Northern Colorado Wrestling News - Bears

Started by TomM, June 17, 2014, 02:00:28 PM

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TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Nickerson has squad on right track
http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/14625402-113/nickerson-has-squad-on-right-track

Troy Nickerson is well informed. Even connected.

Therefore, realize that any University of Northern Colorado wrestling fan should be the same.

Be informed about what the big picture is for the other sport that occupies Bank of Colorado arena besides basketball and volleyball.

Realize, that through all of his accolades and reputation, Nickerson has the wherewithal to put the Bears back on the beam with a longterm goal of them being a top-20 program.

However, it's not going to happen in the near future. Not this season, not next season and maybe not two years from now.


Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, etc., weren't built in a day.

Nickerson came to UNC last summer, knowing he was inheriting a lineup littered with walk-ons, die-hards and wrestlers chasing rainbows along with a budget that isn't bustin' anybody's wallet.

More on the "Show Me The Money" aspect later.

I'll go so far as to state that the Bears' lineup consists of a lot of NCAA Division II talent with a chance to have one or two really solid weekends where they find themselves qualifying for the national championship tournament.

Rosters as such dot the landscape of Division I wrestling, more frequently outside the boundaries of the Big 10 Conference.

Honestly, there are too many Division I wrestling schools that operate within those limits — primarily budgetary — which can and usually does lead to mediocrity.

UNC and Nickerson need to avoid that kind of scenario.

Sprinkled into his first UNC lineup is a little bit of talent — legitimate talent, the kind that can compete for NCAA Division I All-American status.

That's the ingredient that will carry the Bears for the time being while Nickerson searches for talent that has a national following. Guys who are ranked top-40 in national high school polls. Wrestlers who are committed, and compete year-round with Olympic aspirations.

The plan is to not let Colorado talent leave the borders of the state.

Every year, there are a few in-state wrestlers with the abilities to compete at a high level of Division I. Every year, some of that talent has landed within spitting distance of the state's borders.

A glaring example is UNC assistant coach Joe LeBlanc, a Colorado standout at Meeker who transpired into a four-time Division I All-American at the University of Wyoming.

Other examples are former Loveland standout Tyler Graff, who was the face of Wisconsin wrestling for at least five years, piling up Division I All-American honors along the way.

Throw Alamosa brothers Sonny and Cody Yahn into the mix after they did more than their share to help the University of Minnesota maintain Division I prominence.

In the future, that level of talent needs to be wooed to the Bears' practice room and become permanent residents.

Now, realize that wrestlers who are high on the radar of Division II schools that aren't considered Top 40 talent are probably not going to help the Bears.

They can beat their chests at the numerous Division II schools in the region, and there's nothing wrong with that.

It just doesn't fit into the big picture at UNC, where Nickerson is serious about making the Bears a Top 20 program.

Arguably, Nickerson has already signed the top three talent-laden wrestlers in the state — Fruita's Jacob Seely, a 220-pounder who is a top 20 prospect; Arvada West's Devin Rothrock (220 pounds) and Colorado Springs 130-pounder Trenton Watson, listed on some top 40 prospect charts.

He's also signed top 40 prospect Richard Montoya. a 140-pounder from Las Vegas, N.M.

Now, his goal is to get outside the state and find wrestlers whose names are known in the offices of the best college wrestling coaches in the nation and to sell UNC.

However, therein lies part of the problem.

In a day and age where economics plays too big of a roll in most people's lives, Nickerson is working with slightly less than a bag full of scholarship money.

Obviously, nobody's coming here to wrestle for free. Nobody with any value anyway.

A one-time UNC wrestling scholarship budget that was at or near the 9.9 full-ride scholarships has dwindled.

The reasons are aplenty, none bigger than a dwindling economy where interest rates on endowments come into play.

The way to overcome that issue is simple — raise more money — yet easier said than done.

Nickerson is shrewd enough to find ways to fill the Bears' coffers, but he has to use a strategic approach to that the same way he's going about filling UNC's lineup with legitimate Division I All-American candidates.

Despite not having any coaching accolades to speak of — yet — I'm confident that with time Nickerson can increase awareness to UNC wrestling via a beefed-up budget and a lineup to match.

Samuel G. Mustari covers sports for The Tribune. Reach him at (970) 392-4437 or via email at smustari@greeleytribune.com
Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"

TomM

Seek excellence and truth instead of fame -John Prime
Courage is grace under pressure - Ernest Hemingway
Advocating "matside weigh-in" since 1997
"That's why they wrestle the matches"