Davidson Set for SoCon Championships Saturday
3/5/2008 1:18:32 PM | Wrestling
Marc Gignac
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The “second season” for Davidson wrestling begins this Saturday March 8, at the Southern Conference Wrestling Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Head coach Bob Patnesky gears in-season training towards the league championships and feels like his squad is at its peak.
“This is what we train for because we want them to be prepared when it matters most,” he said. “All the guys are fresh and ready to go and feeling good. We're expecting a good tournament.”
Three Wildcats competing in the 2008 SoCon Championships finished third at the tournament a year ago, and that experience provides them the best opportunities to take home an individual title this year.
Leading the way is 174-pounder Trebor Clavette, who posted a 25-5 record and went 4-1 in league dual meets. Standing in his way is Chattanooga's Lloyd Rogers, who won the tournament last year and was recently named SoCon Co-Wrestler of the Year. Rogers scored a 21-10 major decision over Clavette Feb. 3.
“I wrestled a pretty poor match against him during regular season, he took me out of my game, and I can't let it happen again,” said Clavette. “I'll have to be patient and stick to my good stuff.”
Junior 184-pounder Sam O'Hair placed third in the weight class last season but the competition at that weight has been much tougher this season. O'Hair (left) owns a 22-12 overall record but was 1-4 in league dual meets with the victory coming when he wrestled at 197 pounds.
Last year's SoCon Freshman of the Year Ben Altman will try to improve on his third-place finish at 125 pounds. The sophomore was 23-11 and 2-3 in league dual meets. He feels his improvement over the year will help him in the tournament.
“This season, my biggest improvement has come on my wrestling on my feet,” said Altman. “I have always been good at wrestling on top, but this season, I have developed some offensive attacks that I am consistently scoring with on my feet.”
Two-time SoCon champion Javier Maldonado from Chattanooga is the favorite at 125 pounds, and he posted a 16-5 major decision over Altman Feb. 3.
“I need to go in with the attitude that I am the best kid in the weight class and that I'm going to win every match,” said Altman. “I also have to go back and look at what worked well against each opponent and what didn't work and adjust my game plan accordingly.”
A wild card for the Wildcats may be Vitaly Radsky, who started wrestling at 125 this season but has been moved up to 141 pounds. With shifts in weight classes while angling for team victories by both Davidson and its opponents, he did not face the starter at 141 in any league dual meets.
The freshman went 12-10 overall, and 3-3 at 141, including 2-2 in SoCon dual meets. While most of his teammates have worked hard to stay within their weight class, Radsky has been trying to get heavier.
“I have just been eating a lot more,” said Radsky. “I have tried to keep eating healthy foods but basically, I just increase my calories and focus on eating more protein. I'm sure that the guys I will face at SoCon will be pretty big but I have had a couple weeks to get ready both physically and mentally.”
Asked to pick a Wildcat that may surprise folks at the SoCons, Patnesky pointed to Kevin Cook and Charlie Wolff. Cook, a junior 165-pounder, was 0-4 at the weight in league dual meets, while Wolff, a heavyweight, went 0-5.
“Charlie and Kevin have really turned the corner here recently,” said Patnesky. “If they wrestle to their capability, who knows what could happen?”
His sentiments are a common theme around the team that goes hand in hand with their training techniques. Patnesky is a firm believer in using the regular season to get the team ready for the conference championships. As a result, the Wildcats usually wrestle their best at the end of the year.
“It's our last event of the season, it's what really matters and we have nothing to lose,” said Clavette. “We're certainly the underdogs going into the tournament and that'll work in our favor. Being relaxed and wrestling the best possible is what'll get good results for us."
