With three All-Americans and six of seven NCAA qualifiers returning, the Michigan wrestling team has its eye on the big prize - an NCAA championship.
Under new head coach Joe McFarland, the Wolverines are putting in their 20-plus hours a week of running, weight training and constant drilling to prepare for the dual-meet season, which begins in early December.
This weekend, several 'M' grapplers will check their progress at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti.
The competition pits individual wrestlers from each school against each other to gain experience for the season ahead.
None of the grapplers can be guided directly by their coaches and no team scores are kept.
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| DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily The Michigan wrestling team competes at the Eastern Michigan Open this weekend. |
But McFarland isn't buying into the hype that has the Wolverines ranked seventh in the country.
"I don't know if we're that good," McFarland said. "Maybe by the end of the year, we'll be there."
McFarland plans to get to NCAAs the old-fashioned way - through hard work and a little help from technology. The Wolverines will spend a good deal of time watching film of themselves and their opponents and hope that studying past matches will give them the extra edge on the mat.
"The coaches get together individually with the guys to go over film and critique their form," McFarland said. "I'm big on that."
Another factor that may give Michigan an edge is its choice of captain, All-American senior Otto Olson. Olson advanced to the championship match at the NCAA Tournament last season. McFarland hopes his captain can pass along that experience to his teammates.
"Otto is one of the mentally toughest guys I've ever worked with," McFarland said. "The guys have a great leader in front of them."
Not only is Olson an example of Michigan wrestling success, but three members of the coaching staff are training themselves to make the 2000 Olympic team. Assistants Sean Bormet and John Fisher, along with volunteer coach John Vogel, will work with the team extensively in order to pursue their Olympic dreams and give younger Wolverines an idea of what they can become.
Although leadership is an asset for Michigan, hard work is what will drive the Wolverines this season.
McFarland praises the team work ethic and maintains that it will serve his wrestlers down the road well.
"We can win a lot of matches by outconditioning and outhustling the other wrestlers," he said.
In addition to All-Americans Olson, Damion Logan, and Andy Hrovat, Michigan adds a heralded seven-wrestler freshman class.
McFarland, like most college coaches, was cautious not to praise his young wrestlers, noting that they would have to compete for their positions.
Freshman Foley Dowd, ranked No. 1 in the nation his senior year, may still have to sit behind senior Joe Warren in the 133-pound weight class.
Though McFarland wrestled at Michigan with World Championship Wrestling's Steiner Brothers, he sees the future of his team in amateur competition and not at the "made for television" professional wrestling.
"I want out guys to try to make world and Olympic teams," he said.
11-05-99
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