11/29/07

Forstner, MSU wrestling put injuries aside, get set for UNI Open

by Tyler Buckentine
Issue date: 11/29/07
Section: Mens Sports

When a wrestler gets hurt on the mat, it's often overlooked as another unfortunate injury. When he gets injured on top of a house, the story is a little more intriguing.

When Andy Forstner - a sophomore on the Minnesota State wrestling team - went to help shingle his grandpa's roof in late September, he didn't expect to suffer any kind of injury. Then he shot himself in the knee with a nail gun, proving that in the world of sports (and roofing), strange things can happen.

"At first, I didn't really feel it," said Fostner, a 125-pounder for MSU. "I just felt a poof of air. Then I looked down and there was a nail in my knee."

MSU isn't a stranger to odd off-the-mat injuries. In 2005, Forstner's teammate Jason Rhoten broke his femur when the golf cart he was riding in rolled and threw him against a tree. The accident forced Rhoten to sit out the entire 2005-06 season.

Luckily for Forstner, his problem wasn't as serious. The roofing accident landed Forstner in a rehab program to get him back into shape and hopefully back to the mat with enough time to compete in open meets.

"My trainer has been putting me through a lot of quad contractions and range-of-motion stuff," Fostner said. "Keeping shape has been the toughest part."

Forstner will wrestle his first match of the season when MSU travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the Northen Iowa Open, scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Sunday.

For Forstner, he is eager to get back on the mat after watching his teammates from the bench in the first two open meets at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Nebraska-Omaha.

"At the other two tournaments, it was really frustrating watching everybody else wrestle," Forstner said. "I just got really anxious because I wanted to wrestle."

MSU is still facing other injuries going into the UNI Open. Andy Pickar (165 pounds) tweaked his knee and Tim Matheson (174) hurt his ribs, both at the Pointer Open at W-SP. But at this point in the season, MSU coach Jim Makovsky won't take any risks, such as wrestling the injured too early.

"We have different stratagies at different times of the season and March is a long ways away," Makovsky said. "[This time of the season] is not as important. A rib is going to take time to heal and a knee, you don't want to mess with."

Last season at the UNI open, Brandon Girtz went 5-0 to win the championship at 157 pounds as a senior. Taking his place in 2007 is Jason Rhoten, who took sixth last season at 149 pounds. Rhoten is 7-2 so far this season.

Sophomore heavyweight Brady Wilson - also 7-2 this season - placed third at the UNI Open in 2006. Both Wilson and Rhoten took home championships at W-SP and each took fourth place at the Brand-Kaufman Open at UNO.

The Mavericks will face Northern State in MSU's first dual of the season, 5 p.m. next Wednesday at the Taylor Center.

Tyler Buckentine is the Reporter assistant sports editor