Muleskinner

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Sports

HOLDING DOWN THE FORT- Junior Vince Bertucci (top) in action ealier this season, will compete this weekend in regionals.

The UCM wrestling team will travel to Ashland, Ohio Saturday to compete in the NCAA Div.-II Midwest Regional.

The Mules finished their regular season with a 9-10 dual record after beating SIU-Edwardsville 28-6 Feb 14. UCM had eight wrestlers pick up wins in the victory.

"Everyone wrestled really well at this meet," Tieben said.

"Everyone is looking really good right now; it is a nice way to go into the regional meet."

Those wrestlers were Caleb Dixon, Keaton Baker, Grant Baker, Mark Carey, Jesse Sheets, Jeremy Hudson and Drew Dawson. The team's lone senior Adam Tieben also won in his last home match as a Mule.

The Mules are going into the regional meet ranked 7th as a team in their region.

Head Coach Robin Ersland said the six teams ranked higher in the region than the Mules are also ranked nationally.

"We have a very tough region," Hudson said. "When it comes to wrestling, we have one of the toughest regions in the country."
Teams ranked ahead of UCM in the region are: (1st) Central Oklahoma, (2nd) Ashland, (3rd) Wisconsin-Parkside, (4th) Indianapolis, (5th) Carson-Newman and (6th) Findlay.

"No matter how you cut it," Ersland said, "it is a very good region."

The Mules have six wrestlers ranked in the region, but none ranked nationally. Ersland said as far as he knows or remembers, it is the first time the Mules have entered into a regional meet without a nationally ranked wrestler.

UCM's top-ranked wrestlers are Vince Bertucci and Sheets; both are ranked 3rd. Sheets is also the only returning All-American or national qualifier from last season.

Other ranked wrestlers are Dixon ranked 4th at 125, Carey, ranked 6th at 149, Hudson , ranked 6th at 184 and John Ott, ranked 6th at 197.

Others who will wrestle for the Mules are Keaton Baker at 133, Grant Baker, 141, Tieben, 157 and Dawson at 285.

"We all just want to make it to nationals," Hudson said. "That is everyone's goal this weekend."

To go to the national meet, wrestlers will have to place in the top four at the regional meet.

"If we wrestle as well as we can, we should qualify a lot of people for the national meet," Tieben said. "Hopefully, we can wrestle up to our potential."

"We have to wrestle the way we are capable of wrestling," Ersland said. "We haven't had any sort of consistence this year. We are only consistently inconsistent. We have to wrestle at our best every match all day."

"Wrestling isn't like a lot of other sports. Regions is our one shot. If you are having a bad day or having an off match, that is it. No one is already qualified."

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