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"Oh man, this feels great," said Logan. "I've worked hard for this and to realize I'm going to the NCAA Championships is unbelievable. I can't wait."

Brown entered the tournament unseeded in the 197 pound weight class despite a 20-12 record entering the tournament and some wins over some of the wrestlers who were seeded.

"I was pretty mad (about not being seeded)," Brown said. "But what can you do? It is what it is and I couldn't control it. It worked out OK anyway."

Being unseeded, Logan received a tough draw in his opening round match against No 3. seed Patrick Bond of illinois. The two had faced each other earlier in the season with Bond coming out on top.

The rematch was no different as Bond pulled away from Brown in the third period to take a 14-6 win.

The defeat put Logan in the consolation bracket against No. 5 seed Joe Williams of Michigan State, who had defeated Logan 3-2 in a dual meet earlier in the season.

Brown would get his revenge as he scored a takedown in the final seconds of the match to take a 2-1 victory.

"I had to make something happen," Brown described. "I got in deep (on a shot) and we were scrambling around. I was on top of him with my back on his chest and I spun around as quick as I could to get control. They (the Michigan State coaches) appealed the takedown, but I knew I had it. Fortunately the referees agreed because it was a takedown."

The win moved Brown into a rematch with Ohio State's John Weakley in a match-up that would secure an NCAA birth for the winner.

Brown had defeated Weakley 6-4 earlier in the season, but would need an extra period to determine things this time around.

After a scoreless first period, Weakley gained the advantage with an escape early in the second. But Brown tied the match at 1-1 with an escape of his own in the third.

Brown then went on the attack, forcing a stalling warning on Weakley.

"He (Weakley) usually goes hard, but this time he was just hanging on," Brown explained. "I just stayed aggressive and pushed the action."

The strategy worked despite the match being extended into the extra frame as Weakley was called for stalling again, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for Brown.

"I wasn't even looking for the stalling point," Logan continued. "I wanted to win by taking him down, but he just kept holding on. All I thought about was keep pushing the action."

The victory was sweet for Logan as it was his second win this year over the wrestler Ohio State recruited over him and secured a spot in the NCAA Championships. Brown's victory also didn't set well with the Ohio State fans that were on hand.

"They (the fans) were booing me," Brown said with a chuckle. "I just waved back at them."

Brown's victory set up a rubber match with Patrick Bond of Illinois in the consolation semi-final.

Although Brown dropped a 10-4 decision, Logan felt he closed the gap between the two.

"I did a lot better against him that time," Brown said. "I was more aggressive, but I didn't finish my shots. It's the little things I have to work on like setting them (the shots) up better."

Brown's final match of the Big Ten Championships was against Indiana's Joe Fragiano with fifth place on the line. The two had met earlier in the year with Brown coming out on top, 5-1.

After a scoreless first round, Fragiano scored on an escape in the second period from the down position.

Brown returned the favor in the third period to tie the score and then scored on a takedown 50 seconds later to take a 3-1 lead. He then rode out Fragiano until the waning moments of the match when he surrendered the escape to make the final score 3-2 and earn his fifth place medal.

"I got in deep on the double and then switch to a single leg," described Brown of his winning takedown. "I think I caught him off guard a little because I switch it up a little and went to the opposite side."

With his reservations to the NCAA Tournaments secured, Brown isn't about to sit back and dwell on his accomplishments in his first year of collegiate wrestling.

"I've got a lot of work to do in the next two weeks," he said. "A lot of the guys I'll wrestle at the NCAA Championships I've wrestled already this year. Most of those matches were close, like one or two points. I'm right there (with the other wrestlers). I just have to work on the little things and be ready to wrestle."

Knowing Logan Brown, he'll do just that.

BIG TEN PREVIEW...
March 7, 2008 – MINNESOTA
Logan Brown, a 2006 Covington graduate and red-shirt freshman at Purdue will be competing in the 2008 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the University of Minnesota this weekend.

Brown enters the tournament unseeded at 197 pounds, but with a wealth of experience against other Big Ten competitors. He owns a 20-12 overall record and a 3-7 record in the Big Ten, but three of those Big Ten losses came at the hands of the top ranked wrestler in Mike Tamillow of Northwestern and two other losses were against the No. 5 seed and the No. 6 seed.

Against the No. 5 seed Joe Williams of Michigan State, Brown dropped a close 3-2 decision earlier this year. His loss to the No. 6 seed Justin Bronson of Minnesota was by the score of 2-0.

Brown's biggest win of the season came against No 8. seed Anthony Biondo of Michigan, who had split two matches with the No. 7 seed, Chad Beatty of Iowa. His two other Big Ten wins came against Ohio State's John Weakley and Indiana's Joe Fagiano.

Should Brown finish in the top seven, he will qualify for the NCAA Championships to be held in St. Louis on March 20th, 21st and 22nd.

Brown opens the tournament with No. 3 seed Patrick Bond of Illinois, who defeated Logan 13-4 just two weeks ago. Bond is also ranked 13th in the nation at 197 pounds.

Should Logan win his first round match, he will face No. 6 seed Justin Bronson of Minnesota, who captured a slim 2-0 win over Brown earlier in the year.

A Brown loss to Bond would put him in the Consolation Bracket against the loser of the match between Joe Williams of Michigan State and Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin. Brown has not yet faced Herbst, but has tangled with Williams, falling 3-2 earlier in the year.

Competition begins at Minnesota's University Fieldhouse at noon (Eastern Time).