'M' wrestling hits critical stretch of season

All season long, the Michigan wrestling team has been going through what most wrestlers describe as the hardest conditioning of their lives.

It's a good thing they're getting it too, if they want to compete in the Big Ten conference this season.

It looks like their training has been paying off so far.

The problem for the Wolverines is that the Big Ten is to wrestling what the ACC is to men's basketball. There are no bad teams, the top teams happen to be the best teams in the country, and if you take a night off, you'll walk away not knowing what hit you.

"The Big Ten matches are all going to be close," said Michigan senior Corey Grant. "It comes down to who is in the gym early in the morning and who stays late after practice."

Michigan's tough schedule is highlighted by No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Iowa.

Michigan lost a close match to Minnesota, 22-17, and faces Iowa this Sunday.

Last Thursday's loss to No. 10 Central Michigan, marked the beginning of a streak of six matches for the Wolverines against opponenets ranked in the top 15 in the country.

"You never know what's going to happen," Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. "But this stretch is going to tell us a lot about our chances in the post-season."

After the Wolverines beat Illinois on Sunday, Bahr had his sights set high when he looked to the Big Ten Tournament.

"Before this I would've been happy with a fifth place," Bahr said. "But now I think we could place third. And you never know what's going to happen, maybe we could beat Iowa or Minnesota."

Iowa has won 25 straight Big Ten tournaments, a streak that began in 1974. Michigan's best finish in the 90's was a second place finish in 1991.

Friend or Foe?: When Illinois came to Ann Arbor last Sunday, it marked a return for Illini coach Mark Johnson.

Johnson was a four-time letterwinner for the Wolverines including a two-season stint as captain in the mid-seventies. He also was a two-time all-America in 1976 and 1977.

So was coaching against Michigan a bittersweet experience?

Johnson said it's all in a day's work.

"It's always a special place for me to come back to," Johnson said. "But I coached eight years at Iowa before I came to Illinois and I know who pays the bills."

Bahr, who never coached Johnson but nonetheless is a good friend of his, said that Johnson is a huge Michigan fan even though it is now his job to beat the Wolverines.

"He always talks about the experiences he had when he was here," Bahr said. "But he's had his troubles beating us recently, so we'll see how much longer that lasts."

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