Beekman Feb. 17, 2009

Central travels to Decorah for league tourney

PELLA—Youth will again be the defining characteristic of the Central College wrestling team at Tuesday’s Iowa Conference championships Tuesday in Decorah.

Updated results available.      

Only one Dutch wrestler has league tournament experience. However, Central will be sending a more complete team than last year, with wrestlers in nine weight classes. Last year, in coach Eric Van Kley’s first season, the Dutch squad he inherited was represented in just four classes while tallying only seven points in its ninth-place team finish.  

The tournament begins at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Luther College’s Regents Center Gymnasium in Decorah. The 7 p.m. finals will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television with play-by-play from former NCAA champion wrestler and coach Jim Gibbons and analysis from legendary University of Iowa coach Dan Gable.

As usual, the league tournament will showcase many of the top wrestlers in Division III.  Six teams are nationally ranked as are 24 individuals, including at least one in each weight class and up to four in others. No. 2-rated Wartburg College is a heavy favorite to extend its league team title string to 17.

While many wrestlers head into the conference tournament with thoughts of earning an NCAA berth, only 33 wrestlers--the top three finishers at each weight and three at-large picks by the conference coaches--will qualify for the NCAA championship field. The national finals are at Cedar Rapids March 6-7.

But Van Kley has set less ambitious goals for some members of his young squad.

“We’re going to have about as many freshmen wrestling as the rest of the conference combined,” said Van Kley. “So I think this is going to be a great experience for them, to wrestle at this level so early in their careers.”

Junior 285-pounder Ted Dirkx (Alleman, Southeast Polk) is Central’s only entrant with conference tournament experience, taking eighth at the weight in 2008.

Van Kley is encouraged by Dirkx’s recent performances, including a 5-2 loss to Wartburg’s John Helgerson, currently ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division III. He believes that Dirkx could make a surprise run at an NCAA bid.

“Ted (Dirkx) has improved ten-fold from last year,” Van Kley said. “And I expect him to wrestle really well at conference and end the year positively.”

Sophomores Curtis Hobbs (Grinnell) and Kyle Ray (Greenfield, Nodaway Valley HS) will make their first league tournament appearances at 141 and 174 pounds, respectively.

Hobbs (14-15) missed the conference tournament last year with an injury and struggled to stay healthy this season, but Van Kley said that he is excited to have Hobbs close to 100 percent heading into the tournament this year.

Van Kley also thinks Ray (13-12) could give some of the conference favorites at 174 pounds a difficult time.

“As one of our older guys, Kyle (Ray) has been tremendous for us,” said Van Kley. “I think he’s capable of frustrating some guys in the tournament. The key for him is to get a takedown in the first period and take an early lead because he’s a great rider.”

After that it will be slew of freshman hitting the mat for the Dutch.

At 133 pounds Alex May (freshman, Grinnell) will wrestle at one of the conference’s toughest weights, with four wrestlers ranked in the top-10 nationally.

“Alex (May) has continued to improve all year long,” said Van Kley. “He just needs to get his offense going early.”

At 149 pounds either Zach Beekman (freshman, Grinnell) or Christopher Reil (freshman, Guthrie Center) will get the call for the Dutch. Van Kley said that like May, they have shown great improvement throughout the season.

Reid Imerman (freshman, Guthrie Center) and Tommy Van Renterghem (freshman, Oskaloosa) will wrestle at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, which Van Kley thinks may be the deepest weight classes in the conference, each sporting a national No. 1-ranked wrestler and multiple athletes with NCAA championship experience.

“They are both great competitors and have shown that they can wrestle with some of the big guys,” Van Kley said. “They could go out there and surprise some of the nationally ranked guys in their weight classes.”

Ben Davis (freshman, Clay Center, Kan.) at 184 pounds enters the conference tournament having won eight of 11 matches since Jan. 17. 

“He’s really turned it on over the course of the last month,” said Van Kley. “I’m excited to see what he’ll do out there.”

At 197 pounds, Van Kley knows that he can always expect a solid effort from Kyle Patterson (freshman, Collins, Collins-Maxwell HS).

“Kyle (Patterson) may be our most improved wrestler this season,” Van Kley said. “He just works hard every time he’s on the mat.”

Patterson will have his work cut out for him with four wrestlers in the conference ranked nationally at 197 pounds.

Van Kley continues to stress what he has emphasized all season long to his wrestlers: “A good offense beats a good defense.”

“I’ve really tried to make them more aggressive,” he said. “And that attitude is something that they have really started to understand over the course of the season.”