By Wade AskewThe Daily Northwestern
Entering the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Iowa, Northwestern was ranked eighth in the nation. Leaving the duals, Northwestern was still ranked eighth.
After victories over Cornell and West Virginia, NU fell to top-ranked Missouri, No. 9 Central Michigan and Big Ten rival No. 5 Iowa in part because the Wildcats were left without one of their stars, junior Ryan Lang. The nation’s top-ranked 141 pounder was a last-minute scratch due to an infection that flared up before the duals (he should be back by NU’s next meet against Illinois Jan. 19).
Despite the losses, this marked the first year in NU’s history that the team placed at the National duals.
In addition, Jake Herbert was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after posting a 5-0 record.
