Underclassmen lead the way early on for wrestling team
Veteran leadership is important to a young team continuing to grow and improve, but early on in the season it has been the underclassmen helping to lead the way for the wrestling team.
Five true freshmen placed sixth or better in their respective weight classes last weekend at the MSU Open. Freshman Jordan Ellingwood finished third in the 174-pound division while Austin Severn and Jimmy Szep finished third in their respective weight classes, as well.
Head coach Tom Borrelli said he was impressed with each of their performances and is looking forward to them improving from meet to meet.
“I think we had seven true freshmen entered in the MSU Open last weekend,” Borrelli said. “Five or six placed in the top six in their weight class. I was pretty impressed with them, and I’m excited for the potential there."
Redshirt freshman Corey Keener made his debut last weekend by placing second in the 125-pound open division. He finished with a 4-1 record in the MSU Open and then went on to help the Chippewas beat Utah Valley on Friday with an 8-4 win against No. 12 ranked wrestler in the 125 weight class.
Sophomore Zach Horan is another underclassmen who Borrelli is excited about. Horan placed first last weekend in the 149-pound freshmen/sophomore division a year after redshirting. He got a pin against Drexel on Saturday and followed it up with a 6-4 decision against No. 11 Oregon State.
“Zach is gaining confidence in himself,” Borrelli said. “He is excited about the season and testing himself. He is excited to see where he is at in the whole scheme of things. Last year, redshirting was really tough on him. He doesn’t like not to be a part of everything. He gets to be a main part of the team again, and I think that’s what he is excited about.”
More than half of the team is comprised of underclassmen, with 19 of the 35 athletes competing in their first or second season as a Chippewa. This group includes 10 true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen.
Borrelli said he knows there is a lot of potential is this group and wants to see that potential continue to grow and improve as the season wears on.
“Obviously we have to keep working hard and keep developing, but I think they definitely have some potential,” Borrelli said.
