TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

What did it mean for your team to start of the season with a victory over the nationally ranked Lock Haven program?
That was a huge win. I think it solidifies how tough this team can be when we all wrestle together. We definitely wrestled as a team that match and hopefully that was just a preview of some of the big things to come for us this season.

Aside from Lock Haven, you will also see wrestlers from schools like Oklahoma and Ohio State this season. What are the benefits of facing top-ranked schools?
It’s great to face those teams. Coach Beichner does a great job scheduling and he’s increased our schedule’s toughness every single year. That allows us to wrestle some of the best competition on a regular basis. The better competition you wrestle during the season, the better prepared you will be for the postseason.

Discuss the importance of the dual meet season in comparison to postseason aspirations for your team.
There certainly is an emphasis on the long-term as far as qualifying for the NCAA Championships and becoming an All-American, but that’s not meant to diminish the dual meets. They can be very important in the short-term as far as keeping the ball rolling and keeping momentum on your side. But ultimately, they are a prelude to the postseason. That’s where our focus is.

Expand more upon what your goals are for the season.
Being a national champion is the supreme goal for any collegiate wrestler. When you consider that everyone in the country is shooting to make it to the NCAA Championships, that just adds to how much they mean. It’s definitely a top goal of mine to head to Kansas City for this season’s tournament.

Talk about the varied approach you enter any given tournament with as compared to a dual meet, when you know you only have one match.
There is a big difference. You have to be prepared with the proper mindset and other things too, like how much you’re going to eat during the day. If you lose in a tournament, you go into the loser’s bracket and have to win a pile of matches to finish third. It’s a challenge to wrestle three or four matches in a day and be up for each one of them. There’s a lot of preparation involved.

Typically, what has your off-season work consisted of?
Usually, I go home to Pennsylvania for the summer. I hit the weights real hard and try to get into the wrestling room as much as possible during the summer. Freestyle wrestling, which is different from collegiate-style wrestling, starts in the early spring. That’s a big part of the off-season.

What goes on during mid-season practices? Do you usually face the same guys on a day-in, day-out basis?
I drill with Kyle Cerminara and Tom Curl. Kyle is a national qualifier, so there isn’t any better competition than him in the wrestling room. It’s nice to have somebody like that to wrestle every day.

How much did it mean to you to be named a co-captain this season?
I was really excited when I found out and I am still excited about it. I’m somewhat of a quiet person – not one to get up and yell. It’s been a challenge to step up and be a leader. I like to lead by example, but sometimes you have to be vocal, as well.

What has the incoming freshmen class added to this year’s squad?
The whole freshmen class has definitely raised the bar for UB wrestling. Those guys have a great work ethic and high intensity. It’s helped to make everyone else in the wrestling room do the same thing.

Last season, you had a career-best 28 wins. How can you follow up an effort like that this year?
I have to keep working hard every day and maintain the proper focus. I’ve lost three times this season and those were matches I feel I could have wrestled better in. So there is always room for improvement.

-The ’10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.