10

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
Jan. 29, 2004

NU wrestlers compete in Las Vegas between semesters

By Adrian Ackles
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Most students took time over their long holiday break to be with family and friends they may not have seen much during the first semester. Norwich's wrestling team, along with many of the other winter sports athletes, didn't have that luxury.

"We never left [for] break until Dec. 19," said John Capen, 24, junior business major, from N.Y., explaining that on that date they left Norwich. On that day, the team went to a place where many people would love to go.

"We went to a tournament in Las Vegas," Capen said, who has been a member of the wrestling team for four years, now, and is named captain for this season.

This was the team's first time going to Las Vegas, and they did not come back disappointed, winning two of their four of their matches.

"We beat a Div. III powerhouse in wrestling, Upper Iowa, who just moved up to Div. II, and we beat Coe University [Cedar Rapids, Iowa] who was ranked 25th in the nation at the time," said Capen about their impressive wins.

The two losses were from the number two and number seven teams in the nation, according to Capen.

The wrestling team was in Las Vegas from Dec. 19, to Dec. 23, and returned to school on Dec. 29 to begin training for their next matches and tournaments.

"We always have a short break, never as short as this one, though," said junior Sean Rockwell, a business major from Canton, Mass.

Being the best won't come easy for the wrestling Cadets, who have had a relatively young team for the past two seasons. So when they came back from their shortened break, they began having practices and training sessions.

"We had triple and double sessions; we ate healthy at the [wrestling house], because Coach got to choose what we ate. We did what we had to: running, lifting and practicing," Rockwell said.

After days of strenuous double and sometimes triple practices, the team went to Simpson College to wrestle both Simpson and RIC. The hard work paid off.

"We beat both RIC and wrestled Simpson pretty tough," said Capen, adding that the weekend of Jan. 9-10 "we went to a duals tournament down in Pennsylvania and placed fourth," which was the best placing of any Norwich team before them in that tournament.

As of now, the team is ranked 13th in the country and one spot behind Springfield College, and in conference play, Springfield is ranked number one and Norwich number two. The Norwich team is determined to beat their rivals, and they don't want to take any time away from the mat, Capen said.

Rich Hasenfus has been the coach for seven seasons, now, and is credited by many of his players for giving them the dedication they have towards the sport. Hasenfus was unavailable for comment.

The dedication that has been bestowed on the wrestling program doesn't stop with just the more experienced players. Sophomore Mike Conklin, 20, a physical education major from NJ, has been an asset for the team this season, becoming eighth in the nation and fourth in New England.

"Intensity level: this year, Coach stepped it up a lot with regards to live wrestling," Conklin said.

Conklin is an example of the hard work that the whole team exemplifies, and, according to Capen, many of the young wrestlers can be in the same position that Conklin is in and hopefully soon will be.

One of the wrestlers who is expected to be a force in seasons to come is Freshman Greg LaGrega, 19, a criminal justice major from Colchester, Conn. LaGrega was one of the few freshmen who went with the team to Las Vegas. The experience was something new for LaGrega, coming out of a high school environment where teams wouldn't travel to such lengths.

"Vegas was fun," said LeGrega. "Not all the freshmen get to go; Coach usually only takes the top two."

Despite the fact that LeGrega may not be on the front line of the team, now, he works hard to help the team and hopefully attain his own personal goal. "Right now, I'm aiming for JV New Englands on Feb. 16," LeGrega said.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.