By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Cedar Falls, Ia. – Northern Iowa wrestler Nick Baima said bad breaks in the last two seasons have not changed his focus.
Baima is one of the most recognizable faces on coach Brad Penrith’s seventh Panther squad. Another is C.J. Ettelson, the four-time state champion from nearby Hudson, who was one match shy of earning all-America honors last season.
Otherwise, the Panthers enter the 2006-07 season as an unknown commodity. Even Penrith couldn’t give a solid forecast for the winter during the team’s media day Thursday. The Panthers come off an 8-8-2 effort and a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Tournament last winter.
“I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen, “Penrith said.
It will be a season of change for the Panthers, who will stage their home meets in the new McLeod Center, located across the street from the venerable West Gym, which had been home since 1925. West Gym was the home of the 1950 NCAA championship.
“(West Gym) will continue to be our home on the basis of our practice facility, the offices and our locker rooms, “Penrith said. “The athletic department has done a great job trying to make that our home, but it will be a different environment for us. This has been really cozy for us. They’re right on top of you here.”
One thing to expect is close attention being paid to Baima’s hands as the NCAA West Regional and the NCAA Tournament draws closer. Baima, a senior and three-time NCAA qualifier, broke his left hand on the Thursday before the NCAA Tournament last season. During the tournament, Baima sustained an abdominal injury and went from being seeded No. 4 at 165 pounds to not placing. He broke his right hand before the regional tournament as a sophomore.
“My goals have always been pretty much the same – to eventually become a national champion, “Baima said. “It’s not like (the injuries have) added too much motivation because my motivation has always been there. There is a little sense of urgency because it’s my last year.”
Baima got 62 of his 88 career wins in the past two seasons. His biggest accomplishment was earning outstanding wrestler honors at the Midlands Open last season.
Ettelson also knows about being close, yet feeling empty. He seemed to begin a breakthrough year at the Midlands, and was 3-2 at the NCAA Tournament. It helped to have his brother, Charlie, as a workout partner through the summer.
“Every day we butted heads and went at each other trying to make each other better and get better at what we needed to be better at, “C.J. Ettelson said.
“You dwell on the past to make yourself better, but I’m not going to let it affect me, “Ettelson said, adding that the coaching staff kept reminding him that he has the goods to be a major player at his weight.
“It makes me feel better, makes me compete better and it’s one thing that brought me to those wins at nationals and at Midlands, “Ettelson said. “I got the fire lit last year and it’s still lit, so that’s a good thing.”
Wrestling Gear
