2/14/06

Wrestlers Fall at No. 1 UNO, Win at SMSU

MSU drops to 5-17 all-time against nemesis Nebraska-Omaha

by Garret Felder
February 14, 2006

Determination or fear is usually one of the emotions seen in the eyes of athletes and coaches. Unfortunately, the variance between the two kinds can be as small as an eyelash.

The starting 10 of MSU wrestling had the willpower to topple a wrestling juggernaut in its eyes Friday, but it was Nebraska-Omaha’s fear of losing the top seat in the nation that pushed UNO over the No. 2 Mavericks. Although the wrestling squad beat Southwest Minnesota State 38-6 Saturday in Marshall, Minn., the victory meant little compared to the 22-12 loss to their arch-nemesis, No.1 Nebraska-Omaha.

“All of these events are tests and when you take a test you find out what you know and what you don’t,” said MSU head coach Jim Makovsky. “When you take an easy test you feel pretty good afterward, but when it’s a hard test and you’re not prepared you find out that you have to study harder.”

Although the Mavericks were prepared conditionally and physically for their meet with Nebraska-Omaha, Makovsky said, something was still missing that led to the Mavericks’ demise.

“I am 100 percent confident in our conditioning and our physical ability,” Makovsky said. “But right now we need to dig down and find more mental toughness.”

With five cameras, an inflatable tunnel entrance, fog machines and advertisements surrounding the wrestling area, the MSU fans who made the trek to Omaha would have thought they were watching a live broadcasting of professional wrestling’s “WWE Smackdown” in Nebraska-Omaha’s Sapp Fieldhouse. As UNO media was broadcasting the meet to the local area, or maybe even the entire state, the theatrics of a professional wrestling match seemed to appear so consistently during the meet that many fans would have wondered if Hulk Hogan was going to run out of the red “MAVERICKS” inflatable tunnel with a steel chair in hand.

After starting the match six points ahead because of an injury default, the drama began as the Mavericks lost the next six matches, including a 6-5 loss for junior Jeff Pfaffinger and a 3-2 loss for senior tri-captain Math Bitz following a phantom stalling penalty for UNO’s Patrick Allibone to win the 157-pound bout. Throw in a 9-6 loss for junior tri-captain Travis Krinkie after losing a 6-4 lead with 15 seconds left in the third period and Maverick fans had the ideal theatrics for a highly-rated WWE pay-per-view event.

“We were scrapping like crazy but it’s got to be better,” Makovsky said. “We’ve been training all year to be in the top 1 percent and we learned we have two weeks to get there. And we still have a ways to go.”

Besides sophomore Nick Smith’s injury default win against Nebraska-Omaha’s Jimmy Fall after a sprained ankle in the second period, the Mavericks earned only two other wins during the meet from senior John Koons and junior Ben Janike. The dismal performance added loss No. 17 to MSU’s all-time record with UNO (5-17) and another disappointing loss to last year’s national champions for the Mavericks.

“We had some mental breakdowns but we always have to try and focus on what is going on now,” Makovsky said.

Following the loss in Omaha and arriving in Marshall, Minn., for a dual meet with Southwest Minnesota State Saturday, the Mavericks unleashed all of their disappointment and anger on the Mustang wrestling team with a 38-6 pummeling.

With three pins, a technical fall, a forfeit, and three decisions, the Mavericks stomped on SMSU although it meant little in comparison to the competition of the previous night’s meet.

“We’re not going to look down, we’re going to focus and keep our heads up,” Makovsky said. “If you look down or behind you, then that is where you’ll stay.”

The Mavericks hope to test their mental toughness this weekend at the Taylor Center when they take on St. Cloud State 7 p.m. Friday and Truman State 3 p.m. Saturday.