By Big Ten Conference

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 8-9 on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. Five schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Penn State leading the way with five. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State will bring a seeded wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes, while Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin each boast a seeded grappler in nine classes.

The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference’s coaches, rank the top eight wrestlers in five weight classes, along with all 12 starters in five weight classes due to the Big Ten receiving eight or more NCAA Championships qualifier allocations in those classes. Each team enters the championships with a seeded wrestler in the 133-, 157-, 165-, 197- and 285-pound weight classes.

Penn State holds five No. 1 seeds, with 125-pounder Nico Megaludis, 141-pounder Zain Retherford, 165-pounder David Taylor, 184-pounder Ed Ruth and 197-pounder Morgan McIntosh earning top billing in their weight classes. Nebraska brings two top-seeded grapplers into the championships, while Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin each hold one top-ranked wrestler. The Hawkeyes’ Tony Ramos (133), Wolverines’ Adam Coon (285) and Badgers’ Isaac Jordan (157) have each earned No. 1 seeds, while the Huskers’ Jake Sueflohn (149) and Robert Kokesh (174) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.

Four of this year’s top seeds advanced to the final of their weight class at last year’s Big Ten Championships, including two who took home titles. Ruth and Taylor each won their third conference crowns a season ago and aim to become just the 12th and 13th four-time winners in Big Ten history. Ramos and Sueflohn both advanced to the championship finale in their respective weight classes last year. This season, three freshmen earned No. 1 seeds entering the championships, including Coon, Jordan and Retherford.

For more information on the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page on Wisconsin’s website HERE. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below.

125 lbs.

Nico Megaludis, PSU Jesse Delgado, ILL Cory Clark, IOWA Bradley Taylor, WIS Conor Youtsey, MICH Tim Lambert, NEB Camden Eppert, PUR Nick Roberts, OSU

133 lbs.

Tony Ramos, IOWA Tyler Graff, WIS David Thorn, MINN Cashe Quiroga, PUR Zane Richards, ILL Johnni DiJulius, OSU Jimmy Gulibon, PSU Rossi Bruno, MICH Shawn Nagel, NEB Dom Malone, NU Joe Duca, IND Garth Yenter, MSU

141 lbs.

Zain Retherford, PSU Logan Stieber, OSU Chris Dardanes, MINN Stephen Dutton, MICH Josh Dziewa, IOWA Steven Rodrigues, ILL Danny Sabatello, PUR Jessie Thielke, WIS

149 lbs.

Jake Sueflohn, NEB Nick Dardanes, MINN Jason Tsirtsis, NU Brody Grothus, IOWA Eric Grajales, MICH Ian Paddock, OSU James English, PSU Brandon Nelsen, PUR

157 lbs.

Isaac Jordan, WIS James Green, NEB Dylan Ness, MINN Derek St. John, IOWA Dylan Alton, PSU Taylor Walsh, IND Zac Brunson, ILL Brian Murphy, MICH Alex Griffin, PUR Ben Sullivan, NU Randy Languis, OSU Roger Wildmo, MSU

165 lbs.

David Taylor, PSU Nick Moore, IOWA Pierce Harger, NU Dan Yates, MICH Jackson Morse, ILL Danny Zilverberg, MINN Ryan LeBlanc, IND Austin Wilson, NEB Pat Robinson, PUR Joe Grandominico, OSU Bobby Nash, MSU Ben Cox, WIS

174 lbs.

Robert Kokesh, NEB Matt Brown, PSU Mike Evans, IOWA Logan Storley, MINN Tony Dallago, ILL Mark Martin, OSU Scott Liegel, WIS Collin Zeerip, MICH

184 lbs.

Ed Ruth, PSU Kevin Steinhaus, MINN Ethen Lofthouse, IOWA TJ Dudley, NEB Domenic Abounader, MICH Kenny Courts, OSU Jackson Hein, WIS John Rizqallah, MSU

197 lbs.

Morgan McIntosh, PSU Nick Heflin, OSU Scott Schiller, MINN Braden Atwood, PUR Nathan Burak, IOWA Mario Gonzalez, ILL Alex Polizzi, NU Timmy McCall, WIS Nick McDiarmid, MSU Caleb Kolb, NEB Chris Heald, MICH Garret Goldman, IND

285 lbs.