Grapplers prepare for Big Ten Championships

By Julie Baker (Last updated: 08/28/09 6:29pm) The preliminary seeds have been posted, and the MSU wrestlers are ready for the Big Ten Championships this weekend.

MSU will host the championship meet, and all Big Ten teams will head to Breslin Center for the first time since 1996.

The conference boasts 10 ranked teams, including defending champion and top-ranked Minnesota.

The preliminary seeds for the championships were announced Monday, with the Spartans picking up four of their own top 10 seeds for the tournament.

Senior Nick Simmons, a two-time Big Ten champion at 125 pounds, took the No. 1 seed for the 133-pound weight class.

The defending Big Ten champion at 141 pounds, senior Andy Simmons, took the third seed for his weight class. Rounding out the ranked Spartans are freshman Franklin Gomez (fourth at 125 pounds) and junior Joe Williams (sixth at 184 pounds).

The official bracket will be set today.

"The Big Ten Championships are a remarkable athletic event," MSU head coach Tom Minkel said. "I hear ticket sales are really high, and it promises to be a great crowd at (Breslin Center)."

Concentrating on the match itself is what Minkel has been stressing in the final days of preparation.

"You don't want to get caught up in the 'I want to win, I hope I place,'" he said. "You get distracted from what's really important. You need to wrestle well, execute well and be fundamentally sound. The results will take care of themselves."

Nick Simmons, who broke the MSU fall record last Friday, is feeling good about the way he has been competing lately. He's ranked second in the nation.

"I'm just trying to concentrate," he said. "Practice and everything isn't too intense right now because this weekend will be rough."

A rematch against T.J. Enright of Ohio State, who upset him earlier this season, is one thing Nick Simmons is looking forward to.

Senior Andy Simmons, ranked fourth in the nation, wrestled last weekend for the first time since Feb. 9 due to a back injury. He fell to Oklahoma's Kyle Terry, i with a final score of 4-2.

Andy Simmons said his injury isn't a focus.

"It doesn't really matter either way," he said. "This is it — I'm going to have to fight through it."

Gomez, ranked eighth in the nation at 125 pounds, is excited for his first Big Ten Championships and has high expectations for himself.

"I want to beat all the people that beat me during the season," Gomez said. "All the matches that I lost were really close, so I'm looking forward to wrestling those guys."

Originally Published: 03/02/07 12:00am