shortcut to content
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato

Latest information about COVID-19 and the campus community

×

2/28/06

Page address: https://web.mnsu.edu/sports/takedownclub/news/html/send_nine.html

Wrestlers Send Nine to Nationals

by Garret Felder
February 28, 2006

Below the Taylor Center, an athletic dynasty is quietly being pieced together in the Minnesota State wrestling room, just waiting to be recognized by MSU sports fans.

While the men’s hockey team swept Wisconsin with 13 goals and the men’s basketball team prepared to compliment itself for an NCC title by cutting the basketball nets at Bresnan Arena, the men’s wrestling team quietly earned the right to send nine wrestlers to the NCAA Division II National Championships Sunday for the second straight year. As the humble wrestling program tinkers with the word “dynasty,” its members look to leave their mark as consistent contenders for a national championship.

“Regionals is like the beginning of the national tournament and right now we are only focusing on the positive,” said MSU head coach Jim Makovsky. “The cream of our program has risen to the top and now we are sending nine guys who are hoping to seek the dream of being a national champion.”

As senior John Koons and sophomore Andy Pickar each won their respective weight classes at the North regional, seven other Mavericks took fourth or better to make the trip to Findlay, Ohio, for nationals, despite the squad losing five one-point matches during the tournament.

“Omaha has made a living off winning tight matches, but that is the true sign of a champion,” Makovsky said. “In the postseason, it is extremely close and one mistake can mean a loss and executing leads to wins.”

Koons also agrees that the difference between success and failure in the postseason rests on the outcomes of one-point matches in tournaments like Sunday’s in Omaha, Neb.

“You can’t win the title if you can’t win those matches,” Koons said. “You need to win those one-point matches because they are crucial to succeeding at this point in the season.”

The Mavericks prepare for their final test of the year for the next two weeks before traveling to Findlay, Ohio, March 10-11 for the chance to improve on last year’s third-place finish.