BY COREY ROEPKEN
News Sports Reporter
The University of Michigan wrestling team’s teddy bear is anything but a mascot.
He’s the starting heavyweight.
Fifth-year senior Greg Wagner has become a two-time All-American despite a less-than-desired level of intensity throughout his career.
Wrestling is a sport in which technical skill is important, but intensity and perseverance often make the difference in any match.
And, Wagner has rediscovered the ability to leave his cuddly nature behind once he steps into the circle for a bout.
That has put him in position to contend for this year’s NCAA title.
Wagner, who will lead the fourth-ranked Wolverines against Northwestern Saturday night and Michigan State Sunday afternoon, is 16-0. More than half have come with bonus points, and he is ranked third in both major national polls. He is considered one of the three elite heavyweights in the nation with Oklahoma State’s Steve Mocco and Minnesota’s Cole Konrad. At the National Duals earlier this month, he outscored five opponents, 36-0.
The most common way people describe Wagner is as a big teddy bear. A history major, Wagner likes to read and do crossword puzzles. He’s laid back and rarely outspoken. Too often during his first four years, he had trouble leaving those tendencies on the bench when he stepped into the circle.
“What you’re like in practice is what you’re like in competition, and when you’re in the room (practice) it’s hard to be intense because a lot of times you’re doing stuff to your friends that you don’t necessarily want to do,” he said. “I hear it now and again that I have the teddy-bear reputation. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It might not necessarily jibe with what I’m doing in wrestling, but I prefer that reputation to others you might get.”
The matches with Mocco and Konrad will come during the postseason – save for a regular-season match with Konrad in February. Those are the times when Wagner will have to be at his best. If he wants to win an NCAA title, he’ll have to beat one or both of them. That’s something, Michigan coach Joe McFarland said, Wagner should be prepared for.
The last time Wagner’s brother Marcus can remember seeing Greg reach a championship level of intensity was his senior year in high school. As a junior, Greg reached the state championship match and held a 5-2 lead with 10 seconds to go when his 6-foot 10-inch opponent got out of Wagner’s underhook with a throw and turned the reversal straight into three back points for a five-point move.
Marcus said he has never seen his brother so focused and intense the following season – when he avenged the loss with a state title.
McFarland said he’ll need that same approach if he’s going to become this year’s NCAA heavyweight champion.
“He’s such a good-natured kid, but he’s got that mean streak, too,” McFarland said. “When he goes out and really gets after guys, that’s when he’s at his best. When he wrestles with that kind of intensity that’s when he’s going to put himself in the position to beat guys like Konrad and Mocco or whoever else stands in the way.
“The biggest thing with him is going to be in his head. If he really believes he can beat those guys, he can do it.”
Corey Roepken can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 994-6812.
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