Senior looks to be Big Ten champ

Senior Viktor Sveda came to IU with one goal in mind: to win a National Championship in wrestling. Last season he placed second in the Big Ten. He placed third at the National Championship. This year, he is striving for more.\n"Last year, Viktor was on the wrong side of the bracket," assistant coach Charles Burton said. "His semi-final match was the national championship match."\nSveda has set his goals as as high as possible. His coaches said they believe that he can get there.\n"As far as setting goals, you strive for the highest," Sveda said. "My goal is to be National Champion."\nBecoming a champion is not easy work. Sveda puts in a lot of time during practice. Senior Brian Smiley entered the IU wrestling program the same year Sveda did. He has see him in practice for the last five years, and said knows how hard Sveda works.\n"He seems to carry the guys around his weight class," Smiley said. "But those guys all have strong work ethics too. They all feed off of each other in practice."\nBurton said Sveda is already at the top of his game. The early season rankings have placed Sveda at the top of his weight class. Sveda doesn't really concern himself with the rankings, though.\n"It doesn't mean all too much," he said. "I'm glad people think of me, but until the end of the season, it doesn't matter."\nAlthough Sveda has the potential to become a great wrestler, Burton said Sveda still has some things to work on. Sveda and Burton work a lot on technique. Sveda said these workouts really help him. \nBurton said Sveda needs to continue to work hard.\n"He needs to be more consistent on his finishes," Burton said. "He needs to not rely on his finesse so much and work on being more powerful."\nBeing ranked high also puts a target on your head. Sveda feels that there are some people out there that are a big challenge.\n"There is the kid from Minnesota that always gives me a battle," Sveda said. "I don't see him as a threat, but he has beaten me in the past. I don't see that happening this year though."\nDespite his high rankings and success, Sveda has kept a low profile. Smiley said Sveda is a modest guy.\n"He keeps it cool," Smiley said. "He doesn't talk about it much. He just goes out and does it."\nBurton feels that Sveda could go as high as he wants to. There isn't much stopping his determination.\n"He should be the National Champion, plain and simple," Burton said.