BTN.com staff, March 9, 2013
The 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships kicked off Saturday, and Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State all led the way with four wrestlers who will compete for Big Ten titles Sunday on BTN/BTN2Go. In the team race, back-to-back event champion Penn State finished the day in first place, with 123 points, 10.5 ahead of second-place Minnesota.
[ RELATED: View the official 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships bracket (PDF) ]
STANDINGS
1. Penn State – 123.0
2. Minnesota – 112.5
3. Iowa – 109.0
4. Ohio State – 92.0
5. Illinois – 72.5
6. Michigan – 61.0
7. Nebraska – 52.0
8. Northwestern – 50.0
9. Purdue – 29.0
10. Indiana – 26.5
11. Wisconsin – 26.0
12. Michigan State – 17.0
ILLINOIS
The University of Illinois wrestling team, led by head coach Jim Heffernan, ended the first day of the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships with Jesse Delgado and Conrad Polz advancing to tomorrow's Big Ten Championship finals at 125 and 165 along with securing six NCAA qualifiers to date. The Illini finished the day in five place with 73.5 points. Read full recap at FightingIllini.com.
INDIANA
Ryan LeBlanc (165 lbs) and Adam Chalfant (285 lbs) earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships on Day One of the Big Ten Championships while Joe Duca (125 lbs) and Taylor Walsh (157 lbs) remain in contention for slots in the nationals heading into Day Two of competition at the conference tournament. Read full IUHoosiers.com recap.
IOWA
The University of Iowa wrestling team advanced four wrestlers to the finals of the Big Ten Championships following semifinal action tonight at Assembly Hall. Two-time defending champion Matt McDonough will chase his third conference title, while Tony Ramos, Mark Ballweg and Mike Evans target their first career Big Ten crown tomorrow night on the campus of Illinois. Read full HawkeyeSports.com recap.
MICHIGAN
With nine individuals alive in the consolation bracket, the University of Michigan wrestling team sits in sixth place after the first day of competition at the Big Ten Conference Championships on Saturday (March 9) at Illinois' Assembly Hall. Five Wolverines are already guaranteed to outplace their tournament seeds, while six have already locked up an automatic-qualifying bid to the NCAA Championships. Read full MGoBlue.com recap.
MICHIGAN STATE
Senior Dan Osterman qualified for his third straight trip to the NCAA Championships after upsetting No. 2 Ivan Lopouchanski, 3-2 TB-2, in session one on Saturday. Osterman will face Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the semifinals and is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Championships by finishing in the top-eight in his weight class at Big Ten Championships. Read full MSUSpartans.com recap.
MINNESOTA
The Minnesota wrestling team sits in third place after the first session of the 2013 Big Ten Championships. The Golden Gophers collected 49.0 team points in the morning competition at Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois. Iowa holds the top spot with 79.0 points, while defending champion Penn State holds 62.0 points. Read full GopherSports.com recap.
NEBRASKA
Jake Sueflohn (149) and James Green (157) won their semifinal matches in the second session of the Big Ten Championships to lead the Nebraska wrestling team on Saturday. The pair is looking to become the first wrestlers in Husker history to win Big Ten titles in Nebraska's second year in the conference. Read full Huskers.com recap.
NORTHWESTERN
Two Northwestern wrestlers will be competing for Big Ten titles tomorrow as senior Jason Welch (157) and sophomore Mike McMullan (285) both won their semifinal bouts to cap Session II of the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Those two, along with sophomores Pat Greco (141) and Pierce Harger (165), all secured spots at the 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships with automatic bids. Greco and Harger are still alive in the consolation round and competing for third place in their respective weight classes. Read full NUSports.com recap.
OHIO STATE
The Ohio State wrestling team witnessed two upsets by the Buckeyes in the first session of the 2013 Big Ten Championships Saturday at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. The Scarlet and Gray sit in fourth place with 47.5 points following pigtail and quarterfinal action behind wins from eighth seed Ian Paddock and sixth seed Josh Demas. Paddock beat No. 1 Eric Grajales, 7-4, in the 149-pound bracket and at 157 pounds, Demas followed with a 5-1 double overtime win vs. No. 3 Dylan Alton of Penn State. Read full OhioStateBuckeyes.com recap.
PENN STATE
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers, ranked No. 1 throughout the year on Intermat's national TPI ranking, are in first place at the first day's conclusion of the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. A total of four Nittany Lions will be wrestling for Big Ten titles tomorrow and all ten Penn State wrestlers have already punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships later this month. Read full GoPSUSports.com recap.
PURDUE
The Purdue wrestling team sits in ninth place with 28 team points after the first day of competition at the 2013 Big Ten Championships on Saturday at the University of Illinois. Four individuals punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships on the day as senior Ivan Lopouchanski, sophomores Brandon Nelsen and Braden Atwood and freshman Chad Welch all secured automatic-qualifying bids. Read full PurdueSports.com recap.
WISCONSIN
Led by Tyler Graff (133 lbs.) and Connor Medbery (Hwt.), four Wisconsin wrestlers remain in contention for podium spots after the first day of the 2013 Big Ten Championships. Graff and Medbery will compete for a third-place title at their respective weight classes when action resumes Sunday at 11:30 a.m., while Tom Kelliher and Jackson Hein will wrestle for seventh place at 141 lbs., and 197 lbs., respectively. Read full UWBadgers.com recap.