Some days, when junior Willie Miklus walks into the Missouri wrestling room, he questions why he’s even doing it.
But, other days, Missouri’s 184-pound starter knows exactly why he is there and would not want to be anywhere else.
“The dark days of January and February are where all-Americans and national champs are made,” Miklus said. “The guys who can keep focus and work through those times are the ones who can end up on top.”
The winter months often find wrestlers in a place of frustration and as the dual meet season comes in full swing, the national championship season begins to creep up on athletes. As Missouri looks to secure a place in the NWCA National Dual championships, and individual wrestlers look to lock in places for the NCAA national championship, coach Brian Smith teaches concentration and sticking to what the team knows how to do — wrestling and winning.
“Our attitude can’t be walking into the room and asking when this (the national championship) is going to happen,” Smith said. “It’s going to happen, we just need to stay focused right now and do the right thing, right now.”
After losing to Oklahoma State on Jan. 22, the first loss for Missouri in almost two years and the first loss to snap a 37-dual-win streak, the team needed to regain the motivation to bounce back. Multiple tight matches were lost, but Smith talked to the team about how one loss is not the end of the world.
This weekend, Missouri bounced back.
First on Saturday, with a 31-12 victory over Oklahoma, and again on Sunday in a 29-6 defeat over Old Dominion.
Matt Manley, Missouri’s 141-pound starter, lost a tough match against Oklahoma State’s No. 1 Dean Heil 3-1. On Saturday, the junior pinned Oklahoma’s Trae Blackwell in the first period and defeated Old Dominion’s Chris Mecate 4-1 Sunday.
“Everything is still the same, I just need to keep on wrestling,” Manley said. “It was really important to come back after a week of practice to get things back to normal.”
Smith looks to guys like Manley to show consistency in the times when dual season never seems to end. Every year, he tends to have the “stay focused” mentality around this time. This year, he compared the excitement his team has for championship season to the excitement his kids have when he tells them the family is going to Disney World.
“They get all pumped up and excited, and don’t leave me alone for a month,” Smith said. “It drives you nuts as a parent. But we’re at that point in the season and they’re like, ‘Are we almost there yet?’ They’re losing their focus. And they can’t. Their attitude has to be like this is going to be great, we get to go to Disney or Madison Square Garden, we’re going to have that opportunity, but we have to stay focused.”
Senior and 174-pounder Blaise Butler knows the importance of staying focused right now. After losing a big match at Central Michigan, he went on to win at Oklahoma State and then posted two big wins this weekend at home as well. He went back to focusing on what he knows what to do, and so far, it has worked out well for him.
Butler emphasizes the significance of these middle-of-the-season matches, especially for seeding and rankings going into the championship tournament.
“Everyone is kind of looking forward to the national championships but it’s important to stay focused and take things day by day and match by match,” Butler said. “Just really doing everything the same throughout the entirety of the season and not letting anything slip is so important because that is going to affect your matches later.”
Although the grind never stops for the Missouri wrestlers, having fun is an important part of Smith’s game plan, whether it’s in the wrestling room or on the road when traveling to meets. Before practice, the wrestlers gather to play kickball in the practice room, and whenever the team has time, Smith tries to get them to a movie the day before an away match.
For 125-pound sophomore Barlow McGhee, keeping things light and fun helps the mood, especially at this time in the season. He stresses the importance of staying relaxed, having fun and keeping a smile on everyone’s faces.
“Cutting weight sucks, going out there and wrestling each other and beating each other to a pulp in practice and in competition, all that sucks, but we’re here to have fun and that’s what’s important,” McGhee said. “You just have to push everybody and keep a smile on everyone’s face, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
_Edited by Alec Lewis | alewis@themaneater.com_