Big Ten – Page 2 – North Platte Post Archive

King Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Posted on April 7, 2015

Lincoln – For the second straight week a member of the Nebraska baseball team earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, as Garett King was selected for the honor on Tuesday by the league office after Elijah Dilday was recognized last week.

King went a career-high 8.0 innings and issued only two hits to improve to 3-0 on the year in 5-1 win over Creighton last Tuesday at Hawks Field. The 6-3 right hander struck out five and didn’t issue a walk for the second straight start. King was perfect through the first four innings, before Harrison Crawford led off the fifth with a triple down the right-field line that just escaped the out-stretched glove of Austin Darby. Crawford scored CU’s lone run of the game when Brett Murray lifted a sacrifice fly into center field.

Following the triple, King went on to retire 12 of the final 13 Jays he faced, before junior Jeff Chesnut took the mound in the ninth and retired the Jays in order to finish the win.

A native of Anaheim Hills, Calif., King is scheduled to start for the Huskers tonight at Kansas State. He has made seven appearances this year, including four starts, and has a 2.00 ERA over 27.0 innings of work with 14 strikeouts to four walks.

Big Ten Shines Bright with Final Four in Own Backyard

Posted on March 31, 2015

MILWAUKEE (AP) — It has been a very good year so far for the Big Ten.

First Ohio State won the first college football playoff in January.

Now the league has Wisconsin and Michigan State advancing to a Final Four, which is hosted in the middle of Big Ten country in Indianapolis.

The Big Ten’s showing had Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker noting that some observers thought the league wasn’t quite as strong this season.

Commissioner Jim Delany says the league overall wasn’t as successful as hoped for in nonconference play. There was a logjam in league play behind regular-season winner Wisconsin.

Kubat and Dilday Earn Big Ten Honors

Posted on March 31, 2015

Lincoln – Following a 4-1 week for the Nebraska baseball team, that included a sweep of the nationally-ranked Texas Longhorns, senior Kyle Kubat was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and freshman Elijah Dilday was named Big Ten Co-Freshmen of the Week by the conference office on Tuesday morning. The Huskers have earned three weekly awards from the league office this season, as Ryan Boldt was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 23.

One day after being tabbed as one of Collegiate Baseball’s Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week, Kubat earned his first career weekly honor from the Big Ten office. The senior lefty has been lights out for the Huskers on Saturdays this season and was on top of his game against the No. 16 Longhorns. Kubat tossed 8.0 shutout inning and notched a career-high nine strikeouts for the second straight week. Following a two-out single by Brooks Marlow in the fourth, Kubat retired the final 13 Longhorns he faced. It was the senior’s third career outing of at least 8.0 innings and trailed only his 8.2-inning effort against Michigan at last season’s Big Ten Tournament.

Kubat, along with relievers Jake Hohensee, Colton Howell and Jeff Chesnut limited the Longhorns to four hits and three walks on the day, while piling up 19 strikeouts. The most strikeouts by a Husker staff since 2009 when NU notched 22 punch outs in a 15 inning game against Louisiana-Lafayette. After the Longhorns produced three hits through the first three innings, they then didn’t record another hit until Ben Johnson led off the 14^th with a single. Texas totaled just seven base runners and had a runner in scoring position only twice all game.

After missing the first 20 games of the year with a shoulder injury to his non-throwing arm, Dilday has quickly made his impact on the Husker offense and defense. The St. Charles, Mo., native started all five of NU’s games last week in left field and hit .462 on the week with at least one hit in every game. The 6-1 Dilday notched his first career multi-hit game, including a two-out RBI double in the third, in NU’s sweep clinching win over the Longhorns on Sunday. Dilday struck out once all week, while slugging .538 with an on-base percentage of .500, and he also played stellar defense with multiple diving catches.

Big Ten Wrestling Set to Compete in NCAA Championships

Posted on March 18, 2015

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Wrestlers from all 14 Big Ten schools will head to Scottrade Center in St. Louis this weekend to compete in the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which begin Thursday morning and conclude on Saturday evening. The Big Ten is sending 96 wrestlers, including 58 seeded grapplers, and four No. 1 seeds across the 10 weight classes.

All six sessions of the NCAA Wrestling Championships will be streamed on ESPN3.com, and will provide live mat-by-mat coverage. Thursday’s sessions, along with Fridayand Saturday’s first session, will air on ESPNU. Friday and Saturday’s second session, featuring the championship bouts, will be broadcast on ESPN.

Eighty-six Big Ten wrestlers earned spots in the NCAA Championships field by virtue of their Big Ten Championships finish, while 10 others received at-large bids. The conference is sending at least seven wrestlers in each weight class, including 10 grapplers in the 141-, 174-, 184- and 197-pound bracket, 11 wrestlers in the 285-pound weight class and 12 participants in the 133-pound bracket.

Four Big Ten wrestlers hold the top seed in their respective weight classes, including Minnesota’s Chris Dardanes (133), Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (141), Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez (157) and Nebraska’s Robert Kokesh (174). Stieber (141) looks for his fourth consecutive national title, while Dardanes, Martinez and Kokesh will look to claim their first individual national championship.

Five Big Ten schools have claimed NCAA Championships, led by Iowa with 23. Penn State is the four-time defending national champion and has won five national championships. Minnesota boasts three national titles, while Indiana and Michigan State have each earned one NCAA Championship. A Big Ten school has taken home the national title in each of the past eight years.

The three-day, six-session event will begin with preliminary matches at Noon ET on Thursday and will continue into the evening session beginning at 7 p.m. The third session will begin Friday at 11 a.m., with quarterfinal action and wrestlebacks highlighting the schedule. The fourth session begins at 8 p.m. and will feature semifinal action.

Saturday morning marks the conclusion of the consolation bracket as third-, fifth- and seventh-place winners will be decided beginning at 11 a.m. The sixth and final session is scheduled for Saturday evening at 8 p.m., where NCAA weight class champions will be crowned.

Petteway Earns All-Big Ten Honors

Posted on March 9, 2015

Lincoln — Terran Petteway was honored Monday night, as he was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. Petteway, a 6-foot-6 junior guard from Galveston, Texas, leads the Huskers and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.8 points per game. He also tops the Huskers in assists (2.8) and blocked shots (0.9), while ranking second in rebounding (5.0). He is one of only nine players in the country – and one of two from a power conference – averaging 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Petteway reached double figures in 28 of 30 regular-season games, including a career-high 32 against Michigan State on Jan. 24, while he averaged 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in a pair of matchups against regular-season champion Wisconsin. In all, he had 12 games with at least 20 points, including six in Big Ten play. In conference play, Petteway finished fourth in scoring (16.9 ppg), 14th in assists (2.9 apg), and sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.2 per game). It is the second time that Petteway has been honored by the Big Ten, as he was a first-team selection in 2013-14.

In addition, senior Trevor Menke was chosen as the team’s sportsmanship nominee, as one member of each team is selected for their contributions off the court.

Big Ten Announces 2015 Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors

Posted on March 9, 2015

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten men’s basketball All-Conference teams and individual award winners were announced on Monday, with Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors from the conference’s coaches and a media panel. Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon claimed Coach of the Year laurels from the media, while Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan was named Coach of the Year by his peers. Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell picked up Freshman of the Year accolades from the coaches and media. Purdue’s Rapheal Davis was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Iowa’s Gabe Olaseni was voted the Sixth Man of the Year by the coaches.

Kaminsky takes home the Big Ten Player of the Year award after leading the Badgers to the outright Big Ten Championship and pacing the conference with 10 double-doubles. Kaminsky averaged 19.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in conference play, ranking among the top three in the Big Ten in both categories. The senior forward leads the Badgers in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. A 2014 All-Big Ten first team selection, Kaminsky has scored at least 20 points on 13 occasions this season and hauled in double-digit rebounds in 10 games. Kaminsky becomes the third player in Wisconsin history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors and the first since Alando Tucker in 2007.

In Maryland’s inaugural season in the Big Ten, Turgeon led the Terrapins to a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Terps boast a 26-5 overall record and wrapped up conference play with a 14-4 mark. The Terrapins, who went 9-0 at home in Big Ten play and posted five conference road wins, enter the Big Ten Tournament on a conference-best seven-game winning streak.

Under the guidance of Ryan, Wisconsin won the outright Big Ten title for the first time since 2008 with a 16-2 conference record. As the tournament’s top seed, Wisconsin leads the conference in scoring margin and scoring defense. Ryan has led the Badgers to their ninth consecutive 20-win season with a 28-3 overall mark, and earns Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time after previously being honored in 2002, 2003 and 2013.

With 20.3 points per game, Russell is the first freshman since Indiana’s Eric Gordon in 2007-08 to lead the conference in scoring during Big Ten play. Russell also leads the Big Ten with 49 three-point field goals made in conference games. He averaged 5.1 assists per conference game, the second-highest average in the Big Ten, and posted the conference’s lone triple-double against Rutgers on Feb. 8. Russell is the Buckeyes’ seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Year selection and first since Jared Sullinger in 2011.

Davis collects Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year laurels after helping the Boilermakers post the conference’s lowest defensive field goal percentage in conference play, limiting opponents to just 39.3 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from three-point range. Davis played an average of 35.7 minutes per Big Ten game, tied for the fifth-most in the Big Ten during conference play. Davis claims Purdue’s eighth Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honor and first since JaJuan Johnson in 2011.

Olaseni is averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game off the bench for Iowa and is shooting 54.1 percent from the field in all games. He becomes the Hawkeyes’ second Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and first since Doug Thomas earned the inaugural award in 2006.

Kaminsky was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media, while Russell was a unanimous selection by the media. The duo was joined on the first team for both the coaches and media by Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell and Iowa’s Aaron White. Big Ten coaches voted Maryland’s Dez Wells a first-team selection, while teammate Melo Trimble was selected as a first-team honoree by the media.

Joining Russell as unanimous selections on the coaches’ All-Freshman Team were Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr. and Trimble. In addition, Northwestern’s Bryant McIntoshand the Buckeyes’ Jae’Sean Tate were named to the All-Freshman team.

Illinois’ Nnanna Egwu, Michigan State’s Branden Dawson, Purdue’s Davis and A.J. Hammons and Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser comprised the five-member All-Defensive Team.

The Big Ten also announced 14 Sportsmanship Award Honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. This season’s honorees are Illinois’ Egwu, Indiana’s Nick Zeisloft, Iowa’s Mike Gesell, Maryland’s Jon Graham, Michigan’s Spike Albrecht, Michigan State’s Travis Trice, Minnesota’s Andre Hollins, Nebraska’s Trevor Menke, Northwestern’s JerShon Cobb, Ohio State’s Shannon Scott, Penn State’s Ross Travis, Purdue’s Neal Beshears, Rutgers’ Myles Mack and Wisconsin’s Gasser.

2015-All-Big-Ten

BTN’s 2015 Baseball & Softball Coverage

Posted on March 9, 2015

CHICAGO – BTN will offer its most extensive baseball and softball coverage ever, with over 280 games airing on BTN/BTN2Go and BTN Plus for the 2015 season.

BTN’s television coverage of Big Ten baseball begins with a non-conference showdown between Nebraska and No. 12 Texas on Saturday, March 28. First pitch is scheduled for 3 PM ET. Last season, Indiana won the outright Big Ten title and Big Ten Tournament Championship, but will have some stiff competition to repeat with the addition of Maryland to the conference. The Terrapins, who are coming off their first Super Regional appearance in program history, were voted by the conference coaches as the preseason favorite to claim the 2015 Big Ten Baseball Championship.

BTN’s television coverage of Big Ten softball begins Tuesday, March 24 with a doubleheader in Iowa City when the Hawkeyes host Nebraska. The first game is slated for 5 PM ET. Last season, Michigan and Nebraska shared the crown as Co-Big Ten Champions, while Minnesota captured the Big Ten Tournament title.

Highlights and coverage of Big Ten baseball and softball will be featured on This Week in the Big Ten, which airs Sunday nights beginning Sunday, April 5. Hosts Rick Pizzo, Mike Hall and various analysts will discuss Big Ten matchups and breakout performances from the weekend’s games. The Diamond Report will return with nightly airings during the baseball and softball tournaments.

Below is a preliminary schedule. Additional games will be added at a later date. The BTN Plus streaming schedule can be viewed here.

BTN/ BTN2Go 2015 Baseball Schedule

Date	Visiting Team	Home Team	Time (ET)
Saturday, March 28, 2015	Texas	Nebraska	3:00 PM
Friday, April 03, 2015	Nebraska	Maryland	7:00 PM
Sunday, April 05, 2015	Nebraska	Maryland	Noon
Friday, April 10, 2015	Michigan	Penn State	5:00 PM
Friday, April 10, 2015	Minnesota	Nebraska	8:00 PM
Sunday, April 12, 2015	Purdue	Illinois	1:00 PM
Monday, April 13, 2015	Purdue	Illinois	7:00 PM
Tuesday, April 14, 2015	Louisville	Ohio State	7:00 PM
Friday, April 17, 2015	Cal State Fullerton	Maryland	7:00 PM
Sunday, April 19, 2015	Indiana	Illinois	1:00 PM
Sunday, April 26, 2015	Illinois	Penn State	1:00 PM
Friday, May 01, 2015	Purdue	Michigan State	2:00 PM
Saturday, May 02, 2015	Rutgers	Penn State	1:30 PM
Saturday, May 02, 2015	Iowa	Michigan	4:30 PM
Sunday, May 03, 2015	Indiana	Maryland	11:00 AM
Saturday, May 09, 2015	Northwestern	Michigan	Noon
Sunday, May 10, 2015	Minnesota	Iowa	2:00 PM
Thursday, May 14, 2015	Wildcard #1	Wildcard #1	TBD
Friday, May 15, 2015	Wildcard #2	Wildcard #2	TBD
Saturday, May 16, 2015	Oklahoma State	Michigan	Noon
Saturday, May 16, 2015	Wildcard #3	Wildcard #3	TBD
Wednesday, May 20, 2015	B1G Tournament – TBD	TBD Matchup	TBD
Wednesday, May 20, 2015	B1G Tournament – TBD	TBD Matchup	TBD
Thursday, May 21, 2015	Game 1 Winner	Game 2 Winner	TBD
Thursday, May 21, 2015	Game 3 Winner	Game 4 Winner	TBD
Friday, May 22, 2015	Game 5 Winner	Game 7 Loser	TBD
Friday, May 22, 2015	Game 6 Winner	Game 8 Loser	TBD
Saturday, May 24, 2015	Game 7 Winner	Game 10 Winner	TBD
Saturday, May 24, 2015	Game 8 Winner	Game 9 Winner	TBD
Saturday, May 24, 2015	Game 11 Winner – If Nec.	Game 11 Loser – If Nec.	TBD
Saturday, May 24, 2015	Game 12 Winner – If Nec.	Game 12 Loser – If Nec.	TBD
Sunday, May 25, 2015	B1G Championship	B1G Championship	TBD

BTN/ BTN2Go 2015 Softball Schedule

Date	Visiting Team	Home Team	Time (ET)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015	Nebraska	Iowa	5:00 PM
Tuesday, March 24, 2015	Nebraska	Iowa	25 minutes after
Friday, March 27, 2015	Rutgers	Purdue	5:00 PM
Saturday, April 04, 2015	Michigan	Minnesota	2:00 PM
Sunday, April 05, 2015	Michigan	Minnesota	1:00 PM
Tuesday, April 07, 2015	Ohio State	Penn State	5:30 PM
Tuesday, April 07, 2015	Ohio State	Penn State	25 minutes after
Wednesday, April 08, 2015	Purdue	Indiana	3:30 PM
Wednesday, April 08, 2015	Purdue	Indiana	25 minutes after
Sunday, April 12, 2015	Iowa	Wisconsin	4:00 PM
Sunday, April 19, 2015	Northwestern	Nebraska	4:00 PM
Tuesday, April 21, 2015	Michigan State	Michigan	7:00 PM
Wednesday, April 22, 2015	Illinois	Northwestern	3:00 PM
Wednesday, April 22, 2015	Illinois	Northwestern	25 minutes after
Friday, April 24, 2015	Michigan	Maryland	5:00 PM
Sunday, April 26, 2015	Nebraska	Wisconsin	1:00 PM
Wednesday, April 29, 2015	Minnesota	Wisconsin	5:30 PM
Wednesday, April 29, 2015	Minnesota	Wisconsin	25 minutes after
Sunday, May 03, 2015	Wildcard	Wildcard	TBD
Friday, May 08, 2015	Seed 4	Game 1 Winner	TBD
Friday, May 08, 2015	Seed 1	Game 2 Winner	TBD
Friday, May 08, 2015	Seed 3	Game 3 Winner	TBD
Friday, May 08, 2015	Seed 2	Game 4 Winner	TBD
Saturday, May 09, 2015	Game 5 Winner	Game 6 Winner	TBD
Saturday, May 09, 2015	Game 7 Winner	Game 8 Winner	TBD
Saturday, May 09, 2015	B1G Championship	B1G Championship	TBD

Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced

Posted on March 8, 2015

Rosemont, Ill. – Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan State and Purdue are the top four seeds in the 2015 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, the conference office announced on Sunday night. The 18th annual event will be contested from March 11-15 at the United Center in Chicago, and will feature a five-day format for the first time. The top-four seeds received first- and second-round byes into Friday’s quarterfinals.

All-session and single-session tickets for the 2015 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament remain on sale through Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or going to www.unitedcenter.com.

After winning the outright Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2008 with a 16-2 conference record, Wisconsin is the tournament’s top seed and will open play at 11 a.m. CT in Friday’s quarterfinals. Second-seeded Maryland completed its first season in the Big Ten with a 14-4 record. The Terrapins will begin their first Big Ten Tournament on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue finished the year with matching 12-6 marks, but the Spartans posted a combined 2-0 record against the Hawkeyes and Boilermakers, and claimed the No. 3 seed. Purdue earned the fourth seed with a 1-1 record among the three teams, while Iowa is the No. 5 seed with an 0-2 mark in the group. Michigan State will open play in Friday’s quarterfinals at approximately 8 p.m., while Purdue will get underway at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Iowa will open play in Thursday’s second round beginning at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Ohio State earned the No. 6 seed with an 11-7 conference record, and will begin tournament play at approximately 8 p.m. in Thursday’s second round. Illinois and Indiana completed the Big Ten season with identical 9-9 records. The Hoosiers earned the No. 7 seed due their head-to-head win over the Illini in January, while Illinois claimed the No. 8 seed. Indiana will open play against No. 10 Northwestern on Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m., while Illinois will take on ninth-seeded Michigan at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

The first round of the 2015 event begins at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday when No. 12 Nebraska faces No. 13 Penn State, followed by No. 11 Minnesota against No. 14 Rutgers at 6 p.m.

Big Ten Tournament semifinal games will be played on Saturday beginning at Noon CT. The championship game tips off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. Every Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament game will be nationally televised with coverage from CBS Sports, ESPN or ESPN2 and BTN. Since the event’s inception in 1998, every tournament contest has been televised.

Six different programs have won the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State and Michigan State have each claimed four official titles. Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin have each won the championship twice, and Purdue has won the tournament once.

2015 Big Ten Tournament Bracket

Iowa and Ohio State Win 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships

Posted on March 8, 2015

Columbus, OHIO – Iowa and Ohio State won the 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships title on Sunday, tying for first place with a team score of 120.0. The Hawkeyes claimed their 35^th championships title and first since 2010, while the Buckeyes won their third crown and first since 1951. Ohio State took home two individual titles, as Logan Stieber became the 14^th wrestler to be crowned a four-time Big Ten Champion. This is the seventh time in conference history that there have been co-champions in wrestling, and first since 1932 between Illinois and Indiana.

Minnesota finished in third place with 108.0 points, while Michigan placed fourth (102.5) and Penn State (96.5) rounded out the top five.

Stieber was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Wrestler of the Championships. The senior becomes the first Wrestler of the Year in program history after claiming his fourth-straight Big Ten individual title. Stieber is the second Buckeye to be named Wrestler of the Championships, and first since Lance Palmer in 2010. Head Coach Tom Ryan took home Coach of the Year honors, while Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Martinez becomes the first Illini to win the honor.

Ohio State’s Nathan Tomasello took home the 125-pound title. Tomasello, the No. 3 seed, earned a 3-2 decision over top-seeded Thomas Gilman of Iowa. At 133, top-seeded Chris Dardanes of Minnesota posted a 7-2 decision against Wisconsin No. 2 seed Ryan Taylor to win his first Big Ten title.

Stieber earned his fourth conference crown, as the No. 1 seed defeated sixth-seeded Josh Dziewa of Iowa (TF, 3:07) to claim the 141-pound title. The 149-pound crown went to No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis, who earned a 2-1 decision over Iowa No. 1 seed Brandon Sorensen, en route to his second-straight Big Ten title.

At 157, No. 1 seed Martinez of Illinois claimed a 12-5 decision to defeat No. 2 seed Dylan Ness of Minnesota to win his first Big Ten crown. Wisconsin’s Isaac Jordan, a No. 2 seed at 165, posted a 3-2 decision over Ohio State’s Bo Jordan to win his first conference title.

Nebraska No. 1 seed Robert Kokesh claimed his second straight Big Ten title, taking the 174-pound championship with a 7-3 decision against Iowa No. 2 seed Matt Brown of Penn State to earn the crown. At 184, Michigan’s Domenic Abounader, a No. 2 seed, claimed a 7-6 decision over Brett Pfarr of Minnesota.

Penn State No. 2 seed Morgan McIntosh won the 197-pound Big Ten title, taking a 4-1 decision over top-seeded Kyle Snyder of Ohio State. Rounding out the group of individual Big Ten Champions was No. 3 seed Mike McMullan of Northwestern, who claimed a 4-3 decision over fourth-seeded Bobby Telford of Iowa.

The complete list of Big Ten individual awards and All-Big Ten honorees can be found below, while the full results are attached.

BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Wrestler of the Year: Logan Stieber, Ohio State

Freshman of the Year: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois

Coach of the Year: Tom Ryan, Ohio State

Wrestler of the Championships: Logan Stieber, Ohio State

2015 ALL-BIG TEN TEAM

Isaiah Martinez, Illinois

Dominic Abounader, Michigan

Chris Dardanes, Minnesota

Robert Kokesh, Nebraska

Mike McMullan, Northwestern

Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern

Logan Stieber, Ohio State

Nathan Tomasello, Ohio State
Morgan McIntosh, Penn State
Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin

2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Preview

Posted on March 5, 2015

The 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. The event gets underway at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, with the preliminary, quarterfinal, semifinal and wresleback matches taking place in Session I and II. Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches get underway at 1 p.m. on Sunday, while first-, third- and fifth-place matches begin at 3 p.m. BTN will provide live streaming coverage of Sessions I, II and III, while the championship rounds will be carried live on the network.

Penn State enters the championships looking for its fifth-straight Big Ten title, after earning crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Last season, Penn State earned 140.5 team points, followed by Iowa and Minnesota with 135 and 118.5 points, respectively. Iowa leads all Big Ten schools with 34 team titles and 195 individual crowns.

Five wrestlers that took home Big Ten titles last season return to this year’s championships, with Illinois’ Jesse Delgado (125), Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (141), Northwestern’s Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Nebraska’s James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each earning crowns at last year’s event.

Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Iowa and Ohio State leading the way with three each. For Iowa, 125-pounder Thomas Gilman, 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen and 184-pounder Sam Brooks earned top billing in their weight classes, while Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (141), Bo Jordan (165) and Kyle Snyder (197) enter the championships as the top seed. The Illini’s Isaiah Martinez (157), Gophers’ Chris Dardanes (133), Huskers’ Robert Kokesh (174) and Badgers’ Connor Medbery (285) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.

Ten Big Ten teams enter the championships ranked in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll, with conference squads claiming three of the top five spots. Iowa leads the way at No. 2, followed by No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 21 Rutgers and No. 23 Purdue.

CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION

Date: March 7-8, 2015

Site: Ohio State University

St. John Arena

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (ET)

Saturday, March 7

9 a.m. – Doors open to the public

10 a.m. – Session I begins (first round, quarterfinals)

Fans clear arena at conclusion of Session I

5 p.m. – Doors open to the public

6 p.m. – Session II begins (semifinals, wrestlebacks)

Sunday, March 8

Noon – Doors open to the public

1 p.m. – Session III begins (consolation semifinals, seventh-place matches)

3 p.m. – Session IV begins (first-, third-, fifth-place matches)

TELEVISION COVERAGE

All four sessions will be broadcast live on BTN or streamed online. Sessions I, II and III wil be streamed on BTN Plus, while the championship, third-, and fifth-place matches will air live on BTN at 3 p.m. on Sunday.