NU wrestling team prepares for new season

By Clayton Couitt
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Norwich lost a lot of experience when the seniors on the wrestling team graduated last year. This year, underclassmen will be expected to set up and lead the team to the New England championship.

"On paper, we have the least experience of any team in our conference," said Rich Hasenfus, Norwich wrestling coach. "We have one returning senior, and the rest are freshmen, sophomores, and juniors." Although they lack experience, Coach Hasenfus is confident that the returning wrestlers and incoming freshmen will fill the spots of those who were lost to graduation.

Hasenfus said the returning wrestlers will continue to put Norwich at the top of its conference. "The guys that got hurt last year are all contenders. They're the ones that will provide the foundation for our team."

"I feel confident about the team this year," said Shaun Ryburn, co-captain of the Norwich wrestling team. "A lot of the younger guys have had time on the mat, especially in the lighter weight categories."

"The starting line-up of returning wrestlers looks strong. The big worry, this year, is going to be depth," said Ryburn.

Hasenfus is not going to rely just on the upperclassmen, though. He will look to the freshman class to fill the holes in the line-up and compete with returning wrestlers for starting positions.

"Recruiting was good this year," said Hasenfus. "This is the largest freshman class we've gotten in the five years that I have been here. A lot of them were strong high school wrestlers, and several were All-Americans."

"We haven't been on the mat with them, but there were about 35 freshmen that came to both of the team lifts that we had," said Dustin Buttrick, co-captain of the Norwich wrestling team.

The freshman class looks strong this year. When captains' practices start, Coach Hasenfus will be able to see how many of his wrestlers came to win.

"I think that the team has the potential to do really well. It's going to depend on how hard we work this season," said Buttrick.

The wrestling team will do a lot of training during the months before the season starts. The team will run from Plumley Armory to I-89. They will do sprints up the face of Paine Mountain and lift every day.

"During the regular season, we will have three practices a day. Running in the morning, actual practice during the afternoon, and lifting during the evening," says Buttrick. "We do that as much as three times a week."

The team also took steps during the summer to prepare for this season. "Many of the returning wrestlers went to a wrestling camp for two weeks over the summer," said Jeremy Wilkenson, co-captain of the Norwich wrestling team.

The returning upperclassmen and incoming freshmen will come together this year and attempt to win the New England Championship. This team is not new to winning. In the last five years, Norwich has placed in the top 5 and sent many wrestlers to the national championships

Norwich is competitive every year. It takes a different breed of person to survive at the school.

"The school is both physically and mentally demanding," says Ryburn, "This environment weeds out a lot of the weaker people. Those that decide to come out for a sports team are the ones that have survived the process of elimination."

Norwich wrestling has a strong heritage, and every member of the team knows that. The winning tradition that wrestlers learn about at Norwich is just like the military tradition at the school.

"When I walk past the weight room and see all of the pictures and plaques on the wall in front of the wrestling room, I get chills and know that I am part of a team that does not know the meaning of the word defeat," said Wilkenson.

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