Ask wrestling coach Tim Cysewski about Northwestern’s 2003-04 season, and the conversation always becomes one about the squad’s prospects for next season.
“What we did this year, we did this year, and that was great,” Cysewski said. “Next year there will be higher expectations across the board.
“I know in my mind where they should be and where they need to be. We are not happy with this year’s results. They were better than last year’s, but I want to sit here next year and say we exceeded those goals.”
Cysewski said he would like to see the team finish in the top four in the Big Ten next year — a far leap from this year’s 0-8 conference record (9-9 overall) and 11th-place finish at the March 6-7 Big Ten Championships. But Cysewski’s goal may be more realistic than it appears.
This season, four Wildcats qualified for the NCAA tournament: junior John Velez (125 pounds), junior Mike Kimberlin (157 pounds), freshman Nick Hayes (165 pounds) and sophomore Matt Delguyd (197 pounds). NU had not sent that many representatives to the tournament since 2000. All four will return to the squad next year, giving NU valuable tournament experience.
Delguyd, Kimberlin and Hayes automatically earned spots at the tournament by placing in the top seven in their weight classes. Big Ten coaches selected Velez and one other eighth-place finisher to receive wildcard bids.
Kimberlin and Hayes both were eliminated the first day of the tournament after finishing 0-2. Kimberlin finished the season 22-15, and Hayes, the only freshman in the lineup, led the team with a 5-3 record in conference dual matches.
“There are not too many (freshman NCAA-qualifiers) walking around the country,” Cysewski said. “He didn’t win a (tournament) match, but he’s going to have a bright future.”
Velez and Delguyd each finished 2-2 at the tournament, losing in the fourth round. Delguyd upset No. 9 K.C. Walsh of Boise State in the third round before losing to Oklahoma State’s Rusty Blackmon. He ended the season 26-10.
In his fourth match, Velez was tied 5-5 in the third period with Hofstra’s Tom Noto. With one minute left in the match, Velez’s shoulder popped out of its socket, and he had to default. His shoulder had plagued him for much of the season.
Velez said questions of “What if…” lingered in his mind, but he was pleased with his performance at the tournament.
“How I wrestled there was better than any part of the entire year, healthy or not, and I can’t complain about it,” he said.
Velez ended the season with a team-best record of 28-13.
Next year’s lineup will include all four NCAA qualifiers, as well as four redshirts — part of a freshman class ranked seventh-best in the nation by WrestlingUSA.com. Hayes was the only freshman who didn’t red-shirt, leaving a burst of young talent available for next season.
“When I recruited these guys, I brought them here to win national championships and be All-Americans and Big Ten Champions,” Cysewski said. “That’s what they’re here for, and anything short of that is something you’ve got to fix. That’s what we’re doing right now.”
Though Kimberlin was excited to have competed in the NCAA tournament, he, like his coach, said the team has a lot to improve upon next year.
“You have to keep wrestling,” Kimberlin said. “There is no off time. You have to keep drilling and keep your timing down. The spring and summer is where you have to make a lot of improvement so that you are ready to go for next year.”
Cysewski often says the Big Ten is the toughest wrestling conference in the country; five conference teams finished in the top 20 at the NCAA tournament. But Cysewski and his wrestlers still are optimistic that the Cats are on an upswing.
“Next year,” Velez said, “we’re going to be an animal.”
