Even though the Northwestern wrestling team has only had two meets this year, the passion and aggression of the team is at mid-season levels.
“We have a young team, which means that some of them have something to prove,” said Head Coach Rik Dahl. “All our guys push themselves and their teammates in practice and it really paid off.”
The team competed in their first meet Nov. 7 at the Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minn.
“We were aggressive,” Dahl said. “We showed a lot of intensity and determination as a team.”
Individually, freshman Pedro Ruiz placed second in 133, freshman Angelo Quintana placed third in 125, freshman Jerod Flores placed third in 141 with 2 pins and freshman Nate Halpin placed third in 149 with a tech fall.
“It was good to see a lot of guys learn on the go,” Dahl said. “A lot of guys grew a lot, learning even from match to match.”
The team continued their high-level play at the DWU Open in Mitchell, S.D., last Saturday.
“It’s a tough meet,” Dahl said. “There are over 250 guys and everyone wrestles. Doesn’t matter how many minutes you’ve had between matches, when you’re ready, you go.”
The team was able to qualify six guys for nationals, which, according to Dahl, is “an unprecedented accomplishment this early in the year.”
Sophomore Nic Leither placed third in 197 going 5-1 with two pins and two majors. Junior Luke Evjen placed third in 165 with two pins.
Also qualifying were Quintana in 125, sophomore Matt Dowell and Flores in 141 and Levi Price in 157.
“Every team in our area and conference was there and we were able to do very well against them,” Dahl said. “The first couple meets are kind of a litmus test of sorts, and I’m very impressed with our guys.”
The team competes next in the Augsburg Open in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 21.
“In practice, we’ll emphasize getting out from the bottom, hand control and shot counters,” Dahl said. “We need to learn from our mistakes and keep improving as the season goes on.”