It happens in sports all the time. Undefeated teams are beaten by inferior opponents the week before a marquee matchup or tough stretch in the season.
But it didn’t happen to the Northwestern wrestling team when it faced Eastern Illinois at Patten Gymnasium on Saturday.
In their final match before the start of the conference season, against a team they were expected to beat, the Wildcats (7-0) did not disappoint.
Instead, they turned in their most dominating performance of the year, crushing the Panthers, 41-3.
It would have been easy for NU to look past Eastern Illinois (0-4) on Saturday, but the Cats responded with the discipline they have shown all season.
“Throughout the year we’ve been telling guys the most important match is the one ahead of you, and you can’t look ahead,” coach Tim Cysewski said. “You have to go out and wrestle hard.”
Freshman Mike Tamillow set the tone early for NU, winning his match, 9-4, in the 184-pound division to start the dual. Tamillow, who is ranked 15th in the nation, has lost only once in dual meets this year.
“I was never ranked in high school, and just working with the guys on our team has really helped me reach the next level,” Tamillow said. “I’m beating guys that no one would expect me to beat.”
His performance was followed with victories by 15th-ranked junior Matt Delguyd in the 197-pound weight class, freshman Ryan Lang (141), sophomore Jimmy Kim (149), senior Mike Kimberlin (157), sophomore Nick Hayes (165), and freshman Jake Herbert (174).
Lang turned in a high-energy performance for the Cats when he earned a pin with 3:25 left in his match. Lang, ranked 16th in the country at 141 pounds, has become one of NU’s top performers.
“Ryan is a very exceptional athlete,” Cysewski said. “He loves the crowd and he loves the spotlight, and the guys expect him to go out there and wrestle well.”
Hayes also scored an impressive pin, and Herbert reinforced his No. 4 ranking by defeating Eastern Illinois’ Kenny Robertson, who is ranked 19th in the nation, 5-4. The crowd of more than 100 became especially involved in Herbert’s match, chanting his name throughout the bout.
“Anytime you have a crowd behind you making noise and cheering, (the guys) hear it and feel it, and it’s exciting for them,” Cysewski said. “It gives them more incentive to go out there and score points.”
Cysewski is off to his best start of his 15-year tenure at NU, and the Cats are 7-0 for the first time since the 1986-87 season when they finished 15-2-1.
With the Big Ten opener looming, coaches have stressed to the wrestlers they must be ready for a change in pace.
Cysewski said he told the team to “trust your instincts (because) they don’t fail you.”
NU will face Indiana in its first Big Ten dual of the season Friday in Bloomington, Ind. Cysewski said he believes the Cats match up well with the Hoosiers and the match could be a close one.
“Indiana has a very similar team (to ours),” Cysewski said. “They have good individuals and they are well balanced. … It’s just about who’s wrestling better at the time.”
Reach Paul Tenorio at [email protected].
