Well Gopher Wrestling fans, it's time for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, one of my favorite weekends of the year!!! And our #9 ranked MN Gophers have been on the rise this year and are ready to have a very good tournament!!!
I'm posting the schedule of events and two articles about the B1G pre-seeds, and later today I'll post another article.
It's going to be a fun weekend, so tune-in and enjoy!!!
Here are the articles:
BTN announces coverage plan for Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Big Ten Network
3/2/2021
The Big Ten Network is the destination for college wrestling fans this weekend as coverage of the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships includes nearly 10 hours dedicated to the best collegiate wrestling in the country.
As a result of schedule adjustments creating additional telecast windows, the Big Ten Network will broadcast live on Saturday of the championships for the first time ever. On Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, BTN will provide whip-around coverage highlighting the best matchups of session 1 with limited commercial interruptions. On Big Ten Network+, individual mat cameras will be also available to provide a comprehensive look at the opening session. On Saturday night from 7:30 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET, a double-box presentation will be available on television for the session 2 semifinals while consolation mats will once again be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
On Sunday, March 7, competition kicks off with individual mat cameras for session 3 on Big Ten Network+ at noon ET, ahead of the main event. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, BTN will deliver three hours of the most exciting wrestling in the country as champions are crowned in session 4.
"From the 125-pounders to heavyweights, the Big Ten Conference consistently delivers the best wrestling in the nation," said Michael Calderon, BTN's senior vice president of digital media and programming. "The Big Ten Network is the go-to destination for college wrestling fans and this weekend's coverage across both our television and digital platforms demonstrates our strong commitment to the sport."
Big Ten Network veterans Shane Sparks, Jim Gibbons and Tim Johnson will anchor the broadcasts from BTN?s Chicago studio. Guest analyst and three-time Big Ten and NCAA Champion, Bo Nickal, will join reporter Ray Flores on-site for insight and analysis from State College.
In preparation for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, a special 90-minute edition of Wrestling in 60, highlighting 10 of the top matches from the regular season, will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 2.
On The Mat, the Big Ten Network's digital, behind-the-scenes wrestling series, has also been edited to produce three television episodes that will air throughout the weekend. Additionally, the final On The Mat feature of the season will debut on Sunday afternoon with the story of Nebraska's Christian Miller, who was tragically killed in a car accident last November.
On Saturday and Sunday, the B1G Wrestling Instagram page and Big Ten Network YouTube wrestling page will be updated with highlights, full matches and custom content. For details and subscription information regarding Big Ten Network+ coverage, please visit btnplus.com.
Ten Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the top 20 of TrackWrestling's rankings, including the entire top three. No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Nebraska lead the way, followed by No. 8 Michigan, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Minnesota, T-No.14 Illinois, T-No. 14 Rutgers, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 19 Michigan State.
Big Ten Wrestling Championships Schedule
Saturday:
Session 1 Big Ten Network 10 a.m. ET
Session 1 - Individual Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 | Mat 4 Big Ten Network+ 10 a.m. ET
Semifinals - Session 2 Big Ten Network 7:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 Big Ten Network+ 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday:
Session 3 - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 Big Ten Network+ Noon ET
Championships - Session 4 Big Ten Network 4 p.m. ET
Session 4 - Consolation Mat Cams 3rd Place Mat | 5th Place Mat Big Ten Network+ 4 p.m. ET
Pre-seeds announced for Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Big Ten Conference
3/2/2021
Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young is pre-seeded No. 1 at 133 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 6-7 at Penn State. Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Iowa leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes.
The Hawkeyes boast four top-seeded wrestlers, with 125-pounder Spencer Lee, 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, 165-pounder Alex Marinelli and 174-pounder Michael Kemerer. Minnesota's Gable Steveson (285), Nebraska's Eric Schultz (197), Northwestern's Ryan Deakin (157), Ohio State's Sammy Sasso (149), along with Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Aaron Brooks (184) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.
This year's field contains a combined six Big Ten individual championships (five wrestlers) and two NCAA individual championships (one wrestler).
For more information on the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. InterMat ranking listed to the right of the wrestler/school.
125:
1. Spencer Lee, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Liam Cronin, Nebraska -- No. 8
3. Malik Heinselman, Ohio State -- No. 9
4. Patrick McKee, Minnesota -- No. 11
5. Rayvon Foley, Michigan State -- No. 16
6. Eric Barnett, Wisconsin -- No. 12
7. Devin Schroder, Purdue -- No. 17
8. Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern -- No. 15
9. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan -- No. 7
10. Justin Cardani, Illinois
11. Robert Howard, Penn State
12. Jacob Moran, Indiana
13. Dylan Shawver, Rutgers
14. Zach Spence, Maryland
133:
1. Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State -- No. 2
2. Austin DeSanto, Iowa -- No. 3
3. Sammy Alvarez, Rutgers -- No. 6
4. Lucas Byrd, Illinois -- No. 11
5. Chris Cannon, Northwestern -- No. 8
6. Jack Medley, Michigan
7. Boo Dryden, Minnesota -- No. 25
8. Jordan Decatur, Ohio State
9. Jacob Rundell, Purdue
10. Kyle Burwick, Wisconsin
11. Tucker Sjomeling, Nebraska
12. Jordan Hamdan, Michigan State
13. Kyle Luigs, Indiana
14. Jackson Cockrell, Maryland
141:
1. Jaydin Eierman, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Nick Lee, Penn State -- No. 2
3. Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers -- No. 3
4. Chad Red, Nebraska -- No. 8
5. Dylan Duncan, Illinois -- No. 14
6. Marcos Polanco, Minnesota -- No. 22
7. Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State
8. Drew Mattin, Michigan
9. Parker Filius, Purdue
10. Cayden Rooks, Indiana
11. Danny Bertoni, Maryland
12. Matt Santos, Michigan State
13. Colin Valdiviez, Northwestern
14. Dominic Dentino, Wisconsin
149:
1. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State -- No. 2
2. Max Murin, Iowa -- No. 6
3. Griffin Parriott, Purdue -- No. 14
4. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern -- No. 17
5. Kanen Storr, Michigan -- No. 9
6. Michael Blockhus, Minnesota -- No. 11
7. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska -- No. 19
8. Mike Van Brill, Rutgers
9. Graham Rooks, Indiana
10. Peyton Omania, Michigan State
11. Beau Bartlett, Penn State -- No. 10
12. Drew Scharenbrock, Wisconsin
13. Christian Kanzler, Illinois
14. Michael North, Maryland
157:
1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern -- No. 1
2. Kaleb Young, Iowa -- No. 5
3. Brayton Lee, Minnesota -- No. 6
4. Kendall Coleman, Purdue -- No. 7
5. Brady Berge, Penn State -- No. 8
6. Will Lewan, Michigan -- No. 9
7. Chase Saldate, Michigan State
8. Garrett Model, Wisconsin
9. Elijah Cleary, Ohio State
10. Caleb Licking, Nebraska
11. Michael Doetsch, Maryland
12. Johnny Mologousis, Illinois
13. Luke Baughman, Indiana
165:
1. Alex Marinelli, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Dan Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 8
3. Ethan Smith, Ohio State -- No. 10
4. Cameron Amine, Michigan -- No. 13
5. Andrew Sparks, Minnesota -- No. 16
6. Joe Lee, Penn State -- No. 15
7. Peyton Robb, Nebraska -- No. 19
8. Jake Tucker, Michigan State
9. Nick South, Indiana
10. Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue
11. Jonathan Spadafora, Maryland
12. David Ferrante, Northwestern
13. Brett Donner, Rutgers
14. Josh Otto, Wisconsin
174:
1. Michael Kemerer, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Mikey Labriola, Nebraska -- No. 2
3. Carter Starocci, Penn State -- No. 4
4. Logan Massa, Michigan -- No. 5
5. Donnell Washington, Indiana -- No. 13
6. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State -- No. 6
7. Jackson Turley, Rutgers
8. Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin
9. Jake Allar, Minnesota -- No. 22
10. Drew Hughes, Michigan State
11. DJ Shannon, Illinois
12. Emil Soehnlen, Purdue
13. Troy Fisher, Northwestern
14. Philip Spadafora, Maryland
184:
1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State -- No. 1
2. Christopher Weiler, Wisconsin -- No. 10
3. Layne Malczewski, Michigan State -- No. 12
4. Owen Webster, Minnesota -- No. 6
5. John Poznanski, Rutgers -- No. 18
6. Taylor Venz, Nebraska -- No. 14
7. Max Lyon, Purdue -- No. 19
8. Zach Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 15
9. Nelson Brands, Iowa -- No. 16
10. Rocky Jordan, Ohio State -- No. 20
11. Kyle Cochran, Maryland
12. Jaden Bullock, Michigan
13. Jon Halvorsen, Northwestern
14. Santos Cantu III, Indiana
197:
1. Eric Schultz, Nebraska -- No. 1
2. Myles Amine, Michigan -- No. 2
3. Jacob Warner, Iowa -- No. 3
4. Cam Caffey, Michigan State -- No. 13
5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern -- No. 14
6. Thomas Penola, Purdue -- No. 17
7. Michael Beard, Penn State -- No. 15
8. Matt Wroblewski, Illinois
9. Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State
10. Billy Janzer, Rutgers
11. Garrett Joles, Minnesota
12. Jaron Smith, Maryland
13. Nick Willham, Indiana
14. Andrew Salemme, Wisconsin
285:
1. Gable Steveson, Minnesota -- No. 1
2. Mason Parris, Michigan -- No. 2
3. Tony Cassioppi Iowa -- No. 3
4. Luke Luffman, Illinois -- No. 10
5. Christian Lance, Nebraska -- No. 12
6. Trent Hillger, Wisconsin -- No. 13
7. Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State -- No. 6
8. Tate Orndorff, Ohio State -- No. 19
9. Christian Rebottaro Michigan State
10. Jack Heyob, Northwestern
11. Christian Colucci, Rutgers
12. Dorian Keys, Purdue
13. Rudy Streck, Indiana
14. Garrett Kappes, Maryland
Big Ten Announces Wrestling Championship Pre-Seeds
Gophersports.com
Wrestling
3/2/2021
MINNEAPOLIS – The Big Ten Conference released pre-seeds for this weekend's 2021 Big Ten Championships in University Park, Pa. Minnesota enters the week with seven wrestlers seeded top-six in their respective weight classes, including four in the top four.
Defending Big Ten Champion Gable Steveson is the top seed at heavyweight following an undefeated regular season with all nine wins by bonus points. Brayton Lee is the No. 3 seed at 157 pounds a year after finishing fourth as a redshirt freshman. Both earned NWCA All-America honors in 2020.
Sophomore Patrick McKee and Owen Webster are rated fourth at 125 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. McKee was 6-3 in the regular season with three wins against opponents ranked top six nationally. Unranked midseason, Webster finished the year with four straight wins, including three ranked upsets, to climb to No. 10 in the nation.
Senior Boo Dryden is seeded seventh at 133 pounds and will be making his second appearance at the conference tournament after transferring to Minnesota midway through last season.
Five Gophers will be making their first appearance at the Big Ten Championships, the most since 2016. True freshman Andrew Sparks is seeded fifth at 165 pounds after finishing his first regular season with an 8-1 record. Sophomores Marcos Polanco and Michael Blockhus have No. 6 seeds at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Junior Jake Allar is seeded ninth at 174 pounds, while sophomore Garrett Joles is seeded 11th at 197 pounds.
The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes. Final brackets and official seeds will be released on Friday afternoon.
The 2021 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Penn State, will begin on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the finals scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. BTN will provide live coverage, while BTN+ will stream all individual mats.
Golden Gopher Pre-Seeds
125: No. 4 Patrick McKee
133: No. 7 Boo Dryden
141: No. 6 Marcos Polanco
149: No. 6 Michael Blockhus
157: No. 3 Brayton Lee
165: No. 5 Andrew Sparks
174: No. 9 Jake Allar
184: No. 4 Owen Webster
197: No. 11 Garrett Joles
HWT: No. 1 Gable Steveson
I'm posting the schedule of events and two articles about the B1G pre-seeds, and later today I'll post another article.
It's going to be a fun weekend, so tune-in and enjoy!!!
Here are the articles:
BTN announces coverage plan for Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Big Ten Network
3/2/2021
The Big Ten Network is the destination for college wrestling fans this weekend as coverage of the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships includes nearly 10 hours dedicated to the best collegiate wrestling in the country.
As a result of schedule adjustments creating additional telecast windows, the Big Ten Network will broadcast live on Saturday of the championships for the first time ever. On Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, BTN will provide whip-around coverage highlighting the best matchups of session 1 with limited commercial interruptions. On Big Ten Network+, individual mat cameras will be also available to provide a comprehensive look at the opening session. On Saturday night from 7:30 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET, a double-box presentation will be available on television for the session 2 semifinals while consolation mats will once again be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
On Sunday, March 7, competition kicks off with individual mat cameras for session 3 on Big Ten Network+ at noon ET, ahead of the main event. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, BTN will deliver three hours of the most exciting wrestling in the country as champions are crowned in session 4.
"From the 125-pounders to heavyweights, the Big Ten Conference consistently delivers the best wrestling in the nation," said Michael Calderon, BTN's senior vice president of digital media and programming. "The Big Ten Network is the go-to destination for college wrestling fans and this weekend's coverage across both our television and digital platforms demonstrates our strong commitment to the sport."
Big Ten Network veterans Shane Sparks, Jim Gibbons and Tim Johnson will anchor the broadcasts from BTN?s Chicago studio. Guest analyst and three-time Big Ten and NCAA Champion, Bo Nickal, will join reporter Ray Flores on-site for insight and analysis from State College.
In preparation for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, a special 90-minute edition of Wrestling in 60, highlighting 10 of the top matches from the regular season, will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 2.
On The Mat, the Big Ten Network's digital, behind-the-scenes wrestling series, has also been edited to produce three television episodes that will air throughout the weekend. Additionally, the final On The Mat feature of the season will debut on Sunday afternoon with the story of Nebraska's Christian Miller, who was tragically killed in a car accident last November.
On Saturday and Sunday, the B1G Wrestling Instagram page and Big Ten Network YouTube wrestling page will be updated with highlights, full matches and custom content. For details and subscription information regarding Big Ten Network+ coverage, please visit btnplus.com.
Ten Big Ten teams are currently ranked in the top 20 of TrackWrestling's rankings, including the entire top three. No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Nebraska lead the way, followed by No. 8 Michigan, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Minnesota, T-No.14 Illinois, T-No. 14 Rutgers, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 19 Michigan State.
Big Ten Wrestling Championships Schedule
Saturday:
Session 1 Big Ten Network 10 a.m. ET
Session 1 - Individual Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 | Mat 4 Big Ten Network+ 10 a.m. ET
Semifinals - Session 2 Big Ten Network 7:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 Big Ten Network+ 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday:
Session 3 - Consolation Mat Cams Mat 1 | Mat 2 | Mat 3 Big Ten Network+ Noon ET
Championships - Session 4 Big Ten Network 4 p.m. ET
Session 4 - Consolation Mat Cams 3rd Place Mat | 5th Place Mat Big Ten Network+ 4 p.m. ET
Pre-seeds announced for Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Big Ten Conference
3/2/2021
Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young is pre-seeded No. 1 at 133 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 6-7 at Penn State. Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Iowa leading the way with four No. 1 seeds. The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes.
The Hawkeyes boast four top-seeded wrestlers, with 125-pounder Spencer Lee, 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, 165-pounder Alex Marinelli and 174-pounder Michael Kemerer. Minnesota's Gable Steveson (285), Nebraska's Eric Schultz (197), Northwestern's Ryan Deakin (157), Ohio State's Sammy Sasso (149), along with Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Aaron Brooks (184) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.
This year's field contains a combined six Big Ten individual championships (five wrestlers) and two NCAA individual championships (one wrestler).
For more information on the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below. InterMat ranking listed to the right of the wrestler/school.
125:
1. Spencer Lee, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Liam Cronin, Nebraska -- No. 8
3. Malik Heinselman, Ohio State -- No. 9
4. Patrick McKee, Minnesota -- No. 11
5. Rayvon Foley, Michigan State -- No. 16
6. Eric Barnett, Wisconsin -- No. 12
7. Devin Schroder, Purdue -- No. 17
8. Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern -- No. 15
9. Dylan Ragusin, Michigan -- No. 7
10. Justin Cardani, Illinois
11. Robert Howard, Penn State
12. Jacob Moran, Indiana
13. Dylan Shawver, Rutgers
14. Zach Spence, Maryland
133:
1. Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State -- No. 2
2. Austin DeSanto, Iowa -- No. 3
3. Sammy Alvarez, Rutgers -- No. 6
4. Lucas Byrd, Illinois -- No. 11
5. Chris Cannon, Northwestern -- No. 8
6. Jack Medley, Michigan
7. Boo Dryden, Minnesota -- No. 25
8. Jordan Decatur, Ohio State
9. Jacob Rundell, Purdue
10. Kyle Burwick, Wisconsin
11. Tucker Sjomeling, Nebraska
12. Jordan Hamdan, Michigan State
13. Kyle Luigs, Indiana
14. Jackson Cockrell, Maryland
141:
1. Jaydin Eierman, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Nick Lee, Penn State -- No. 2
3. Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers -- No. 3
4. Chad Red, Nebraska -- No. 8
5. Dylan Duncan, Illinois -- No. 14
6. Marcos Polanco, Minnesota -- No. 22
7. Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State
8. Drew Mattin, Michigan
9. Parker Filius, Purdue
10. Cayden Rooks, Indiana
11. Danny Bertoni, Maryland
12. Matt Santos, Michigan State
13. Colin Valdiviez, Northwestern
14. Dominic Dentino, Wisconsin
149:
1. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State -- No. 2
2. Max Murin, Iowa -- No. 6
3. Griffin Parriott, Purdue -- No. 14
4. Yahya Thomas, Northwestern -- No. 17
5. Kanen Storr, Michigan -- No. 9
6. Michael Blockhus, Minnesota -- No. 11
7. Ridge Lovett, Nebraska -- No. 19
8. Mike Van Brill, Rutgers
9. Graham Rooks, Indiana
10. Peyton Omania, Michigan State
11. Beau Bartlett, Penn State -- No. 10
12. Drew Scharenbrock, Wisconsin
13. Christian Kanzler, Illinois
14. Michael North, Maryland
157:
1. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern -- No. 1
2. Kaleb Young, Iowa -- No. 5
3. Brayton Lee, Minnesota -- No. 6
4. Kendall Coleman, Purdue -- No. 7
5. Brady Berge, Penn State -- No. 8
6. Will Lewan, Michigan -- No. 9
7. Chase Saldate, Michigan State
8. Garrett Model, Wisconsin
9. Elijah Cleary, Ohio State
10. Caleb Licking, Nebraska
11. Michael Doetsch, Maryland
12. Johnny Mologousis, Illinois
13. Luke Baughman, Indiana
165:
1. Alex Marinelli, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Dan Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 8
3. Ethan Smith, Ohio State -- No. 10
4. Cameron Amine, Michigan -- No. 13
5. Andrew Sparks, Minnesota -- No. 16
6. Joe Lee, Penn State -- No. 15
7. Peyton Robb, Nebraska -- No. 19
8. Jake Tucker, Michigan State
9. Nick South, Indiana
10. Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue
11. Jonathan Spadafora, Maryland
12. David Ferrante, Northwestern
13. Brett Donner, Rutgers
14. Josh Otto, Wisconsin
174:
1. Michael Kemerer, Iowa -- No. 1
2. Mikey Labriola, Nebraska -- No. 2
3. Carter Starocci, Penn State -- No. 4
4. Logan Massa, Michigan -- No. 5
5. Donnell Washington, Indiana -- No. 13
6. Kaleb Romero, Ohio State -- No. 6
7. Jackson Turley, Rutgers
8. Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin
9. Jake Allar, Minnesota -- No. 22
10. Drew Hughes, Michigan State
11. DJ Shannon, Illinois
12. Emil Soehnlen, Purdue
13. Troy Fisher, Northwestern
14. Philip Spadafora, Maryland
184:
1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State -- No. 1
2. Christopher Weiler, Wisconsin -- No. 10
3. Layne Malczewski, Michigan State -- No. 12
4. Owen Webster, Minnesota -- No. 6
5. John Poznanski, Rutgers -- No. 18
6. Taylor Venz, Nebraska -- No. 14
7. Max Lyon, Purdue -- No. 19
8. Zach Braunagel, Illinois -- No. 15
9. Nelson Brands, Iowa -- No. 16
10. Rocky Jordan, Ohio State -- No. 20
11. Kyle Cochran, Maryland
12. Jaden Bullock, Michigan
13. Jon Halvorsen, Northwestern
14. Santos Cantu III, Indiana
197:
1. Eric Schultz, Nebraska -- No. 1
2. Myles Amine, Michigan -- No. 2
3. Jacob Warner, Iowa -- No. 3
4. Cam Caffey, Michigan State -- No. 13
5. Lucas Davison, Northwestern -- No. 14
6. Thomas Penola, Purdue -- No. 17
7. Michael Beard, Penn State -- No. 15
8. Matt Wroblewski, Illinois
9. Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State
10. Billy Janzer, Rutgers
11. Garrett Joles, Minnesota
12. Jaron Smith, Maryland
13. Nick Willham, Indiana
14. Andrew Salemme, Wisconsin
285:
1. Gable Steveson, Minnesota -- No. 1
2. Mason Parris, Michigan -- No. 2
3. Tony Cassioppi Iowa -- No. 3
4. Luke Luffman, Illinois -- No. 10
5. Christian Lance, Nebraska -- No. 12
6. Trent Hillger, Wisconsin -- No. 13
7. Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State -- No. 6
8. Tate Orndorff, Ohio State -- No. 19
9. Christian Rebottaro Michigan State
10. Jack Heyob, Northwestern
11. Christian Colucci, Rutgers
12. Dorian Keys, Purdue
13. Rudy Streck, Indiana
14. Garrett Kappes, Maryland
Big Ten Announces Wrestling Championship Pre-Seeds
Gophersports.com
Wrestling
3/2/2021
MINNEAPOLIS – The Big Ten Conference released pre-seeds for this weekend's 2021 Big Ten Championships in University Park, Pa. Minnesota enters the week with seven wrestlers seeded top-six in their respective weight classes, including four in the top four.
Defending Big Ten Champion Gable Steveson is the top seed at heavyweight following an undefeated regular season with all nine wins by bonus points. Brayton Lee is the No. 3 seed at 157 pounds a year after finishing fourth as a redshirt freshman. Both earned NWCA All-America honors in 2020.
Sophomore Patrick McKee and Owen Webster are rated fourth at 125 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. McKee was 6-3 in the regular season with three wins against opponents ranked top six nationally. Unranked midseason, Webster finished the year with four straight wins, including three ranked upsets, to climb to No. 10 in the nation.
Senior Boo Dryden is seeded seventh at 133 pounds and will be making his second appearance at the conference tournament after transferring to Minnesota midway through last season.
Five Gophers will be making their first appearance at the Big Ten Championships, the most since 2016. True freshman Andrew Sparks is seeded fifth at 165 pounds after finishing his first regular season with an 8-1 record. Sophomores Marcos Polanco and Michael Blockhus have No. 6 seeds at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively. Junior Jake Allar is seeded ninth at 174 pounds, while sophomore Garrett Joles is seeded 11th at 197 pounds.
The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference's coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes. Final brackets and official seeds will be released on Friday afternoon.
The 2021 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Penn State, will begin on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the finals scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. BTN will provide live coverage, while BTN+ will stream all individual mats.
Golden Gopher Pre-Seeds
125: No. 4 Patrick McKee
133: No. 7 Boo Dryden
141: No. 6 Marcos Polanco
149: No. 6 Michael Blockhus
157: No. 3 Brayton Lee
165: No. 5 Andrew Sparks
174: No. 9 Jake Allar
184: No. 4 Owen Webster
197: No. 11 Garrett Joles
HWT: No. 1 Gable Steveson
