The UW wrestling team typically has 30 matches starting November 1 but will only have about 12 to 15 this season due to COVID.
“Raise your hand if you’re not scared of COVID,” asked head coach Mark Branch at the beginning of their training in August.
All hands were raised.
Branch said the wrestlers rightfully so don’t have to be sacred of it but it was a problem they weren’t. He told them they must respect it because COVID would control their season.
Last season was cut short for the wrestlers in March when COVID shut down the university and canceled the NCAA tournament. Branch said this broke many hearts.
“I watched Brian Andrews the last couple of years and he’s been one of the models of consistency for UW,” said Tanner Verplancke, a 2020 graduate with a degree in marketing and a minor in economics. “Would be great to see all that hard work finally get in the podium in March. It’d be cool to see him get some all-American representation and place in the top eight in the nation at the big tournament.”
There are five NCAA qualifiers this season. Senior Brian Andrews, red shirt junior Hayden Hastings, junior Tate Samuelson and red shirt junior Jacob Wright.
Branch said Wright is a transfer from Fresno who is already showing great leadership skills. Wright helps the younger wrestlers and “really helped put a solid season together” according to Branch.
Stephan Buchanan, a sophomore, is also a NCAA qualifier and the only one who hasn’t actually been able to go yet due to COVID.
“Buchanan has really made a name for himself last season and I can’t wait to see what he does this season and the next couple as he was poised to place at the national tournament las year had it not been canceled due to COVID,” Verplancke said.
“He works so hard I’m worried about him holding up his physical body,” Branch said. “He’s been impressive from day one.”
Typically, the wrestlers practice over the summer and have a training camp in June that also works as an orientation for the incoming freshman. There are a total of 12 newcomers this year, which is a lot for UW. Four of the freshmen never met the coaches in person until classes started.
This year, the wrestlers were all home and idle. Branch said they had weight issues over the summer and used COVID as an excuse to not workout as well as they should’ve.
This season there have been about 18 positive cases including once wrestler who tested positive over their short Christmas break. There was also a pause in September due to six positive cases.
Branch said most were asymptomatic and those who did have symptoms were very mild.
Because the summer was different and the wrestlers had to go through short pauses in the season, some of the guys were set back and had small injuries because they got out of shape and had gradual interruptions while getting back in shape.
There are four more scheduled matches left in the season and Branch said the enthusiasm and moral has been pretty good. He had to give a motivational talk this past Monday, January 20 telling the guys “tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
Due to the short season and the high risks, the matches are just that much more important to the wrestlers. “I still follow UW on twitter and just look up results of duals, so I’ll always be a fan of the program,” Verplancke said.
