2/22/07

Wrestlers Prep for North Regional

by Tyler Buckentine
Issue date: 2/22/07
Section: Mens Sports

Dumb it down. Follow the process. Wrestle within oneself.

Those are a few things Minnesota State wresting coach Jim Makovksy is stressing this week as his team prepares for the North Regional Tournament at noon on Saturday in Moorhead at Alex Nemzek Hall.

"It sounds boring, but we just have to keep following the same process," Makovsky said. "Don't try to outperform who you are. Wrestle within themselves and try to dumb it down and follow the process: proper warm-up, get position, score points."

The MSU (16-3 overall, 3-0 NCC) enter the tournament with all ten of their wrestlers in the lineup ranked in the region and eight of them are ranked nationally. Makovsky believes five Mavericks - Jeff Pfaffinger, Travis Elg, Andy Pickar, Travis Krinkie, and Brady Wilson - will get top seeds for the regional.

"Throughout the course of the year they have earned the No. 1 seed in their weight classes," Makovsky said. "They still obviously have to go out there and wrestle, but they're going to be in a bracket with the No.4 and 5 seeds, rather than No. 2 and 3."

Competing in the tournament are nationally-ranked teams Nebraska-Omaha (No. 3), No. 7 Upper Iowa, No. 14 Augustana and No. 19 Minnesota State-Moorhead. St. Cloud State, Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State round out the field.

"We don't look at [the regional] team-wise," Makovsky said. "It's all individuals. This is a change from the dual meet season. If all the coaches and all the wrestlers just concentrate on who we have to beat individually and keeping the guys to stay within themselves, the team stuff will take care of itself.

"Again, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to wrestle within ourselves and take the external pressure off and go out and wrestle like they've been doing all season."

For those who are still unsure how it works, here's a breakdown of how the regional tournament and national qualifying procedure plays out: It's an eight-team tournament with one wrestler representing his school at each weight class. The top four wrestlers in each class move on to the Division II National Tournament in Kearney, Neb and the school with the most team points at the end of the day is the regional champion.

"I think we have a good shot at taking all ten guys [to nationals]," Makovsky said.

Tyler Buckentine is the Reporter Assistant Sports Editor