Olson, expectations return for Blue

By Nathan Linsley

Daily Sports Writer

When the Michigan wrestling team invades East Lansing for its second and final unattached meet of the season, all eyes will be on senior 174-pounder Otto Olson.

Expectations for Olson were high last season after finishing second at nationals as a sophomore. But a knee injury ended his junior season in early January.

When he returned, Olson had a new knee, the number one preseason ranking for his weight class and the same goals he left on the mat his junior year.

"I'm happy that I have another chance to get what I rightly deserve," Olson said.

After a tune-up two weeks ago at the Eastern Michigan Open - where he won his 100th career match en route to a tournament championship - Olson and his teammates are anxious to wrestle.

"All summer, it's been all of us wrestling, so it will be real good to get out there and wrestle someone else," senior Joe Degain said.

Degain, the 197-pounder, also won two weeks ago in Ypsilanti. As a team, the Wolverines were dominant, winning eight-of-10 weight classes.

But this weekend should provide some more challenges with more Big Ten teams including two top rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State.

"The Eastern Michigan tournament was a good starter for us, and got us some good competition," Michigan coach Joe McFarland said. "This will be another step up."

The last tournament showed promise, especially at the low weights, where redshirt freshman Foley Dowd captured the title at 133 and sophomore A.J. Grant was victorious at 125.

The Wolverines have been working on their conditioning and their individual technique and are anxious to see if their time in the weight room has paid off.

While some wrestlers, such as Degain and Olson, have already solidified their spots in the lineup, most of the weight classes are still up for grabs. Though the team is in the midst of wrestle-offs, McFarland insists that the results at this meet will not substitute for those intrasquad matches, unless two wrestlers meet head-to-head.

Regardless of whether or not two Wolverines meet, the competition can count on the intensity that has become a benchmark of McFarland's crew.

"We're all going to get geared up for it," Degain said.

"We pay the price in the weight room, and we pay the price in the practice room," Olson said. "When we're on the mat, they're going to have to go through seven minutes of pain."