Last season Northwestern ended its dual schedule with seven straight contests against Big Ten foes. This year the Wildcats have scheduled three non-conference opponents between the seventh and eighth conference duals.
The change in scheduling is caused by the restructuring of the Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Meet Championships for the 2011-2012 season. The new form would place four big events in a six-week period. NU (8-4, 3-4) is not participating in the event, but coach Drew Pariano is still taking the same approach as those in the duals.
“For our team, trying to peak four times in a six-week period is not that realistic,” Pariano said. “It’s good to travel because it’s tough on the guys. We’re going to travel to Big Tens and we’re going to travel to NCAAs. It gets our guys ready by varying the schedule a little bit.”
He said his goal for the weekend is to see improvement over NU’s last dual against Northern Illinois on Friday. Pariano specifically mentioned trying to put more points on the board and having a more focused effort from the wrestlers on the team.
“The challenge to the guys is when you’re not wrestling a Big Ten school, let’s see that Big Ten intensity,” Pariano said. “There’s no reason for you to approach any match differently. You should always approach every match ready to go out there and battle.”
NU finishes its non-conference slate Saturday with duals against North Carolina and Campbell in Bules Creek, N.C. The 18th-ranked Cats are riding a two-match winning streak into the double dual, and neither team should pose an issue to them.
The Tar Heels are 3-13 overall and feature just two ranked wrestlers in the latest Intermat poll: Evan Henderson at 141 pounds and Corey Mock at 157 pounds. North Carolina is coming off a win over North Carolina State last Friday, its first win since Jan. 13. Meanwhile, the Camels are 11-14 and won both of their duals last Saturday. Campbell has no wrestlers ranked and is 0-1 against the Big Ten this season after losing to Indiana in November.
The two schools do share common opponents with NU, but Pariano is focusing on only the last few weeks. North Carolina lost to two Big Ten schools, Illinois and Ohio State, but those duals were in November. Northern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville both tangled with NU and Campbell, but the Camels drew these opponents at the beginning of the season also.
“It’s a long season so I don’t read too much into (common opponents),” Pariano said. “I’m more concerned with our guys and what we can accomplish.”
The Cats have a mix of youth and experience, with five freshmen and three NCAA qualifiers in the lineup. Two freshmen are ranked in the top 20 in their weight classes: Lee Munster at 174 pounds and Mike McMullan at heavyweight. Both wrestlers have been inconsistent this season and have identical 17-8 records, losing close matches to unranked opponents.
Pariano said he has not been happy with the duo’s performance at times, saying he expects them to compete with the best of the best at the NCAA Championships in March. He said wrestlers must embrace the marathon of the wrestling season, something the two freshmen have started to do lately.
“This season is a grind,” Pariano said. “Both of those guys will embrace the grind, meaning their best wrestling is still ahead of them. That’s what makes me really excited about those two individuals. You’ve got to embrace the grind because if you don’t, it’s got a tendency to eat you up.”
