Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Hyped for Big Ten Championships in Evanston
3/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 4, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University wrestling team begins postseason action on Saturday, March 5 on day one of the 2011 Big Ten Championships. Wresling is scheduled to started at 10 am local (11 am EST) inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern University. A total of 64 automatic bids to the NCAA Championships are on the line this weekend in Evanston.
Complete Conference-by-Conference NCAA Championship Automatic Bid Allocations 
2011 Big Ten Championship Brackets
INDIANA'S LINE-UP
125 lbs.- Justin Brooks, r-Fr. (16-14)
133 lbs.- Matt Ortega, r-Jr. (15-15)
141 lbs.- Mitchell Richey, Fr. (14-17)
149 lbs.- #10 Kurt Kinser, r-Sr. (23-7)
157 lbs.- #10 Paul Young, r-Sr. (23-7)
165 lbs.- Ryan LeBlanc, r-Fr. (9-9)
174 lbs.- Nick Avery, r-Sr. (9-18)
184 lbs.- Eric Cameron, r-Sr. (12-19)
197 lbs.- #10 Matt Powless, r-Jr. (32-4)
285 lbs.- #9 Ricky Alcala, Grad. (27-7)
Make sure to follow @iuwrestling1 on Twitter for updates on how the Hoosiers are faring throughout the competition.
Adding to the excitement of the weekend is the presence of the Big Ten Network, which will be on hand Sunday to provide a live telecast of the championship matches. Veteran play-by-play man Tim Johnson will be on the call along with Jim Gibbons and Lee Kemp.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (Eastern Time)
SATURDAY:
11 am- First Round, Quarterfinals
6 pm- Semifinals, Wrestlebacks
FRIDAY:
2 pm- Consolation Semifinals, Seventh-Place Matches
4 pm- FINALS (First-, Third- and Fifth-Place Matches)
*Finals to be appeared LIVE on the Big Ten Network.
BIG TEN RULES ONCE AGAIN
With eight teams ranked in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches' poll--including three in the top five--and 64 automatic qualifier bids, the Big Ten is once again the dominant league in college wrestling this season.
BIG BOYS DOING BIG THINGS
Indiana's two heaviest wrestlers, 197-pounder Matt Powless and HWT Ricky Alcala have been cranking out wins at a rapid pace this season. Powless leads the team (and the conference) with 32 W's while Alcala is second-best at 27 victories, including three over natinoally-ranked opponents (two of which were top-10 foes).
NUMBERS DON'T LIE
Matt Powless finished the regular season leading all of Division-I wrestling with 12 major decisions and ranked 12th nationally with 32 victories overall (tied for most in the Big Ten). Paul Young and Ricky Alcala also cracked the statistical top-10 in the conference rankings. Young's seven major decisions and Alcala's 27 wins are each tied for 10th in the Big Ten.
Players Mentioned
