Wrestling faces Duke, Cleveland State in dual meet

The first dual meets of this wrestling season are Sunday in Bloomington at the University Gym against Duke and Cleveland State.

“Both are teams that we are going to need to be ready to compete against and do what we need to do to win matches,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said.

The IU wrestling team is coming off two successful outings at the Clarion Open and Michigan State Open.

Junior Adam Chalfant was one of two Hoosiers to place first last weekend at the Michigan State Open for his seasonal debut. Chalfant is still focused on improving for this weekend.

“Really, I just got to go back and look at the tapes from my matches and look at the good and, more than just looking at the good, checking out what I did wrong and look at the opportunities that I may have not seen out there in those matches,” Chalfant said.

Senior Ryan LeBlanc placed second last weekend and is 10-2 for the year. He has been pleased with how the squad has been looking thus far.

“The team looks great,” LeBlanc said. “I felt we did a really good job as a team this past weekend having four finalists and a couple placers in that tournament. I think that is the best I have ever been a part of. I am pretty excited to see what we do when we all get on the mat.”

Goldman is not worried about any wrestlers losing any drive after success in the first two tournaments.

“I think the success motivates them,” Goldman said. “I don’t think it’s hard to keep them motivated. They have done well. We just have to make sure they stay focused.”

This week the team has been working hard on conditioning in practice, Goldman said.

The key focus has been running and making sure the guys are mentally ready for their opponents.

Junior Joe Duca is scheduled to make his debut this weekend at the University Gym. He missed the first two tournaments with an injured ankle.

“Last week he was probably 90 percent, but we didn’t want to push it,” Goldman said. “It just didn’t seem worth it at the time. But he is fine and ready to go.”

A dual meet is a different type of competition for wrestlers. There is less time between weigh-ins and wrestling than in tournaments, and there is only one match for a wrestler to prove himself.

“A dual meet situation is totally different than a tournament,” Goldman said. “Everyone’s points count. In tournaments you have to wait around for several hours waiting for when you are going to wrestle. In a dual meet you weigh in and then have to be ready to go. There’s no wrestle backs, there’s no second chances, so the guys really need to take that to heart and get themselves ready to perform the way they need to.”

LeBlanc understands the difference in preparation.

“Since it is our first one hour weigh in, I have to keep my weight in check, and being ready to go as soon as I step off that scale is really important,” LeBlanc said.

Goldman just hopes the wrestlers are ready for the first duals of the season.

“It is one mat. All the focus is on them,” Goldman said. “It’s just how they can handle the pressure and the nerves standing out there alone.”

Follow reporter Brody Miller on Twitter @BrodyMillerIDS.