Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Flames wrestlers to stay in shape over break at Citrus Invite
12/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Members of Liberty University's wrestling team, tied for third in the latest NCWA rankings, won't have much time to bask in the glow of the lights on their families' Christmas trees as they are gearing up for the last Club Sports action before the New Year.
Fourteen Flames and their coaching staff will fly to Florida — where they'll be joined by two wrestlers already vacationing in the Sunshine State — to compete in Thursday's and Friday's annual Citrus Invitational, hosted by John Carroll (Ohio) University at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"We're flying out of Raleigh on Wednesday at 2 a.m. and will get into Miami, where we'll train to get our weight down before weighing in on Thursday morning," Liberty Head Coach Jesse Castro said, noting that the team will fly back on Saturday.
Castro's been taking wrestlers to this tournament since he was head coach at Norwich University, an NCAA Division III program in Vermont, in the early 1990s. The Flames, making their fourth consecutive appearance, will be one of only two National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) teams in the 15-team field comprised mostly of NCAA Division III and DII schools. Florida Gulf Coast University is the other.
"It always has been a pretty strong tournament," Castro said, noting that Augsburg (Minn.), ranked eighth in NCAA Division III, and host Carroll will be among the favorites. "The level of competition ebbs and flows, depending on the year. A lot of northern teams come down because they want to get away from the cold weather."
He sees the trip as more of a way to keep his wrestlers in condition between Christmas and New Year's Day and to maintain their competitive edge over the month-long break between the fall and spring semesters.
"We've been off since before finals (week Dec. 12-16) so we don't always perform the best down there, but it's so valuable to offset that dry spell before the New Year," said Castro, who is training the Flames on Tuesday at Liberty and will again Wednesday in Miami to prep for the tournament. "It's a good bonding time for the guys, too. They'll train on the beach, where we'll run them pretty hard. They don't like that, but they do like it at the same time."
The Flames should have nine of the 10 weight classes represented, all but 125 pounds, with three wrestlers entered at 165 and 174 pounds.
"At 165 and 174, we're as deep as can be with two to three kids that could potentially place at the national tournament," Castro said.
Liberty will be without sophomore heavyweight Dominick Johnson, who lives in Silverdale, Wash., and freshman 174-pounder Sam Karel from Muskegon, Mich., who would have to travel too far, as well as two returning NCWA All-Americans — senior 157-pounder Ike Podell and junior 165-pounder Michael Bryant — who are recovering from injuries.
Castro is excited to see if freshman 157-pounder Andrew Burgette can build on his fourth-place finish at the Joe Parisi Open. He has recovered from his injury that forced him to take a medical forfeit in the consolation final.
The entire team will return to Liberty on Jan. 8 for four days of two-a-day practices that will jumpstart the Flames' training for the Jan. 13-14 Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va.
"This is the intense part of the season coming up," Castro said. "We try to peak at the Virginia Duals and do really well there with the (NCWA) National Duals coming up (Jan. 27-28 at Liberty) and the (Mid-Atlantic) Conference and (NCWA Grand) National Tournaments in late February and early March."
Liberty will contend for its third NCWA National Duals crown when it hosts that event for the first time at the LaHaye Ice Center, using mats set up on top of an insulated cover over the rink.
The past five NCWA National Duals have been held in Dalton, Ga. This year's event is expected to include 26 teams from all over the country.
The Flames will stage the MAC Championships for the fourth time in five years on Feb. 25 at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center, where they will attempt to claim their sixth straight title since joining the NCWA.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
