March 13, 2007

DeKalb, Ill. - The Huskies will be represented by four wrestlers in this years NCAA Championships to be held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Mich. Thursday through Saturday, March 15 - 17. MAC Champion Pat Castillo will lead the contingent of Huskie wrestlers, which includes Johnny Galloway, Danny Burk and Duke Burk.

"We're excited about the NCAA Championships, it's what we work for all year," said head coach Dave Grant, "Galloway and Castillo have been there before and they know what to expect, but it will be a whole new experience for Danny and Duke Burk."

MAC Champion Pat Castillo, ranked fifteenth in the nation, will represent the Huskies in the NCAA Championships at 125-pounds for the second consecutive year. In last years NCAA's Castillo was a wild card entrant and finished just two wins away from earning All-American status. In this years tournament Castillo will face sixth seeded Paul Donahoe, ranked 12th in the nation, from Nebraska in the first round.

Senior Johnny Galloway, ranked as high as thirteenth nationally, qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third straight year after a second place in the MAC Championships at 165-pounds and earning a wild card birth. In last years NCAA's Galloway upset the fourth seed on his way to the quarterfinals and came one point away from earning All-American status and placing in the top-8. Galloway is seeded twelfth in the championships and will compete against Jason Keissling of Maryland in the second round after receiving a first round bye.

Freshman Duke Burk, ranked 18th in the nation, also finished in second place at the MAC Championships en route to his first NCAA Championships appearance. Coach Grant said of Duke Burk's accomplishments at such an early stage in his career, "Not many freshman make the NCAA Championships out the MAC. Duke was only one of two that made it this year." In Burk's opening match he will take on eleventh seeded and sixteenth ranked John Dergo from Illinois.

Danny Burk will also be making his first trip to the NCAA Championships as a senior after his second place finish in the MAC Championships at 174-pounds and earning one of the coveted wild card births. "Danny worked hard the last five years and I'm glad to see him in the NCAA Championships," Coach Grant said of Danny Burk. In his first match of the tournament Burk will go toe-to-toe with the defending champion, top-seeded and number one ranked wrestler in the country at 184-pounds in Ben Askren from Missouri.

The pigtails and first round are scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 15 with the preliminaries and consolation rounds starting at 5:30 p.m.