Then No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Iowa, No. 7 Illinois, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 21 Indiana all clobbered NU during the regular season by more than 30 points, sending the Cats to a last-place finish in the conference.
After enduring a winless Big Ten season, NU will watch the other 10 conference teams – all of them ranked in the Top 25, with Minnesota at No. 1 – invade Evanston for the Big Ten championships on March 3.
But the Cats aren’t discouraged – instead, they’re excited to go up against the best competition.
To prepare for the postseason, NU coach Tim Cysewski has refined the practice schedule and increased the tempo on the mat.
“You’ve got to go through the Big Ten to be a national champion or an All-American,” Cysewski said. “(The wrestlers) are working hard, practicing hard, and we want them to peak at the right time.”
The elite tournament field – which boasts five teams ranked in the top eight and 10 of the top 20 wrestlers in the nation – will duke it out on NU’s home turf, with the top seven in each weight class receiving automatic berths to the NCAAs. In addition, two wildcards will be selected for the tournament.
Overall, 72 Big Ten wrestlers will head to the NCAAs, while the second-best conference, the Big 12, will send 36 wrestlers.
“It just shows how dominant the Big Ten is on a national level,” Cysewski said.
In its biggest competition to date, the Cats (4-13-1, 0-8 Big Ten) will not have to travel and deal with the usual road headaches. Instead, they can enjoy the comforts of their own campus and Welsh-Ryan Arena.
For the Cats, it’s fortunate that they have at least that advantage – NU is by far the youngest squad in the field. Seven of the nine wrestlers in the starting lineup have never competed in the Big Ten championships.
“They have to rely on the staff and the guys who have been there before for help,” Cysewski said. “It’s a new season, and they need to go out and wrestle with confidence.”
BENCHMARKS: NU lost the services of another standout veteran when junior John Giacche redshirted at the beginning of the season. A two-year starter at 133 pounds, Giacche began to outgrow his weight class and redshirted this season with the intention of bulking up and preparing thoroughly for the jump to 141 pounds.
Giacche has practiced year-round with the Cats. But while his teammates take the mat, he remains on the sidelines.
And while his teammates are losing, Giacche is winning.
Itching to compete, Giacche entered himself in several open draws composed of Division I redshirts and Division III wrestlers and won his weight class in two competitions.
“In a lot of aspects you’re working real hard at practice, and it is nice to look forward to something,” Giacche said.
Before the new tear, he had average results – by his standards – finishing third and fifth at tournaments in St. Louis and Wisconsin. But later in the year, Giacche decided not to worry about weight and wrestled at 149 pounds for the Marquette and Dubuque opens.
The results were stellar.
He won both competitions, while redshirt freshmen teammates Paul Augle and Michael Little also placed in the top three.
“It was a good chance to get some matches,” Giacche said. “A lot of the guys you won’t see on the Big Ten mat. There was no pressure, and it was fun to get back on the mat.”
Giacche rates the season as a success – he said he has gained mental confidence and physical strength. In addition, Giacche has stepped into a coaching role for the young Cats – every day in practice, he battles Ryan Cumbee, Josh Ballard and Jason Erwinski, who rank first, second and third in wins for NU.
Giacche is eager to return to action next year, especially with the Big Tens and the NCAAs on the horizon, but he has offered his time and effort to this year’s Cats.
“If anyone needs a workout, I’m there for them,” he said. “I’m whatever they need, whether it’s being a drill dummy or (for) lifting weights.”
AN OFFENSE MOST RANK: For the first time all year, NU does not have a ranked player in the recent InterMat poll.
Heavyweight Josh Saul dropped out of the top 20 with consecutive losses to Purdue’s Jake Vercelli and Michigan’s Matt Brink.
Meanwhile, 157-pounder Jason Erwinski continues to be overlooked by the polls despite his 16-4 overall record, his 7-1 record in the conference and his win over Illinois’ No. 17 Griff Powell.
