Fierro: Lehigh learning and lurking on the mat
Monday, February 14, 2005
Sometimes, Matt Ciasulli says, you have to absorb a loss like the one he suffered Sunday night to be able to win the more important ones at the end.
Not that Sunday’s dual meet between No. 4 Lehigh and No. 1 Oklahoma State in front of the largest crowd ever to watch the Mountain Hawks/Engineers wrestle at home wasn’t important. But considering all Ciasulli and some of his Lehigh teammates did to get this far, what happens over the next month will be a lot more significant than what unfolded Sunday in the Cowboys’ 24-9 victory.
Ciasulli, the three-time state champion from Easton who has worked his way to a No. 5 national ranking this season after a disastrous start in which he originally was beaten out for his starting spot, wrestled Nathan Morgan for 11 minutes Sunday without getting a reward.
Morgan, ranked eighth, reversed him in the second of two overtime rideout series to score a 6-4 decision in a momentum-changing bout at 133 pounds that all but sealed Oklahoma State’s win.
Ciasulli accepted the loss and already had moved on by the time the floor was cleared.
“The losses like this a lot of times can help you win the close matches later, “he said. “I wrestled (11 minutes) but it actually was more like a 20-minute match. I’m pretty exhausted.”
Still, Ciasulli (23-4) leads the team in wins despite not being a big part of it at the start. He was more than 20 pounds overweight, lost it in time to wrestle off for his spot, but was beaten soundly by redshirt freshman Jeff Santo.
“I lost too much, “Ciasulli said. “I couldn’t keep enough water in my system. I had to lose both body fat and muscle mass.”
Which is always a tricky proposition when you’re trying to compete at the Division I level.
“I just had to change my diet and eat healthier, “he said. “I’m just doing what coach (Greg) Strobel says. He’s a real good nutritionist.”
Good enough to get Ciasulli back in shape to get his starting spot back for the Midlands Tournament in December. It has been mostly smooth sailing ever since for the redshirt sophomore who qualified for the NCAA Championships a year ago but failed to make an impact.
“I never really thought it would be a lost year (after the bad start), “Ciasulli said. “I just listened to the coach. I’ve come a long ways. I owe a lot to him.”
As good a nutritionist as Strobel is, he is a better psychologist.
By sitting top star Jon Trenge down for a spell in order to help him get a better grasp on the frustration of forever wrestling with goggles to protect a serious eye condition, he is doing everything he can to make sure the senior from Parkland peaks at the right time for his final NCAA appearance.
Three years ago, the only person in the college ranks better than Trenge was Cael Sanderson. Now, after having taken last season off to unsuccessfully pursue his Olympic dream, there might be more than one — and none the caliber of the invincible Sanderson.
According to the Amateur Wrestling News, top-ranked Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State is one of those wrestlers. But Trenge, ranked third, beat him for the second time this season Sunday night by scoring the only takedown of the match in the third period for a 3-2 decision at 197.
The place went bonkers.
Trenge, more importantly, did not. He did get excited, but he was never out of control.
Twice he has been disqualified this season for retaliating against opponents who repeatedly swipe at his goggles. He’s got to get over that, or the national championship dream will die as quickly as his Olympic hopes.
Strobel and the other Lehigh powers that be even kept Trenge off limits to the media during the week leading up to Sunday’s meet. The media lockout continued after the match. Trenge won’t be talking, Lehigh sports information director Jeff Tourial said, until today.
“He’s working his way over it, “Strobel said. “He’s getting better and better and better at it. He’s got some good coping skills and he’s doing a good job.
“This was a big breakthrough for him, I think. Not so much the win, but for how much is emotional control is. I think that’s maybe what he was celebrating even more than the win.”
The bottom line is that no matter what level Lehigh is on now, the smart money says the Hawks will be on a higher plateau in March.
( Nick Fierro is a columnist for The Express-Times. Write to him at Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391 or e-mail him at [email protected]
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