Nov. 6, 2009

The start of the 2009-10 wrestling season begins this weekend with four conference schools taking part in the Eastern Michigan Open. Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Purdue all travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., for the day-long event. Illinois will travel to Missouri for the first dual of the new season on Oct. 12.

The first Big Ten duals of the 2009-10 season are set for Jan. 22, with the Big Ten Championships scheduled for March 6-7, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Seven Big Ten teams claimed spots in the preseason USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Division I Coaches Poll, the most of any conference in the nation. Iowa, two-time defending Big Ten and NCAA Champion, is ranked No. 1. The Hawkeyes are one of three Big Ten teams in the top five, along with No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 Minnesota. Four other conference schools rank in the top 25, including No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 14 Penn State, No. 15 Indiana and No. 21 Michigan State.

Last season, four Big Ten grapplers won national championships while all 11 Big Ten schools finished in the top 25 at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Michigan State’s Franklin Gomez (133) is the lone returning national champion in the conference, while three others, Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey (133), Iowa’s Brent Metcalf (149), and Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe (165) rejoin their teams as national runners-up.

Big Ten Wrestling

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