Oregon wrestling kicks off its season tonight at 7 p.m., in Laramie, Wyo. in a dual meet against the University of Wyoming.
But it’s not necessarily the Cowboys that will pose the biggest challenge for the Ducks – it’s the elevation.
Laramie sits more than 7,700 feet above sea level, and the change in elevation will test the conditioning of the team, putting peak physical condition at even more of a premium than usual.
“We’ve been stepping (our conditioning) up a lot this year, but it’s hard to train for unless you’re actually there,” senior wrestler Justin Pearch said.
The team’s strategy is simply to be in the best physical shape possible for the meet, coach Chuck Kearney said.
“I like having that as our first meet,” Kearney said. “It gives our guys something to look forward to and focus on through the summer in their conditioning, and as they prepare to start the season.”
The Ducks will stay in Laramie to wrestle in the Wyoming Open Saturday, then will return to Oregon for the Best of the West tournament in Medford, Ore. Nov. 17.
Oregon is a younger team than last year, but expects victories nonetheless.
“We always have high expectations,” senior Tony Rolen said. “Our team is young, but we have some good leaders.”
“It’s a different team than it was last year, that’s for sure. Last year we had a couple of big guys that did a lot of the work for the team. This year there are a lot of younger guys who have really bonded over the last couple of weeks and have actually really stepped it up and are working hard as a team. We might not have the same expectations the guys had last year, but I think we’ll be a lot tougher throughout the whole year,” Pearch said.
The Ducks will need to be tough. The season’s schedule keeps them on the road until Jan. 5, when they host Cal Poly at McArthur Court in a dual meet.
“We try to wrestle a tough schedule every year, and we want to wrestle the best people in the country,” said Kearney. “Again this year, between our dual meets and tournaments, we feel like we’re going to wrestle the people that are at the national tournament.
“Some of the teams that may not be premier teams will have three or four guys that are premier guys, and getting a chance to see those people is what it’s all about. It’s a good, hard schedule.”
The schedule also includes two meets in one day on Jan. 20, against two of the top teams in the nation in Oklahoma State, the returning national champions, and the University of Oklahoma, the nation’s third place finishers last season.
Oregon has wrestled against Oklahoma every other year for the past eight years, and have come within one match of beating them on more than one occasion.
“Oklahoma is definitely a team we want to beat,” Kearney said. “Oklahoma State … that’s just ‘the program’.
“It’s a great opportunity for our guys to compete against them. As a team we are probably not in a position to beat them but we have individuals who can be in a position to win. That’s something that will help prepare our group for the national tournament.”
Beyond the obvious rivalry with the Beavers, who come to McArthur court Feb. 9, Oregon has a strong rivalry with Arizona State, which the Ducks host Jan. 27. The Sun Devils placed sixth at last season’s national tournament and were the only Pac-10 team to place higher than the Ducks at No. 22.
Another rival for the Ducks is Boise State, a consistently strong wrestling program and a group of athletes who the Ducks are very familiar with, Kearney said.
“That’s a pretty heated rivalry,” Kearney said. “We’ve wrestled against them enough that there are guys on both sides that don’t like each other.”
Oregon hosts Boise State Jan. 28.
Kearney said that while in the past Arizona State and Boise State have been “benchmark” programs for Oregon to measure itself against, Oregon’s wrestling program is finally getting to where he wants it to be.
“I feel like for the first time since I’ve been the head coach at Oregon we’ve got a real solid leadership group. The environment of our program is right. The culture is right,” Kearney said. “The guys are working their rear ends off, they’re coachable, and their attitude is positive. So we’re real excited.”