Move to 149-pound weight class may hurt Walizer in seedings
Editor's note: This is the fourth in a 10-part series previewing the 10 weight classes for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships beginning this Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. This story previews the 149-pound class.

By RYAN HOCKENSMITH
Collegian Staff Writer

For Biff Walizer, the Big Ten Wrestling Championships seem to be his time of the year.

Walizer, Penn State's starting 149 pounder, will enter this weekend's tournament as one of only a select few grapplers with three straight top-three finishes at Big Tens.

Despite his past success and a 27-9 record this season, Walizer may not even be seeded in the top five for this weekend's Big Ten Championships.

"Biff has a good past in the postseason," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "He might not get a great seed, but he's definitely capable of placing in the top three or four."

One downfall for Walizer's seeding argument comes from his change in weight class earlier this season. The senior had run up a 22-7 tally at 141 pounds before electing to bump up to the 149-pound division in January.

Although he has since posted a 5-2 record against 149 pounders, Walizer did not wrestle against some 149-pound Big Ten foes. According to Sunderland, that could be a problem when brackets are set up tomorrow.

"He's beaten a lot of good wrestlers," Sunderland said. "Unfortunately, he moved up at the end of the season and that might hurt him a little bit as far as seeding goes."

Leading the flock in front of Walizer is Iowa sophomore T.J. Williams. Williams, the brother of three-time NCAA champion Joe Williams, stands undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country heading into Big Tens.

Walizer's teammate, Jean Celestin, squared off against Williams when Penn State clashed with the Hawkeyes Jan. 24. According to Celestin, opponents of Williams face an uphill battle.

"He's big," Celestin said. "He's real big, he's quick and he's tough. He'll be hard to knock off."

Minnesota coach J. Robinson acknowledged Williams as the favorite at the weight class, but said there are other contenders not to be overlooked.

"(Illinois' Adam) Tirapelle gave Williams all he could handle earlier this season," Robinson said. "That should show people he can be beaten."

Robinson was referring to No. 8 Tirapelle, a fourth-place finisher a year ago at Big Tens who dropped a narrow 9-8 decision to Williams Feb. 14. Other competition for the 149-pound crown includes Minnesota's No. 5 Troy Marr, No. 15 Corey Grant of Michigan and Ohio State's No. 16 Jeff Bucher.

Seeding will play a big role in the outcome of the weight class, Robinson said.

"Seeding's going to be important," he said. "It's an interesting draw at this weight class, and however it ends up is going to be a big factor."

Even without a seed, Celestin said opponents should be wary of Walizer.

"Biff's proved that no matter what his record is," Celestin said, "he always does well in the tournaments.

"He's a postseason wrestler, and he knows what needs to be done to win."

Note: The top seven place winners from each weight class advance to the NCAA Championships. Two wild cards will also advance.