Daily Egyptian Reporter 17

There is not much in the way of experience in the SIUC Wrestling Club, but team members have no doubts they will be able to place well in their first tournament of the semester.

Joe Reyna, club president, said the team has improved since he re-formed the once-defunct club last year. He anticipates some of the wrestlers to finish as high as the top three in the St. Louis Open Wrestling Championships Friday.

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I expect everyone to do above average, Reyna, a sophomore in graphic arts and secondary education, said. There are a lot of guys with a lot of good talent. But it is just fun to wrestle.

The team has a few juniors and seniors, but the entire team is allowed to compete in the freshman and sophomore division because of the lack of experience.

Team member Chris Verble had never wrestled prior to joining the club. He played football in high school and is trying to join the Saluki football team as a walk-on. In the meantime, he is wrestling.

Verble said he is confident he can do well in the tournament because he has learned so much in practices.

Before, I used to get thrown a lot, Verble, a sophomore in cinema and photography from Chicago, said. But I have been working on my defense, and I am not getting thrown around as much.

Verble has learned some of the technique in wrestling that is needed to be successful.

You look at someone who is big and menacing, but that person may not be a good technique wrestler, Verble said. I thought I could come in and throw everybody around because I am strong, but it is not all just brute force.

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The tournament will be an individual-style tournament with no team scoring. There will be eight schools, including Oklahoma State University, Iowa State University, Indiana University and Eastern Illinois University. The tournament will consist of 10 weight classes in the tournament, ranging from 118 to 275 pounds.

One of the keys to doing well in the tournament is be in good shape, Reyna said. His main focus in practice is live wrestling, but he said cardiovascular work is an important aspect of getting in shape for wrestling.

Half of practice has to be endurance, Reyna said. The last half is technique. That is where you get the teaching. And by the time you get there, you can concentrate on live wrestling.

Team member Brad Koopman learns more from the live wrestling in practices.

We don’t do a lot of drills, Koopman, a freshman in psychology from Bloomington, said. But I think you get the most experience from live wrestling.

Koopman wrestled in high school and went to the state sectional qualifiers. He is looking forward to competing, but he is a little disappointed that wrestling is not as big in college as it is in his high school.

I am sure that it will be as much of a challenge as it was in high school, Koopman said. But it will not be as hyped up as it was in high school.

Because wrestling is not a major college sport, Reyna said it is difficult to find tournaments.

It definitely hinders us because it is hard to find these type of tournaments, Reyna said. They (the St. Louis tournament officials) don’t care if you are a club team or an interest group.

Finding tournaments has prohibited the club from gaining more experience in wrestling, but Reyna said that has not kept the club from improving.

Regardless of our experience, everyone (in the tournament) is on the same page, Reyna said. Everyone is gradually getting better. We have some real talent.