Sept. 9, 2010

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MOSCOW, Russia -- Northwestern alum and volunteer assistant coach Jake Herbert will represent the United States this weekend at the 2010 World Championships of Wrestling in Moscow. Herbert, the U.S.'s entrant at 84 kg for the second straight year, is striving to bring home the gold after winning silver in his debut in 2009.

"I made it to the finals last year and lost but I didn't train to be the second-best wrestler in the world," Herbert said before his departure to Russia. "I'm training to be the best wrestler on the planet and it drives me to know I was so close yet so far away last year. I've done everything in my power since then to turn that silver into gold so now it's a matter of putting it on the mat."

Herbert was the only American representative to reach the championship bout at the 2009 meet. During his time at Northwestern, Herbert was a four-time All-American, two-time NCAA champion and the 2009 Hodge Trophy Award winner, compiling a 135-4 record in four varsity seasons.

Herbert's 84-kg weight class will be contested on Saturday, Sept. 11, beginning at 4 a.m. CT. The opening rounds will conclude at 10 a.m. CT, setting the stage for finals and medal matches from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Brackets for the men's freestyle competition have not yet been announced. Be sure to visit the event website on TheMat.com for weight-by-weight draw sheets, event schedules, message boards and live video from Moscow. Northwestern Wrestling's official Twitter feed also will provide updates on the progress of Herbert and other American competitors on Saturday.

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