The Northwestern Odyssey: Unveiling Innovation and Excellence

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern wrestling will kick off their conference season on the road this weekend, making visits to West Lafayette and Champaign to begin their eight-dual Big Ten schedule. On Friday, the ‘Cats (2-1, 0-0 B1G) will face Purdue (6-1, 0-0 B1G) at 6 p.m. CT. They will then continue their weekend journey on Sunday at 1 p.m., when they compete against Illinois (6-0, 1-0 B1G). Both matches will be available for streaming on B1G+.

LAST TIME OUT 

The Wildcats concluded their tournament schedule prior to the new year at the 60th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Northwestern positioned five wrestlers on the podium during the event, including Maxx Mayfield, who achieved a second-place finish at 165 lbs. Evan Bates also maintained an impressive start to the season with a third-place finish at 197 lbs. His two pins on the second day of Midlands competition brought his seasonal total to four by the end of the non-conference schedule.

Also on the podium for the ‘Cats was Sam Cartella (149 lbs), who secured fifth place for his second consecutive Midlands podium, Dedrick Navarro (125 lbs), who made a consolation run back to seventh place, and Massey Odiotti (133 lbs), who reached the podium at Midlands for the first time.

A BATTLE WITH THE BOILERMAKERS

Northwestern will compete against Purdue for the 31st time since 1990, with the Boilermakers having an 18-12 advantage in the all-time series. The Boilermakers bested the ‘Cats last season in Evanston; however, the last occasion Northwestern visited West Lafayette, they left with a 30-12 triumph. Trevor Chumbley (157 lbs), Chris Cannon (141), Mayfield (165 lbs), and Bates, who wrestled at 184 lbs, all contributed individual victories in that team success.

Purdue arrives at this weekend’s encounter with a 6-1 record in dual action thus far this season. The Boilermakers secured victories over Gardner-Webb (Nov. 1), Buffalo (Nov. 17), Princeton (Nov. 23), Chattanooga (Nov. 23), Cleveland State (Dec. 18), and Kent State (Jan. 3) throughout their non-conference schedule, with their sole loss occurring on criteria against Army, on Nov. 17. Purdue placed seven wrestlers in InterMat’s Top-25 in the latest rankings, featuring No. 1 Matt Ramos at 125 lbs.

FIGHTING THE ILLINI

Having won two of their last three encounters with Illinois, the Wildcats possess a 10-24-1 all-time record against their in-state adversaries. The Illini secured a victory based on criteria last season in Welsh-Ryan Arena, but the ‘Cats emerged victorious in the two duals prior to that – one at home in 2023, and one during their last visit to Urbana-Champaign in 2022.

After compiling a flawless 6-0 record in dual competition in November and December, the Illini arrive at the weekend ranked No. 12 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. Illinois earned their place in the Top-25 with a series of four ranked wins to conclude the 2024 calendar year, defeating No. 21 Arizona State (Nov. 9), No. 6 Missouri (Nov. 21), No. 23 North Carolina (Nov. 25), and No. 28 Indiana (Dec. 6). InterMat featured nine of Illinois’ ten expected wrestlers this weekend in their most recent poll, including three in the top ten.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Northwestern:

125: Dedrick Navarro

133: Massey Odiotti

141: No. 10 Chris Cannon OR Giosue Hickman

149: Sam Cartella

157: No. 11 Trevor Chumbley OR Jacob Bostelman

165: No. 19 Maxx Mayfield

174: Joseph Martin OR Aiden Vandenbush

184: Jon Halvorsen

197: No. 13 Evan Bates

285: Dirk Morley

Purdue:

125 – #1 Matt Ramos

133 – Dustin Norris

141 – #33 Greyson Clark

149 – Isaac Ruble

157 – Kade Law / #7 Joey Blaze

165 – #33 Stoney Buell

174 – #26 Brody Baumann

184 – Orlando Cruz / #20 James Rowley

197 – #30 Ben Vanadia

285 – Hayden Filipovich

Illinois:

125: Caelan Riley

133: #2 Lucas Byrd

141: #13 Danny Pucino

149: #11 Kannon Webster

157: #27 Jason Kraisser

165: #10 Braeden Scoles

174: #21 Danny Braunagel

184: #10 Edmond Ruth

197: #11 Zac Braunagel

285: #11 Luke Luffman

* All individual rankings courtesy of InterMat (January 7)

UP NEXT

After the weekend trek, Northwestern will head back home for their conference home opener on Friday, Jan. 17, against Michigan. The first whistle from Welsh-Ryan Arena is anticipated at 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.