When the Northwestern wrestling team has its team meal after a match, most wrestlers stick to small meals or salads, consciously trying to drop pounds.
Not Josh Saul.
Because he wrestles in the heavyweight division — which has a cut-off at 285 pounds — the 235-pound Saul orders an appetizer, two meals and a dessert.
“I’d rather be at 240 or 245 pounds, which is why I have two pizzas in front of me now,” said Saul, a junior. “But I just can’t keep the weight on.”
Senior Will Marcantel usually joins Saul in giving up several pounds during competition. Practice partners for the past three years, Saul and Marcantel are the only Cats allowed to splurge at the dinner table.
“It’s like getting mauled by a bear once in a while,” Marcantel said. “Wrestling with him gets me used to the heavier wrestlers.”
And their on-the-mat relationship has sparked a friendship away from the ring.
“During practice, we go after it and just kick the puke out of each other, but when it’s over we are good friends,” Saul said. “It’s hard to explain.”
Over the weekend, Saul wrestled Eastern Illinois’ 271-pounder, B.J. Bertelsman, and Iowa’s 260-pounder, Josh Liddle. Saul won convincingly, 18-4 and 10-5.
Although he possesses a quickness advantage over the larger heavyweights, Saul would rather compete against wrestlers who match his size.
“I’m a little stronger than the guys at my weight, and I can usually manhandle them,” Saul said.
Saul will get his chance Feb. 4 to wrestle Ohio State’s 230-pound freshman, Tommy Rowlands, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation. On the other hand, Marcantel weighs about 180 pounds, but NU coach Tim Cysewski has asked him to wrestle at 197 pounds after Matt Huebner’s season-ending injury.
Marcantel has begun to adjust to the taller and heavier wrestlers, earning his second victory in the 197-pound weight class against Eastern Illinois and narrowly losing against Iowa.
“If he uses his speed, strength and technique, then his lighter weight is an advantage,” Cysewski said. “He can outmaneuver them, as he just can’t relax out there. He has to be constantly moving.”
A year ago, Marcantel was the backup at 165 pounds; this year, he entered training at 190 pounds. Although practice and dieting have lowered his weight — Saul said that Marcantel could easily make the cut to 174 pounds — Marcantel still has Cysewski’s endorsement to eat anything in sight.
RAISING KANE: Sophomore Ryan Kane, who has been sidelined for two weeks, is listed as day-to-day and might be used Friday against Illinois.
The coaching staff wants Kane to be healthy for the remainder of the season, so Cysewski said he doesn’t want to rush the 165-pound Kane back into competition.
“My goal is to have him ready against Wisconsin (Jan. 26) and Northern Illinois (Jan. 28),” Cysewski said.
UNLUCKY 133: The Cats entered the season with two celebrated freshman vying for the starting job at 133 pounds. Now, with the season in full tilt, NU has no 133-pounders left.
Freshman Paul Augle was ruled ineligible, and freshman Brian Roskin left the team, leaving a major vacancy in the NU lineup.
The Cats will be forced to forfeit at 133 pounds for the rest of season, which automatically gives the opponent the maximum of six points. The open weight class clearly hurts the Cats and has left Cysewski visibly disturbed.
“You have two guys at a weight and one is ineligible and the other leaves the team,” he said. “That has never happened to me before. Period.”
