Wrestling

Cougars Put Focus on NCAA Regionals

          EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. -- After two tough dual matches against NCAA Division I teams, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling team is preparing for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships.
          SIUE will travel to Ashland, Ohio, Saturday. The first match is set for 9 a.m. on the campus of Ashland.
          After dropping decisions to Northern Illinois University 43-4 and Eastern Illinois University 33-24, SIUE Coach Khris Whelan has his team looking ahead to this weekend.
          "This is what the season is all about. We will see what the team is made of," said Whelan.
          Whelan is positive going into the regional tournament and believes the Cougars have the chance to get several wrestlers to the NCAA-II National Tournament, set for Kearney, Neb., on March 9-10.
          "John Ficht (Burbank) is probably our best shot to get out. If anybody deserves it, he does," said Whelan. Ficht, a 165-pound senior, enters the weekend with a 16-13 record overall.
          Whelan also believes that 125-pounder Tommy Hill (Roxana), 157-pounder Joe Rujawitz (Belleville), 149-pounder Jed Lewis (Norfolk, Neb.) and 141-pounder James Aschenbrenner (Mt. Zion) also have strong chances of qualifying for nationals.
          "If Hill wrestles to his potential, he has a chance to get out. And if Rujawitz and Lewis wrestle hard, they also could advance," said Whelan.
                    -siue-