The men’s wrestling team is looking to use each tournament as an opportunity to improve, despite a painful loss early on.
The Stars have an overall record of 0-1 in a season that started Oct. 30, after a 50-0 loss two weeks ago against Oklahoma, ranked fifth in the NCAA.
The Stars bounced back the following weekend at the Bethany Swede Open Tournament, where five members of the team placed.
Coach Archie Randall is proud of how his players have competed and handled adversity so far.
“Anytime you get to wrestle a top-ranked and senior-heavy team like OU, you want to take advantage of the learning experience it brings to your team,” Randall said. “Some of our freshmen got to wrestle the No. 1 kid in the nation and didn’t back down. That’s very encouraging for the future.”
The loss against Oklahoma was a good learning opportunity for the Stars, and it showed in Bethany when Freshman Trevor Anderson unexpectedly won the 149-pound title.
“I’ve just been watching some of the older teammates at practice, learning as much as I can from them every day,” Anderson said. “College wrestling is a lot different from high school wrestling, but what hasn’t changed for me is every time I step on the mat, I do my best and try to come out with the win.”
Experience is an important factor in wrestling, and the Stars are using every opportunity to get better as the season goes on, Randall said.
Hunter Muskrat, a four-year veteran in the program, is the only senior on the team. He enjoys being a leader for his younger teammates.
“What’s great about this group of guys is they really come out with fresh energy every single day at practice,” Muskrat said. “They work hard. They wrestle hard. They are willing to learn, and it’s been really fun to watch them progress week after week.”
Coach Randall looks forward to another opportunity for his players to improve and make progress.
“This is the best group of freshmen and sophomores I’ve had since I’ve been at OCU,” Randall said. “That’s a very good sign for the years to come.”
The Stars take on Wayland Baptist in Texas at 7 p.m. today before traveling to Georgia the following weekend for the Shorter Open Tournament.
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