Northwestern
NCAA Championships
Second National Title Within Reach For Herbert Saturday
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 20, 2009
Official NCAA Championships Website
Complete Brackets Through Session IV
Team Standings Through Session IV
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Northwestern's two returning All-Americans—senior Jake Herbert at 184 and junior Brandon Precin at 125—each locked up another year of All-American status with victories in Session IV of the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Friday night. Herbert will take center stage on Saturday night when he meets Ohio State's Mike Pucillo in a battle of the weight class' last two national titlists.
Herbert (33-0), whose four-year varsity winning percentage of .972 ranks fifth among all Division I wrestlers since 1974-75, has faced Pucillo (23-1) once before, an 11-5 Herbert win during the 2006-07 season.
"I didn't come (to the NCAA Championships) to place and I didn't come here to be an All-American," Herbert said. "I came here to win another national title. I've gotten third, second and first and there's no other way to top it off than with another first-place. Mike (Pucillo) is a great kid and a tough competitor and I hope he brings out the best in me tomorrow night."
Precin, meanwhile, earned a rematch with 2008 national champion and two-time Big Ten champion Angel Escobedo—who was ousted by Cornell's Troy Nickerson on Friday—in the consolation semifinals with a spot in the third-place match on the line. Precin is guaranteed to finish no lower than sixth place.
In addition to securing his second All-American status, Precin's first win of the night also cemented his spot as the 12th wrestler in Northwestern history to win 100 career matches as he improved to 100-28 in his career.
This is the fourth year in a row that Northwestern has featured multiple All-Americans, a streak that coincides with its run of four consecutive top-15 national finishes. NU aims to make it five straight this weekend and currently sits in 12th place with 37.5 team points.
Herbert squared off with Nebraska's 12th-seeded Vince Jones of Nebraska in the semis and, as has become his custom this weekend, collected a takedown just 12 seconds into the match and immediately had Jones' shoulders on the mat before the action was broken for being potentially dangerous. After just a two-point second period, Herbert went to work again in the third, reversing out of his bottom position to take a commanding 8-0 lead.
Herbert, the 2009 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, has coasted to his meeting with Pucillo with three major decisions and one pin in the NCAA Championships.
Precin took on Oklahoma State senior Obenson Blanc to start the night and surrendered the first takedown of the match near the edge of the mat but quickly escaped to pull within 2-1. From that point forward, Precin carried out his gameplan flawlessly getting on top late in the first period and working the edge of the circle for much of the rest of the match to deny Blanc any real opportunity to go to work.
Precin sealed his win with a cradle for a three-point near-fall with about a minute remaining in the match, securing his second consecutive 30-win season.
Win No. 101 for Precin came in dominating fashion later Friday evening against 10th-seeded Scott Sentes of Central Michigan. His first near-fall came less than a minute into the match as he took a 4-0 lead and his second came just before time expired in the first period when he tilted Sentes for three points and a 10-2 advantage. Sentes' efforts to shoot on Precin were futile the rest of the way as the Wildcat held on for the 13-2 major decision.
Precin is 10-5 in his career at the NCAA Championships.
ESPNU will once again be broadcasting the championship medal round beginning at 9:30 a.m. CT while ESPN will carry the finals starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Northwestern Results and Play-by-Play
184: No. 1 Jake Herbert (NU) MD No. 12 Vince Jones (NEB), 11-1
1: Herbert takedown (2-0 NU) … Herbert near-fall (4-0 NU)
2: Neutral start … Herbert takedown (6-0 NU)
3: Herbert chooses bottom … Herbert reversal (8-0 NU) … Jones escape (8-1 NU) … Herbert takedown (10-1 NU) … Herbert 4:39 riding time (11-1 NU)
125: No. 4 Brandon Precin (NU) dec. Obenson Blanc (OKLA. ST.), 10-4
1: Blanc takedown (2-0 OSU) … Precin escape (2-1 OSU) … Precin takedown (3-2 NU)
2: Precin chooses bottom … Precin escape (4-2 NU)
3: Blanc chooses neutral … Precin takedown (6-2 NU) … Precin near-fall (9-2 NU) … Blanc reversal (9-4 NU) … Precin 1:17 riding time (10-4 NU)
125: No. 4 Brandon Precin (NU) MD No. 10 Scott Sentes (CMU)
1: Precin takedown (2-0 NU) … Precin near-fall (4-0 NU) … Sentes reversal (4-2 NU) … Precin escape (5-2 NU) … Precin takedown (7-2 NU) … Precin near-fall (10-2 NU)
2: Neutral start … No scoring
3: Neutral start … Precin takedown (12-2 NU) … Precin 1:53 riding time (13-2 NU)
Saturday Matches
Title Match: No. 1 Jake Herbert (NU) vs. No. 3 Mike Pucillo (OSU)
Consolation Semifinals: No. 4 Brandon Precin (NU) vs. No. 3 Angel Escobedo (IND)
Players Mentioned
