2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships - Press Conference

2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Press Conference
March 17, 2010

Coaches
Tom Brands - Iowa
Opening Statement
"This is the time of year when you want to be at your best. I think all of these guys would say the same thing. We've done what we set out to do at the beginning of this year and we have to continue that. If we're ready to go, what I mean by that is if individuals are ready to go when they step on the mat, then I'll feel good. If I see some funny things going on there then I don't feel so good. It's the preparation, it's zero hour, and it's time to go."

On if they need Morningstar to place in order for Iowa to win
"We want everyone to be at the top of the stand. That is what we're here for. I said it in my opening statement and everyone echoed basically the same sentiment. This it the one that you are about. We've got to get 10 guys ready to go, which is how many we have here. There are a lot of facts about our team; we don't have a number one seed. You can talk about a lot of facts. We're getting individuals ready to go and individuals are getting themselves ready to go."

On the health status of Ryan Morningstar
"That is a good question. In my mind it's a silly question, in everyone else's mind it is a good question because we demand a lot of these guys, these guys demand a lot out of themselves. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter when you look at it from that perspective. When you look at it from the people that want to know the status, then it's a good question that probably isn't going to be answered the way you want it to be answered here. We like where he is at in the most important place and I've said it over and over again, that's his head. That is where we feel good about him."

On any difference in the training session with Brent Metcalf
"No, it's not business as usual, there is an urgency there. The applecart was upset; he's about overcoming a lot. He has overcome a lot more than a loss of a wrestling match and he's overcome big losses in wrestling matches before."

Kevin Jackson - Iowa State
Opening Statement
"We're excited to be here. Obviously this is the spot where you are supposed to wrestle your best matches and have your best tournament. We've pointed at this event all year to have our best performance. If our guys come to go to war and come to scrap and take care of business the first round, that is what we're here for. I'll be happy if our guys come to fight the way they are capable of, come to scrap and come to get it done. We're excited to be here, expectations are high, one match at a time. We'll see how the chips fall."

On being in the NCAA Tournament after a season with the program
"Our expectations are the same as everyone up here, that is to wrestle our best and win the National Championship. We're trying to win one match at a time. It seems like just yesterday I landed in Ames. The year has flown by. We've had some challenges. I think our guys are capable, I think they're ready; I think their potential is great, but it is an individual sport. This NCAA tournament is almost the greatest event in the world. Each round gets better, each round gets more intense, and each round gets more exciting. It builds to the climax on Saturday when you get to that championship round. Every round and every match is important, we expect our guys to perform at a high level. It's been exciting; it's been a great transition. Being at Iowa State, it was very important to be at this position. We just hope our guys go out there and wrestle the way they are capable of wrestling and we'll walk away Saturday night feeling good about ourselves."

On what they've been focusing on since the Big 12 Championships
"I've learned some things about the team the whole year. You've never heard me say that the Big 12 Championships was our goal; I don't think I've ever brought that up. I think that is probably the fault of myself and not putting enough emphasis on that championship. We just want to get better and better every time we step out there. We let one slip through our fingers and let the Big 12 trophy slip back into enemy hands. It's something you can learn from, you always learn more from losing than winning. We did lose some key matches that cost us the title. Some guys did not perform to their ability, but at the same time, we brought ten to the tournament with opportunities to bring opportunities to shine. Like John said, you base your year off of what happens at this tournament and that is the bottom line."

On if Jake Varner is the best wrestler in the nation
"I can say that for a couple of different reasons. His career and credentials speak for themselves, being a three-time finalist and trying to go for his fourth time as a finalist and getting titles out of this thing. Also, him being a world team member. Only two collegiate athletes this year were on the world team and one was Dustin Slater. Jake won a couple of matches at the world championships, just the way he goes out and performs each and every match. He is trying to dominate; he is trying to score points, trying to be active. He is not trying to leave that match in the third period with a mistake that could cost you the match. He is out to completely dominate, to pin the guy, beat him by 15 or major decision him. I just think with his pas credentials, I think with his overall ability-his size, his strength, his technical skills- and what he's been doing on the mat for the last four years and especially what he is doing on the mat now has put him in position to be the best guy in the country. Now the best guy at this tournament doesn't always win, it's the guy who ahs the best tournament. He is going to have to still go out there and perform at a high level to get this thing done. I am really confident that he is excited, he's ready and eager to go about his business like he has done all year."

On the Big 12 vs. Big Ten match on Friday
"It should be fun, it's a different event. It's not a real match situation. I thin they are going a few two-minute periods and whoever scores the most points in those four minutes, those points will go toward the team score. It's a little different. It's not like it's a real match, it's just something to create some entertainment and excitement and expose collegiate fans who are so knowledgeable of the sport because it hasn't changed in years in terms of scoring and that nature to freestyle and the freestyle sport, how the periods are and that style of wrestling. I think it is more for exposure than anything else. We're going to hang out hat with the Big 12 and John (Smith) and Mark (Manning) and will see what happens."

Mark Manning - Nebraska
Opening Statement
"We have five wrestlers here. We're led by our two seniors, Stephen Dwyer at 174 and Craig Brester at 197. We've got a sophomore, Tucker Lane at heavyweight, freshman Josh Ihnen at 184 and then Mike Koehnlein, junior for us at 141. Obviously, we have a big task ahead of us. We have a lot of big matches tomorrow. Tomorrow morning and tomorrow night are big rounds for us to get off to a good start. We're looking to do our best. We've got a lot to prove and we're excited about our preparation. We're ready to go."

On what Craig Brester has meant to the program
"He has meant a lot. He came into our program as a walk-on. He epitomizes what it means to be student-athlete at Nebraska. He is a very humble kid; he's a tremendous student, carries a 3.9 (GPA) and will graduate this spring. He has tremendous values; he's been raised properly. If it was a 2-hour practice, he would be there 2 1/2 hours. He is not a complainer. You would like a room full of them, you would like 40 guys like Craig Brester. He has meant a lot from where he's come. He has really developed himself. In the summer time he has gone out to the Olympic training center, tried to challenge himself to make himself a better wrestler technically and tactically and learning all aspects to develop himself to where he is at right now. Obviously he's got Jake Varner in his weight class, defending national champion, we haven't beat him this year. We have a big task; we have to get to Saturday night. We'll worry about ourselves. Obviously Hudson Taylor and a lot of other guys are in that weight class. We're just taking it one day at a time. Obviously that is his goal, he's worked hard for it but a lot of guys have. You have to make your own breaks and win close matches. He has meant a whole lot, he is a great kid."

On any extra pressure of being in Nebraska
"No, not at all really. You have to wrestle hard enough and put people on their feet and give them something to cheer about. It's about our guys performing to the best of their ability and leaving it on the mat, wrestle hard, score points and get your hand raised. If you're not excited about the NCAA Tournament every year, it's what these kids work for and it's what we work for as coaches 365 days out of the year to prepare our guys for this time of the season. I'm excited every year. If it were in Mongolia I would be pumped up too. It happens to be in Omaha, a little bit more excited. But really it's about what our kids do and how they perform, get the crowd and get Husker fans on their feet, it will help us. You have to perform."

Tom Ryan - Ohio State
Opening Statement
"We're led by five seniors who have sacrificed many hours to put the Ohio State program in position to fight for the national championship. I am hoping these men come and leave nothing behind here in Omaha and everything on the mat. It's been a pretty long 363 days since last year's event. We're here to win a championship. We're here to see young men fulfill the lifelong goal they've had for themselves. We're ready to go and are looking forward to a great weekend."

On Mike Pucillo
"You sure hope so, I think Mike has been a cornerstone in this program, sixth, first, second. It's been a tough year for him. Mike has learned a lot about himself this year. A lot of issues Mike has been having are out of his control. When things are out of your control, you control the things you can. He has done that as well as he can. When you see somebody like Mike, you live along side him and see the way he lives his life and does things; you always believe he can do it. You've seen him in this situation so many times and found a way to win tough matches and I believe he'll find a way do it. No predictions, but I believe in Mike and look forward to the weekend ahead of him. He has a tough road ahead of him, has a tough pigtail, and has a tough young man in Joe LeBlanc from Wyoming. It's going to be not an easy road for him, but it isn't for anyone. I'm looking forward to seeing it."

On Lance Palmer
"Another cornerstone, fourth year senior of the program. He came out of high school and we knew right away that he was special. You could tell by the way he trained and lived his life that he was a guy who could something in that national tournament. He took fourth right out of high school, so that's an indication of the type of talent he was coming out. There is no mystery; the coaches haven't done anything special. If a guy can balance on one leg for 45 seconds and find a way out of takedown, that is a pretty nice guy to be working with. He is excited to wrestle the event. He had a great win last weekend against an incredible competitor, one of the great competitors we've had in this event in a long time. He has tremendous respect for Brett Metcalf and others in his weight class. I think that has been on the crucial things in his development this year, understanding the type of guys he is up against and the way they live their life. Either you step it up a notch or you lose by a point again. He's excited to wrestle, we'll look at it one match at a time. He's been a very important piece of Ohio State wrestling. A four-time state champion, St. Edwards High School (product), just an outstanding Ohio wrestler. We're hoping this weekend that he fulfills a lifelong dream. His dad spent a lot of time in the basement lifting weights and doing things. It's a family deal, so we're hoping it all works out for the Palmer's.

John Smith - Oklahoma State
Opening Statement
"I think it's been a fun year for us from where we finished last year to where we've brought this team. I think the one thing we recognize and realize is that the things you remember are what happened here, not during the regular season. I do believe our best wrestling is still ahead of us here."

On Jamal Parks being a No. 2 seed
"Probably not at that time. (There was) a time during the season or after that that he was going to do some things or no longer be competing for us. A lot of it was disciplinary issues that go beyond just the wrestling room. I liked the way he responded to the ultimatum and it's been good for him since then. He's focused on the things that really make a difference, from you style of life to you performance on the mat. Am I surprised? I think when you look at 141; several of those guys have four or five losses. (He) probably had the right tournament at the right time to put him in position to be number two."

On the progression of freshmen Alex Meade and Jordan Oliver
"Obviously they have added a lot to our lineup. It is extremely important for them to have success in order for the team to have success because they are two of the weights especially in dual meet competition. Oliver, coming in as a freshman 28-2 at 133 is a fine record especially at a weight class that has historically been very competitive and very tough. Things haven't gone exactly the way I've wanted them for him from a standpoint of doing some of the things that I think are required from him. I think I've been nagging at him enough that I am getting what I want, especially at the second part of the semester. Alex Meade, he is a work in progress. He has been a great challenge for me. I've had to show more patience than probably any other athlete I've coached. I will probably have to continue to do that for a while. He is growing, he is maturing a little bit more and showing more responsibility in the things we are looking for. They are fun to watch when we are competing hard, I think both of them are looking forward to this weekend. (They are) two key guys that for us to do well, we need them to wrestle like juniors and seniors this weekend. I do believe they are ready to do that."

On if he feels Ohio State has a chance to win the title
"Our standard now is to be national champs in the team race, and have three or four national champions individually this year. Like everybody else has said, I think that's a philosophy of every team, everybody does their job individually and then the team standings will show up on their own. That's one of the philosophies we have this year - if each guy does their job and exceeds their expectations and we'll win it as a team."

On if there is anything the team does that helps them peak at the end of the season
"I think it's just the mentality. We come together as a team really well toward the end of every year. We do our job individually and the team thing comes, but I think it's because of our teamwork and just the relationships we have with each other and with the coaches."

On if he is feeding off others picking Metcalf to win
"I don't really feed off that because that's something for Saturday night. I have to focus on Thursday morning, but every other tournament that I've been in with Metcalf, he has been predicted to win it. You can't really look at it as what people think. You just have to go out and do your job each match."

Jason Ness - Minnesota (133)
On what he has to do to win the title this season
"I just have to wrestle my style. I have to make sure I do all the little things right and wrestle hard every single time. I don't know - there's not much difference. It's just getting it done this time. That's pretty much all there is to it."

On how different it is being a senior
"You don't want to think of it is as different being your last tournament. You just have to approach it like all the other tournaments I've gone to, just like all the other matches I've wrestled. I just have to focus on wrestling seven minutes hard, and focus on the next match."

On what he has learned from the past three NCAA tournaments
"I've learned that mentally, the biggest thing is the mental challenge. We've trained our bodies all year. We've wrestled matches all year long and now it's just making sure we're focused, we're not concentrating on anything else, not looking ahead. We're looking at each match and getting ready to wrestle each guy."

On his style and if he went to Minnesota knowing he would be a wrestler that would pin opponents
"It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been difficult. It's a challenge to pin anybody, especially when you get to the Division I level, but that's kind of been my philosophy my whole life. When I wrestle a guy my goal is to pin him. All throughout high school that's the way I wrestled. I wanted to carry that over when I got to college, so I just kind of trained and kept working on the same moves and it's worked out well for me."

On if he has to do any tricks against his opponents because they know he is going for the pin
"You force your will on them. You get on top; you have a lot of different setups, lots of different things to use. So you just kind of work on it the whole time. You just keep working and working until you break them and force your will on them."

On how much difference it makes when your team is in the title hunt
"When the team is in the hunt it makes a big difference. Everybody's spirits are a little higher. Everyone has a little something extra to work for. When you're out there wrestling, you aren't just wrestling for yourself; you're wrestling for the whole team. All the bonus points you can get are very important. Every time you're out there wrestling every point counts. It makes a big difference team wise. Everyone gives a little extra effort. But like you said, it is like that old cliché where right now it's all about you and getting it done yourself."

Troy Nickerson - Cornell (125)
On his health status
"My health is definitely similar to last year - not great. Luckily, I have already been through this entire situation before last year. This year it was a lot easier to train knowing what I had to do, and to get through those things that were preventing me from the things I had done in the past. Going into this tournament I'm just looking to wrestle hard for seven minutes, five times, and putting together five perfect matches. I think if I do that it shouldn't be a problem."

On how much training he did before this tournament
"I was probably on the mats three, maybe four times a week, hitting the pavement a lot, getting a lot of mileage in, and making sure my condition was where it had to be, making sure my weight was under control. Just getting on the mats, doing what I had to do, making sure my technique was sharp and that was about it."

On what the team goals are
"I feel our team is coming in pretty strong. We've wrestled real well toward the end of the year. Again, we're coming in with a lot of high seeds and a lot of potential All-Americans. Last year, I believe we were very close. It was unfortunate that we lost Mack (Lewnes) real early in the tournament. This year I believe everybody is healthy and I think we're going to be a real title threat. Hopefully we can get three or four guys in the finals and that should put a lot of pressure on a lot of other teams right there. I really believe we can come away with eight All-Americans, which is how many guys we brought. If we do that I think we will be right there in the running."

On what it would mean for an Ivy League school to win the National Championship
"It's definitely encouraging to not be able to give athletic scholarships and be able to be in the hunt for a national title. It's one of the things our coaches make us believe in. Now we use it as a recruiting tool. People see that we are perennial power house and hopefully this year, and if not, in the very near future, we do get that first national title. Our coaching staff is great. They do a lot of great things for us and they are the ones that deserve the credit for bringing that team to the level it's at."

On the year Kyle Dake is having and the type of advice he has given him
"Kyle has always been a competitor. I don't think anybody in Ithica expected anything less from him. I know I certainly didn't. I've worked out with him over the past couple years, him being an Ithica native, and he has a great athlete and is a great wrestler. I really don't expect anything less from him then to come in and win it. He is a freshman and over the past couple weeks my role with Kyle has been giving him a lot of advice on my freshman year, and how I came in to the tournament and hopefully some of the mistakes that I thought I made, trying to help him avoid those."

On the advice he gave Kyle Dake
"Really staying focused throughout the entire tournament, not letting the atmosphere get to you, taking it one match at a time, going in and making sure you have our weight under control and just wrestling hard for seven full minutes."

Jake Varner - Iowa State (197)
On if he feels similar to last season
"Not really. I guess it can be the same. I was seeded No.1 my sophomore year and last year No. 2. I guess it doesn't really matter where you're seeded in this tournament. Anything can happen. You just take it one match at a time, one step at a time, and wherever you're at you just take it for what it's worth."

On the difference in training with former coach Cael Sanderson and current coach Kevin Jackson
"I don't know. I guess I would say going from one Olympic gold medalist to another, I've been fortunate to have that, to be able to pick from both of their brains. Obviously, they have a little different style, but they have a lot of similarities too. It's just someone else to learn from and really see how they train, how they did things and how they wrestled. I'm just trying to be like a sponge and soak it up as much as I can."

On the differences between the two coaches
"I guess a difference is not necessarily their philosophies, but their different styles. Jackson is a lot more powerful stuff. I'm not saying Cael isn't powerful, it's just different styles out there that I would point to the most."

On the experience at the world championships last year and how that helped him this season
"Wrestling that tournament was really one of my first times wrestling across seas wrestling those guys. It kind of takes you to a different level to kind of see where you're at. They don't wrestle folkstyle, it's all freestyle over there, but wrestling is wrestling. You just go over there and kind of test your skills. I didn't finish where I wanted to, but you see what you need to work on and I just feel like it brought me to a different level."

On any added pressure for this tournament
"I don't think so. It's another tournament. Nobody has won it yet. Everyone is here competing the same. Everything that has happened in the past, that's the past. That has no factor now. I really don't feel any added pressure, it's just one match at a time is what I'm looking at and looking forward to my first match tomorrow."

On if he feels Craig Brester is gunning for him
"I really don't know. Going to the question before, if you're looking at the guy you're going to wrestle in the finals, you're probably not going to make the finals. Everyone is probably gunning for everybody in my opinion. Just worry about that first match."

Stephen Dwyer - Nebraska (174)
On if he feels different this season moving up to 174
"I feel better at 174 than I did at 165. I feel I have more energy. I have more go and an advantage for me has been instead of coming into a tournament worrying about getting my weight down, I'm more able to concentrate on wrestling the whole time and improving my technique instead of concentrating on cutting the weight."

On wrestling the NCAA Championships in the state of Nebraska
"I think it's nice to not have to travel, but the tournament is going to be the same regardless of where it is. I hope we have a good turn out of Husker fans. I think that would be nice and I'm looking forward to this tournament, but as far as where it's located, I think it's nice but I'm not really dwelling on that it's at home."

On his philosophy coming into this weekend
"I trained really hard for this. I know some people up here said they don't really think too much about it being their last tournament, but for me I have kind of realized that this is my last chance to fulfill something that I've never done for myself. I'm just really looking forward to it. I know I'm ready so I'm just going to see what happens."

Lance Palmer - Ohio State (149)
On if his game plan changes at all if he ends up wrestling Iowa's Brent Metcalf
"I'm not really thinking ahead. I'm thinking of the first match of the tournament. It's hard not to think ahead, but you have to take it one match at a time obviously. If we are to face again in the finals, my style won't change at all. I wrestle him the same every time. It's just small things each time changing to break the habits that I've made the past matches."

On why he was able to beat Brent Metcalf in their last meeting
"Wrestling harder the entire match and no mental breaks. He got in on my leg early in the match and that was a mental break, but other than that I wrestled solid the entire match and didn't stop until the last whistle."

On if he feels Ohio State has a chance to win the title
"Our standard now is to be national champs in the team race, and have three or four national champions individually this year. Like everybody else has said, I think that's a philosophy of every team, everybody does their job individually and then the team standings will show up on their own. That's one of the philosophies we have this year - if each guy does their job and exceeds their expectations and we'll win it as a team."

On if there is anything the team does that helps them peak at the end of the season
"I think it's just the mentality. We come together as a team really well toward the end of every year. We do our job individually and the team thing comes, but I think it's because of our teamwork and just the relationships we have with each other and with the coaches."

On if he is feeding off others picking Metcalf to win
"I don't really feed off that because that's something for Saturday night. I have to focus on Thursday morning, but every other tournament that I've been in with Metcalf, he has been predicted to win it. You can't really look at it as what people think. You just have to go out and do your job each match."