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2004-05 Big Ten Wrestling Season in Review
April 11, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format For the second-straight year, a pair of Big Ten wrestling squads finished in the top-five at the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Led by runner-up Michigan and fifth-place Minnesota, the League took five of the top nine team spots at this season's event. The Wolverines garnered second with 83 points behind national champion Oklahoma State. Minnesota, Big Ten Champion Illinois, and Iowa took spots five through seven, while Indiana finished ninth overall in the team standings. Northwestern (14th), Wisconsin (T-15th), and Michigan State (20th) also finished in the top 20 of the final team standings. The Big Ten boasted two individual champions and four runners-up as well. Both the 125- and 157-pound weight classes featured an all-Big Ten final match. At 125, Indiana's Joe Dubuque bested Illinois' Kyle Ott, while Michigan's Ryan Bertin defeated Iowa's Joe Johnston at 157. Iowa's Mark Perry finished second in the 165-pound bracket, while Minnesota's Cole Konrad took second in the heavyweight class. In all, Big Ten wrestling celebrated 29 All-Americans and 48 Academic All-Big Ten honorees this year. Over an 18-week period, a total of 17 wrestlers representing 10 of 11 schools earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors. In addition, the Conference office announced honorees from each of the League's 11 wrestling squads for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. 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. Honorees for wrestling are Illinois' Alex Tirapelle, Indiana's Max Dean, Iowa's Joe Johnston, Michigan's Ryan Bertin, Michigan State's Darren McKnight, Minnesota's Bobbe Lowe, Northwestern's Jake Herbert, Ohio State's J.D. Bergman, Penn State's Adam Smith, Purdue's Ben Wissel and Wisconsin's Brady Reinke. These 11 student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the Conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
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