Elite Recruiting Class Gets Chance to Break Into Lineup After Redshirt year; CKLV Collegiate Wrestling Invite Could Be First Major Test
By Ryan Dunn “Staff Writer
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Two years ago Barry Davis’ Wisconsin Badgers pulled in what many pundits called the nation’s best recruiting class. And after all but one of the recruits spent their first year in Madison as a redshirt, they are poised to take the mats this year and live up to their billing, and in the process, move the Badgers to the upper echelon of the Big 10.
As Davis points out, the main thing the highly touted recruits bring to the room is depth and competition.
“I know our room has a lot more depth, there’s a lot more competition in the room, due to the last two recruiting classes and that’s helped us tremendously, and that’s been a big, big difference in Wisconsin wrestling,” Davis said at the Wisconsin wrestling media day last week.
The Badgers kicked off their 2005-06 season with a dual meet against UW-Oshkosh Friday in Green Bay, defeating the Titans 51-0. While the Badger lineup is still being set, and with the goal of keeping many of the starters fresh for the long, grueling season, several new faces took to the mat for Wisconsin.
Five wrestlers from that prized recruiting class represented the Badgers and won “Dan Sneider (133), Zach Tanelli (141), Craig Henning (157), Dallas Herbst (197) and Kyle Massey (HWT.). True freshman Kyle Reeve (125) also saw action and is one of many bright spots highlighting the ’04 class, which has given Davis his finest two-year run of recruits since taking over at Wisconsin in 1994.
“It was good last year to be able to take those guys and redshirt those guys,” said Davis. “They’re under the radar right now, not a lot of pressure. Now they come in and can contend for spots. But it goes back to the depth and the competition within the room is good, and you need that to make your team rise to a whole new level and I think that’s what’s going to help us down the line in March when it comes to the Big Ten (Tournament) and the NCAA’s.”
In addition to the above wrestlers, other freshmen eager to help the Badgers this season are Justin Peterson (184), and twins Josh (133) and Jordan Crass (141-149), the latter returning from a minor preseason injury.
Many of these wrestlers will get their first taste of elite-level competition when they compete at the 2005 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational Dec. 2-3 at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas. The Badgers finished ninth at last year’s tournament, and are looking to move up this year. They will also get a chance to see a glimpse of many of their Big Ten counterparts this year. In addition to the Badgers, Big Ten teams Illinois, Michigan (defending tournament champion), Ohio State, and Purdue will compete in Las Vegas.
Team captain and starting 174 pounder Kelly Flaherty, a two-time national qualifier agrees with Davis’ assessment on the team’s depth and the role it plays in making everyone in the room a better wrestler.
“I think we’ll do really well, we’re finally getting enough guys in the room where we have a lot of depth, where we’re not just solid at one level. Now if somebody gets hurt, we have somebody that can back them up, which makes practice much more intense, that’s really good to see,” he said.
Craig Henning was the lone wrestler from the ’03 recruiting class not to redshirt last year, and was the starter at 149. He compiled a 23-10 record, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Big 10 Conference Tournament. His season came to a disappointing end however, when he went 1-2 at the NCAA Tournament and finished short of All-American honors.
According to Davis, Henning is just one of the wrestlers that need to step up in order for the Badgers to make a push into the top five in Las Vegas, and up the ranks nationally.
“I think this team’s potential is pretty high,” said Davis. “But guys like (Collin) Cudd, guys like (Ed) Gutnik, (Jake) Donar, Henning, Kelly Flaherty, guys who’ve never been All-Americans, they’ve got to come through, they’ve got to step up. And I think they’re doing that now; the big difference between last year and this year is they made some big changes during the summer, some more even this fall.”
Henning and team captain Tyler Turner have swapped weight classes this year, with Henning moving up from 149 to 157, and Turner dropping down a weight class to 149 after starting for the Badgers the past two seasons at 157, qualifying for nationals last year.
Turner is eager for the chance to prove himself in a new weight class, but also feels the move was best for team.
“Over the summer I really trimmed down, so I lost a little weight, and it’s best for the team to go down,” says Turner. “(It) makes it a tough, solid team throughout. I’m real excited for it, I’m excited to wrestle some different people, different styles, it’s a real competitive weight class, and I’m looking forward to it, that’s for sure.”
“In the Big-10 there’s (Eric) Tannenbaum, (Ty) Eustice, but any Big-10 school’s got a decent 49-pounder, so it’s not going to be easy and that’s what makes it so exciting for me; just the challenge that every match you’re going to wrestle in the Big-10’s is going to be a great match, it’s going to be a 1-2 point match, and you need to push it past the edge to get that win,” Turner added.
The Badgers are ranked 18th in The Wrestling Mall’s preseason polls after finishing 15th at the NCAA’s last season. While Davis acknowledges that his team has a ways to go in order to move up in their rankings, he does feel they are right where they need to be, provided the team continues to get better each day.
“I think we can be a lot better than we are now, for sure,” said Davis. “Can we squeeze into the top four or five? It’s a possibility, (it) depends if guys come around, everyone’s got to do their job and continue to improve.”
Wisconsin crowned two All-Americans at last year’s national championships, Tom Clum (133) and Ryan Flaherty (197). Clum is ranked #2 in The Wrestling Mall’s preseason polls, but will be out six weeks while he recovers from a hand injury. His status for the CKLV Invite at this time is questionable, and he recently withdrew from competing in the NWCA All-Star Classic Nov. 21, where he was scheduled to face Minnesota’s Mack Reiter. As for Flaherty, he will be out the entire season, putting a premature end to his collegiate wrestling career.
While the Badgers will miss Ryan’s services on the mat, twin brother Kelly, says he will miss him in other ways.
“It’s hard for me; he’s always wrestled with me,” says Kelly Flaherty. “I’ll catch myself wanting to ask him to come workout with me at night or something, but now I have to call somebody else up, where as with him I always knew he would be there, I wouldn’t have to plan it or anything if I wanted at the last minute to come and workout, he was always there.”
Which makes the depth Davis and his staff have built up over the last few years that much more important. And according to the head coach, the Badgers must now utilize that depth and talent that have come to Madison to wrestle in the nation’s toughest conference.
“I think it’s time Wisconsin starts bringing home the hardware from the NCAA Championships, and I think we have the guys in the room that are going to do that, but we’ve got to perform at that time at the end of the year,” said Davis.
They’ll get some good preparation for that time of the year in Las Vegas, where the once-prized recruiting class of the Badgers will have its first chance to shine through.
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