Wrestlers prep for 'extremely tough' meets

The team looks to keep a No. 2 rank after back-to-back meets.

By Ryan Huber

Published Dec. 8, 2006

The No. 2 wrestling team is recovering after claiming the title in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend.

But the squad doesn't have much time to rest with what coach Brian Smith calls two "extremely tough" dual meets against Central Michigan and Michigan State on Friday and Saturday.

"This is a tough week," Smith said. "We are coming off an emotional high, a long travel to Vegas and back ... and now it's preparations for exams, plus we are going into two major duals. Yesterday's practice, they just looked exhausted as a team."

But Smith said he has a plan. The team will have intense, short practices to remain sharp for this weekend.

"Today, I'm going to go in there and say, 'Guys, I want you to give me all you got for an hour and 15,'" he said on Wednesday. "And they understand that you just can't say 'Hey, we're ranked second in the country, let's just show up for practice.'"

With a close team, the approach stands a good chance of working. Sophomore 184-pounder Raymond Jordan said this team has really started to come together.

"The team chemistry this year is really strong," he said. "We realize we have to come together, work together and push each other to reach a goal."

And with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, team chemistry is a must-have.

"You need it," Smith said. "And you know why? Because they have to beat each other up every day in the room, and if they aren't getting along, then it can be miserable."

Central Michigan is the Tiger's first dual match-up and the Chippewas could prove troublesome in some of the upper-weight divisions. Junior Brandon Sinnott, 2005 national qualifier and defending MAC champ, is ranked sixth in the country at 174 and will most likely face off against senior Ben Askren.

"On paper, it looks like they are the better dual meet team (compared to Michigan State)," Smith said. "For us to beat them, it's going to take a real solid effort from the team."

Less than 24 hours later, the team matches up against Michigan State. The Spartans boast three of the top lightweights in the nation, including redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez, who weighs in at 125 pounds.

"It's going to be a really good dual, and I know they are going to have a big crowd there waiting for us," Smith said. "It's going to be an extremely tough weekend."

In the middle of this week's recovery, redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month after starting the season 10-0, including victories over three of the nation's Top 5 wrestlers.

"It's sweet," he said. "I didn't plan on it any other way. You plan for the best."

Smith said he is very pleased with Maxwell Askren's progress in such a short time period.

"I'm very proud of him because of what he's done," Smith said. "When you step back and look, he's beat the No. 2, 3 and 4 guys (in the nation) in a matter of two weeks. As a freshman, that is hard to do. But we need Max to do that to win the national title in March. He can wrestle a lot better than he did at Vegas. That's the scary part for the rest of the country."