New Chapter
Wrestling team set to hit the mat
Anne Carlson/ Muleskinner
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
The 2006 Mules' wrestling team returns one All-American and three All-region wrestlers and hopes to use it's depth to it's advantage.
UCM returns All-American Jesse Sheets, a junior from Lee's Summit High School that will wrestle at 174 for the Mules this season. Sheets placed 8th at the national meet last year in the same weight class.
"Our biggest key returnee would have to be Jesse Sheets," said Adam Tieben, senior. "He is our only returning All-American."
Returning All-Regional wrestlers from last season are sophomores Will Forrest and Caleb Hulse. Forrest will wrestle at 149 and Hulse will be at 125 for UCM this season.
Returning starters for the Mules are juniors Travis Barbarick (165), Vince Bertucci (157), Jeremy Hudson (184) and sophomore Seth Robinson (141). Robinson was injured for half the season last year.
Mark Carey will be a key newcomer for the Mules. Carey was a national qualifier at the Div.-III level, while wrestling at Coe College Iowa. Carey will be wrestling at 149 for the Mules.
Head coach Robin Ersland said other newcomers that could make an immediate impact are freshmen Matt Bailes (157), John Ott (197) and Denis Ryzhov (157). The team also has two freshmen at heavyweight, James Sills and Drew Dawson.
"We have a lot of guys that could start for us," Ersland said. "We have a lot of quality depth and that is a good problem to have."
One thing the Mules will be looking for is someone to fill the spots of the National champion, Plamen Paskalve, and the two national qualifiers they lost from last season.
"When you lose a national champion and two national qualifiers, you lose a lot," Ersland said.
"To make up for our losses, it is going to take hard work," Hulas said. "We have a young team, and we showed a lot of potential last year, so the more experiences we get the better we will be."
Tieben added that they are training harder and putting in a lot more effort this season.
"Like any program, our goal is a national championship," Ersland said. "If we don't do that we want to place in the top 10 in the nation. We would like to win regionals, but if we don't do that, we want to be in the top 10 in the region.
We would like to have at least two All-Americans and a national champion. It is also always a goal of ours to have a wining duel season."
The Mules will wrestle at home in the Multipurpose Building Sunday. The event will start at 10 a.m.
"I think we are going to be an exciting team," Ersland said. "People should come watch us. We have some guys that wrestle in exciting styles. It will be fun to watch."
UCM returns All-American Jesse Sheets, a junior from Lee's Summit High School that will wrestle at 174 for the Mules this season. Sheets placed 8th at the national meet last year in the same weight class.
"Our biggest key returnee would have to be Jesse Sheets," said Adam Tieben, senior. "He is our only returning All-American."
Returning All-Regional wrestlers from last season are sophomores Will Forrest and Caleb Hulse. Forrest will wrestle at 149 and Hulse will be at 125 for UCM this season.
Returning starters for the Mules are juniors Travis Barbarick (165), Vince Bertucci (157), Jeremy Hudson (184) and sophomore Seth Robinson (141). Robinson was injured for half the season last year.
Mark Carey will be a key newcomer for the Mules. Carey was a national qualifier at the Div.-III level, while wrestling at Coe College Iowa. Carey will be wrestling at 149 for the Mules.
Head coach Robin Ersland said other newcomers that could make an immediate impact are freshmen Matt Bailes (157), John Ott (197) and Denis Ryzhov (157). The team also has two freshmen at heavyweight, James Sills and Drew Dawson.
"We have a lot of guys that could start for us," Ersland said. "We have a lot of quality depth and that is a good problem to have."
One thing the Mules will be looking for is someone to fill the spots of the National champion, Plamen Paskalve, and the two national qualifiers they lost from last season.
"When you lose a national champion and two national qualifiers, you lose a lot," Ersland said.
"To make up for our losses, it is going to take hard work," Hulas said. "We have a young team, and we showed a lot of potential last year, so the more experiences we get the better we will be."
Tieben added that they are training harder and putting in a lot more effort this season.
"Like any program, our goal is a national championship," Ersland said. "If we don't do that we want to place in the top 10 in the nation. We would like to win regionals, but if we don't do that, we want to be in the top 10 in the region.
We would like to have at least two All-Americans and a national champion. It is also always a goal of ours to have a wining duel season."
The Mules will wrestle at home in the Multipurpose Building Sunday. The event will start at 10 a.m.
"I think we are going to be an exciting team," Ersland said. "People should come watch us. We have some guys that wrestle in exciting styles. It will be fun to watch."
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