Wrestlers struggle in Midlands tourney By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Writer For the Michigan wrestling team, the holiday break was anything but a vacation. Facing their toughest competition to date, the wrestlers passed up swimsuits and suntan lotion for uniforms, winter coats and a date at the Midlands Championships in Evanston. The site was not ideal for many of the Wolverines, and they didn't consider the team's overall performance to be much better either. In a meet against both former collegiate stars and current college teams, some called Michigan's eighth place finish respectable - especially considering the caliber of opponents such as perennial power Iowa and an assemblage of their alumni, the Hawkeye Wrestling club. But as the season gets into full swing, Michigan isn't ready to accept respectability. "Eighth at Midlands is okay for an average team, but we're not looking to be an average team," senior 133-pounder Joe Warren said. "I definitely think that we could have done better. One of Michigan's 184-pound competitors, Joe DeGain, agreed. "If we're going to be in it, we're going to be in it to win it." Despite a disappointing finish, there were a few bright spots for the Wolverines. Though Otto Olson lost in the finals of the 174-pound weight class, he still accomplished what he hoped before being defeated by Joe Williams, a member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club who won three national championships and was a four-time All-American at Iowa. "Williams was pretty much unbeatable," Olson said. "He's a legend in the sport. My goal was to beat all of the college guys. Second place will work for me." Warren was less willing to accept defeat despite losing to Amateur Wrestling News' No. 1 wrestler, Eric Juergens, in the semifinals of the 133-pound class, fourth place was not enough for the confident Wolverine. "My performance was not anything like I wanted," Warren said. "I (took) fourth when I expected to take first." Warren said he was happy with his first day of competition, but the second day was extremely disappointing, culminating with a leg injury in the consolation match which forced him to withdraw and accept fourth place. The injury will keep him out of this weekend's Virginia Duals meet. But perhaps the best thing to come out of the meet was the breakout performance of Joe DeGain. Finishing seventh in his class, the junior finally lived up to expectations before losing to one of his coaches, Kevin Vogel, in the quarterfinals. Olson said the performance, including a shut-out over seventh-ranked Rost Aizenberg of Cornell in the second round, was a "big win for him." For DeGain and the rest of his team, the real answers come this weekend at the more temperate Virginia Duals, where the Wolverines will once again gauge their efforts against the top teams in the country. JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily Over winter break, the Michigan wrestlers finished 8th at the Midlands. Originally on page 3B in the 1-5-2000 issue of the Daily.