvene at O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grille after the match.

CMU wrestling has won nine straight Mid-American Conference titles but Chippewa wrestling has a tradition that dates back to the mid-1950s. In the early 1970s, Matthews and Minkel had standout careers in the Maroon and Gold and their wrestling career continued after college.

Matthews was a two-time team MVP in 1973 and ’74, capturing a MAC title in 1974. He was 79-28-6 in his career at CMU.

Minkel was a three-time All-American, earning both Division I and Division II honors in 1970 and Division II honors in 1971 (Division II athletes were eligible to wrestle in the Division I tournament at the time). Minkel was also a two-time team MVP, earning the honor in 1970 and ’71. He also won a pair of Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Titles in 1969 and ’70.

Both wrestlers then went on to earn sports on the USA Greco Roman Olympic team. Matthews represent the USA in 1976 and 1980 and Minkel wrestled for the Red, White and Blue in 1980. Unfortunately, the Americans boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow, Russia. Matthews was also an alternate for the 1984 team.

Both wrestlers were inducted into the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame with Matthews going in with the inaugural class of 1984 and Minkel the following year in 1985.

Matthews currently resides in Arizona where he is active in coaching in USA Wrestling’s developmental program. Minkel is in his 17th season as head coach at Michigan State after leading CMU for two seasons.

For more information on the recognition event, contact Chippewa Club Director Craig Willey at 989-774-6192.

2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championship Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets are available through host-school Minnesota’s athletic office; visit www.gophersports.com or call 1-800-U-GOPHER.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Tickets for the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena from March 8-9, became available on Monday, Dec. 17. All-session tickets are $30 and may be purchased through gophersports.com, in person at the Minnesota athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or 612-624-8080. Single-session tickets, if available, will not go on sale until Monday, March 3.

The 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will feature a three-session format, with the Session 1 preliminary matches beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. Session 2 will get underway at 6 p.m. that same day, and the Session 3 championship matches will start at noon on Sunday, March 9. Doors to Williams Arena open approximately one hour prior to the beginning of each session. Sessions 1 and 2 will feature four mats of action, while Session 3 will have wrestling on three mats.

The Big Ten Network is currently scheduled to provide live television coverage of Sunday’s conference finals.

For more information on the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, please call 1-800-U-GOPHER, 612-624-8080 or log on to gophersports.com.

Big Ten Network to air wrestling live this winter
First-year network to televise
Big Ten Championships, Midlands, nine duals

CHICAGO – Every Big Ten wrestling team will make at least one live appearance this winter on the Big Ten Network. The network will televise 11 total events and 10 of those, including the Big Ten Championships and portions of the Midlands Classic, will be carried live.

The network will have a live wrestling and hockey doubleheader on six consecutive Fridays in January and February. The wrestling coverage begins with the Iowa at Ohio State dual meet at 6 PM ET on January 18.

“The Big Ten is the nation’s most powerful wrestling conference and there is a strong following for the sport in Big Ten Country,” network president Mark Silverman said. “We look forward to bringing the best of college wrestling to a national audience.”

The Big Ten Network will provide live coverage of the Midlands Classic Championship Finals at 8 PM ET Sunday, December 30. That presentation will be preceded by a one-hour program recapping the event’s Consolation Finals. Hosted by Northwestern University, the Midlands Classic will also feature five other Big Ten teams including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue.

Additional live regular season telecasts include: Wisconsin at Indiana at 5 PM ET on January 25, Illinois at Michigan at 6 PM ET on February 1, Minnesota at Northwestern at 7:30 PM ET on February 8, Michigan State at Penn State at 5 PM ET on February 15, Purdue at Illinois at 6 PM ET on February 22 and Michigan State at Michigan at noon ET on February 24.

The Oklahoma State at Iowa match will air at 6 PM ET January 6 on a delayed basis due to scheduling conflicts.

The network also televised the Iowa State at Minnesota match live last Sunday.

Nine of the conference’s 11 teams are ranked in the current USA Today/InterMat/NWCA top 25 poll and six are in the top 10, including No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Penn State, No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Northwestern, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 17 Indiana and No. 18 Illinois.
 

2007-2008 BIG TEN NETWORK
WRESTLING SCHEDULE

Earlier this fall, the Big Ten Network became the first new network in cable or satellite television history to reach 30 million homes in its first 30 days. The network is available through DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Insight Communications, WideOpenWest, RCN, Service Electric and more than 175 other cable operators.
 

Franklin Gomez earns Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
No. 6-ranked sophomore recognized for outstanding start to 2007-08 season

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Franklin Gomez (Brandon, Fla.), MSU’s 133-pound sophomore starter, was tabbed the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday, Nov. 14, as announced by the conference office. Gomez kicked off the 2007-08 season with five-straight wins, including an upset over then-ranked No. 3 Andrae Hernandez of Indiana. His weekend success also resulted in jumping four spots in the national rankings, moving up to sixth at 133 pounds. In addition to Gomez’s appearance in the rankings, senior teammate Joe Williams (Orange, Calif.) also made the polls, ranking 14th at 197 pounds.

In Friday’s dual against Old Dominion, Gomez earned three team points for the Spartans by defeating ODU’s Kyle Hutter. After tallying two takedowns in the first period and settling for a scoreless second, Gomez escaped Hutter’s hold and forced a stall point from the Monarch in the third. Gomez clinched the match 8-3 with another takedown in the third.

Gomez picked up four additional wins in the MSU Open en route to claiming the title at 133 pounds for the second-straight year on Sunday; Gomez won the 125-pound title in 2006. After earning a 15-2 major decision in the first round, Gomez faced Hutter for the second time in three days, this time besting the ODU starter in the semifinals with a 4-2 victory. In the championship bout, Gomez knocked off Hernandez, 5-2; Hernandez has since fallen in the polls to No. 7.

Last year, Gomez started the season winning 17-straight matches and concluded the year with a 31-8 overall mark, the second most wins on the 2006-07 team. Additionally, Gomez lead the team in technical falls (seven) and was second in major decisions (eight).

Gomez and the Spartans return to action Saturday, Nov. 17 at the ACC-Big Ten Clash hosted by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Michigan State will wrestle UNC, Virginia and North Carolina State at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. Live updates for the tournament will be available at www.tarheelblue.com, while final MSU results will be posted at www.msuspartans.com
 

Franklin Gomez and Joe Williams climb in national rankings

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Intermat/NWMA released updated rankings Tuesday evening, placing Michigan State’s senior Joe Williams and sophomore Franklin Gomez among the nation’s elite collegiate wrestlers. Williams, who recorded his first official duals in the 197 weight class last weekend, ranks No. 14, while Gomez, who preseason ranked at No. 10 in the 133-pound class, jumped in the standings to No. 6.

Williams turned in an outstanding performance in last weekend’s two MSU events, posting a dual win and a second-place finish at the MSU Open, improving to 7-2 this year. Highlighting his success, Williams upset then-ranked No. 16 David Mendoza of Old Dominion twice over the weekend, first in Friday’s dual, an 11-3 major decision victory, and again in the semifinals of the MSU Open.

Adding to Michigan State’s strong weekend, Gomez picked up four wins in the open tournament en route to claiming the title at 133 pounds; the sophomore, a Puerto Rico native, is the only Spartan to remain undefeated this year with a 5-0 mark.

After earning a 15-2 major decision in the first round, Gomez faced Kyle Hutter for the second time in three days. Gomez defeated Hutter in Friday night’s dual with an 8-3 decision and bested the Old Dominion starter again in the tournament with a 4-2 victory.

In his championship bout, Gomez knocked off Indiana’s then-ranked No. 3 Andrae Hernandez 5-2.

Gomez, Williams and the Spartans will return to action Saturday, Nov. 17 at the ACC-Big Ten Class hosted by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Michigan State will wrestle UNC, Virginia and North Carolina State at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

Former MSU wrestling coach, Grady Peninger,
inducted into MSU Athletics Hall of Fame

Grady Peninger
MSU Wrestling Coach (1963-86)
Ponca City, Okla.

Grady Peninger's name will forever be linked with excellence as he became the first coach in Big Ten history to win seven consecutive conference titles in any sport. Spanning 1966-72, Peninger's wrestling teams dominated the Big Ten, typically known as the best wrestling conference in the nation. His Spartans won it all in 1967, claiming the school's first and only National Championship in wrestling.

During his tenure, MSU was a mainstay on the national scene, placing in the top five at the national meet on six occasions. His wrestlers earned 10 NCAA titles, 40 Big Ten titles and All-America honors 54 times. Peninger was inducted in the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987.

"You know, they say if you recruit enough good kids, it makes you a good coach, and I was lucky to have so many good young men wrestle at MSU," Peninger said. "You work hard all of your life, and then something like this comes along, and it really makes you appreciate it that much more. I can't tell you how proud and thankful I am of this honor.

Even though winning the national title was special for Peninger, he is a true Spartan in the sense that his favorite moment was beating Michigan. "We had some great moments at MSU, but it was toughest to win nationals," recalled Peninger. "To beat all of those quality teams at one event was truly a special feeling. But probably the best feeling was when we beat Michigan in the final dual at home in 1968. We had to win the last match to win the dual, and Jeff Smith pinned former NCAA champion Dave Porter to give us the win (17-14). It was the first time we had beaten Michigan since 1961. I couldn't believe it when it happened."

After the victory over Michigan, Peninger told the Lansing State Journal: "This was better than winning the NCAA championship. It's been a long drought since we beat them the last time."

The Class of 2007 includes: Richard Frey (cross country/track & field) from the Pioneer Era; Shirley Cook (basketball/field hockey/track & field), Jim Ellis (football), George Guerre (football) and Dean Look (football/baseball) from the Early Era; Marshall Dill (track & field), Tom Ross (hockey), Scott Skiles (basketball) and Valerie Sterk Kemper (volleyball) from the Contemporary Era; and Grady Peninger (wrestling) and George Perles (football) from the former coach/administrator category.

The MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, located in the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, opened on Oct. 1, 1999, and displays key moments in Spartan athletics history as well as plaques of the inductees. The charter class of 30 former Spartan student-athletes, coaches and administrators was inducted in 1992.