| Lange posted his second straight seventh place finish at the Big Ten Championships in 1997 as he posted a 2-2 mark and ran his season record to 22-9. Lange pinned Michigan's Erick Olson in the seventh place bout. He will be making his second NCAA appearance as he went 1-2 in 1996. After starting the season with a 17-2 mark, one tournament win and a pair of second place tournament finishes, Lange suffered an injury to his left knee while competing against Fresno State on Jan. 3. Cartilage tears in the knee caused Lange to miss eight matches and forced him to move from his starting 150 pound position to 158. Lange returned to the mat and suffered a similar injury to his right knee on Feb. 8 in a dual meet with Wisconsin. He finished the season with a 6-6 dual meet mark and has wrestled out the year with both knees heavily bandaged. Despite the injury, Lange can still be very dangerous and effective. He owns 10 falls on the year and two major decisions. Lange claimed the 1996 Espoir National Freestyle title at 163 pounds. A three-time New York state champion, Lange was also named as a prep All-American four times. |