“Alright, (do another) ‘super set,’” Oregon wrestling assistant coach Jason Powell cries out in a shrill voice. Though the Duck wrestlers have just finished their practice for the day, it doesn’t mean they’re done – far from it. Minutes roll by as the team works through conditioning sets meant to instill toughness in the last round of a match.
Though this might be the wrestling team’s final season, such dedication shows they aren’t going down without a fight.
Both redshirt junior Ryan Dunn and sophomore Zack Frazier say that the difficult conditioning regiment helps the team out on the mat.
“I like doing stuff like that, it’s kinda fun,” Dunn said, smiling after nearly 20 minutes of conditioning. “Wrestling’s probably the best way to get in shape, but this stuff mixes it up.”
Frazier looked a bit more tired. “It helps out big time,” Frazier said. “If you can push yourself past your exhaustion in the mat room, then on the mat there’s no limit. You keep pushing yourself.”
Oregon (9-7, 0-4 Pacific-10 Conference) continues its season with a pair of away Pac-10 dual meets this weekend, and hopes that conditioning leads to a first conference victory of the season. The Ducks face Boise State (5-1, 4-1) today at 7 p.m. in Boise, Idaho before traveling to Tempe to take on Arizona State (8-3, 2-3) at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“I hate missing school, but it’s still a fun trip,” Dunn said. He will most likely line up against Boise State’s Cory Fish, who the Oregon redshirt junior has battled in dual meets before. Fish and Dunn are currently ranked second and third in the Pac-10 at their 133-pound weight class. Dunn will look to ride the confidence gained from last Friday’s major decision victory in the meet against Cal State Bakersfield.
Another top of the conference matchup will be between redshirt sophomore Ron Lee and Nate Lee at 174 pounds. Oregon’s Lee is currently the third-ranked 174-pounder, while the Broncos’ Lee leads the conference. The heavyweight matchup between Charlie Alexander and Boise State’s Nick Smith also matches up wrestlers in the top five of conference rankings.
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