Michigan State University Athletics
Pre-Seeds For Big Ten Wrestling Championships Announced
3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 1, 2005
PARK RIDGE, Ill - The preliminary seeds for the 2005 Big Ten Wrestling Championships were announced by conference officials Monday.
Four Spartans were ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes, led by Nick and Andy Simmons, who both earned No. 2 seeds.
Nick Simmons completed the regular season with a 24-2 record, good for No. 3 in the nation at 125 pounds. Nick Simmons is MSU's lone All-American, finishing seventh at the 2003 NCAA Tournament. This season, he has outscored his opponents 149-17 and led the team in shut-out victories with 12.
Andy Simmons, ranked No. 6 in the country at 141 lbs., will look to improve on last year's seventh-place finish at the Championships. Andy Simmons completed the regular season with a 27-3 record, good for second on the team in wins. He also led the team in falls with 10, and tournament titles with three.
The two other State wrestlers who earned pre-seeds were juniors Darren McKnight at 149 lbs., and R.J. Boudro at 174 lbs. McKnight earned a No. 5 seed after pacing the team in victories this season with 28. He will attempt to qualify for the national tournament for the second-straight year. Boudro, seeded third, will try to earn his first NCAA berth after transferring from Michigan a year ago.
The top six wrestlers in each weight class move on to the NCAA Championships March 17-19, in St. Louis, Mo.
The pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the league's head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results.
The 2005 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 4.
