Sports Reporter
acastro@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
With a strong foundation and an experienced team taking the mat this year, the CMU wrestling team expects to dominate this season.
“We have the whole starting team back from last year,” coach Chuck Pipher said. “We have a great starting team this year and great second and third guys.”
Two of the starters coming back are senior Nick Petersen and junior Chester Granard. Last year, Petersen placed seventh at the NCAA National Championships in the 184 lb. weight division and was named an NCAA All-American. This is Petersen’s second season with CMU.
Prior to attending CMU, Petersen attend Northwest College in Wyoming. While at Northwest, he was a two-time NJCAA All-American.
“Going into Nationals last year was pretty exciting, and it was really nice to get more one-on-one time with the coaches,” Petersen said. “It was a bigger stage than junior college.”
Teammate Granard also made the trip to Nationals last year and placed eighth in the 165 lb. weight class. Granard’s trip to Nationals was very unique and interesting as he found himself wrestling an opponent he faced while in high school in Washington.
“It was really weird,” Granard said. “I had actually just wrestled and practiced with him the summer before at home.”
Qualifying for Nationals is an accomplishment that Granard is very proud of.
“I struggled a lot last season during the regular season,” Grandard said. “I had a bad attitude, and I knew going into Nationals that I just needed to put everything that happened in the regular season behind me.”
Granard learned early on, despite putting the season behind him, that he would also need to work his hardest to take home the title.
“My first match at Nationals went to overtime, and in the last few seconds I was able to get the takedown,” Granard said. “The competition was a lot harder than the regular season. You saw a bunch of guys who already had their own style.”
Both Petersen and Granard have high hopes for this season. Petersen would like to become the National Champion, with Granard expecting to establish All-American bragging rights for one more year.
“I have a really good feeling about this year,” Granard said. “I want to dominate my competition, and I expect myself to be on top.”
The men will travel to Laramie to participate in the Wyoming Cowboy Open this weekend before the Maroon and White Scrimmage in Brownson on Nov. 7.
Recent Comments