BTN.com staff, March 10, 2013
Back-to-back champion Penn State defended its postseason crown Sunday en route to winning its third consecutive Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions racked up 151 points, 12 more than second-place Minnesota. See the final standings and get a link to the final brackets in this post.
[ RELATED: View the final 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships brackets (PDF) ]
FINAL BIG TEN TEAM STANDINGS
1. Penn State – 151
2. Minnesota – 139
3. Iowa – 133.5
4. Ohio State – 109.5
5. Illinois – 85.5
6. Michigan – 75
7. Nebraska – 61
8. Northwestern – 56
9. Purdue – 38
10. Wisconsin – 37
11. Indiana – 30.5
12. Michigan State – 22
Coach of the Year: Cael Sanderson (PSU) / Jay Robinson (MINN)
Wrestler of the Year: Ed Ruth, Penn State
Freshman of the Year: Connor Medberry, Wisconsin
Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament: Jesse Delgado, Illinois
ILLINOIS
Second-seeded Jesse Delgado won his first career title with a 10-4 decision over Iowa's top-seed Matt McDonough to help the Illini to a fifth-place finish as a team at the Big Ten Championships with 85.5 points. The Illini is the first Orange and Blue wrestler in the 125 weight class to win a conference crown since Robert Burwell achieved the feat in 1945. Read full FightingIllini.com recap.
INDIANA
Three Hoosiers secured automatic bids to the NCAA Championships over the weekend, qualifying with top-seven finishes at the Big Ten Championships. Joe Duca (125 lbs), Adam Chalfant (285 lbs) and Ryan LeBlanc (165 lbs) have each punched their tickets to the national tournament. Taylor Walsh (157 lbs) owns a 29-10 overall record and will likely join his teammates in Des Moines with a wild card selection. Read full IUHoosiers.com recap.
IOWA
The University of Iowa wrestling team placed third today at the 2013 Big Ten Championships, totaling 133.5 points. Penn State (151) won the team title, and Minnesota (139) finished second. Action was held at the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. Read full HawkeyeSports.com recap.
MICHIGAN
The University of Michigan wrestling team placed nine individuals among their respective weight classes' top seven to claim sixth place (75 points) at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday afternoon (March 10) at Illinois' Assembly Hall. With their performances, seven Wolverines also earned automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships. Read full MGoBlue.com recap.
MICHIGAN STATE
Three Spartans qualified for the NCAA Championships after finishing strong at the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon. Senior Dan Osterman took fifth at 149 pounds, sophomore Ryan Watts placed seventh at 157 and Michael McClure finished seventh at heavyweight. Read full MSUSpartans.com recap.
MINNESOTA
After two days of hard-fought competition, the University of Minnesota capped off the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships with a second place finish. The team gathered a total of 139.0 team points, while Penn State took their third consecutive title with a 151 collective mark. Read full GopherSports.com recap.
NEBRASKA
Jake Sueflohn (149) and James Green (157) fell in their championship matches and Robert Kokesh (174) won his third-place match on Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. Read full Huskers.com recap.
NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern senior Jason Welch competed in his fourth and final Big Ten Championships and captured his first conference crown at 157 lbs. Welch, the No. 2 seed, won the weight class with an exciting third-period pin of No. 4 seed James Green from Nebraska to become the 30th different Wildcat to win a Big Ten title and first since two-time NCAA Champion Jake Herbert won the 184 crown in 2009. Read full NUSports.com recap.
OHIO STATE
Logan Stieber and Hunter Stieber, members of the Ohio State wrestling team, were crowned Big Ten champions Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. The conference title was the second for Logan, who defended his 133-pound championship and first for younger brother, Hunter, who wrestled at 141 pounds. Read full OhioStateBuckeyes.com recap.
PENN STATEThe Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers, ranked No. 1 throughout the year on Intermat's national TPI ranking, lived up to that billing once again, winning their third straight Big Ten Championship. Head coach Cael Sanderson has now won three Big Ten crowns in his four years as mentor at Penn State. The Nittany Lions won with 151.0 points, Minnesota was second at 139.0 and Iowa third with 133.5. Read full GoPSUSports.com recap.
PURDUE
The Purdue wrestling team finished 9th at the 2013 Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Illinois on Saturday and Sunday at Assembly Hall. Scoring 38 team points, the Boilermakers have four individuals automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships and three more eligible for at-large bids. Read full PurdueSports.com recap.
WISCONSIN
Headed by Tyler Graff, who won a third-place title at 133 lbs., four Wisconsin wrestlers earned spots on the podium during the final day of the 2013 Big Ten Championships at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill., as the Badgers finished in tenth place as a team. Read full UWBadgers.com recap.