There is a sense of pride and anticipation surrounding the Oswego State wrestling team in the final days before Thanksgiving break. Oswego will travel to Madison Square Garden to compete in ‘Grapple at the Garden,’ set to take place on Nov. 29.
This is the first time Oswego State has been invited to the event, in which 22 colleges will compete in a dual-meet event. The colleges include Div. I, Div. II and Div. III programs.
“It’s exciting, obviously, for our program to get the invitation to wrestle in such a historic arena against the level of competition that we’re going to see,” head coach Mike Howard said.
Despite the looming presence of the event over the team’s head, that anticipation hasn’t affected their preparation. While Howard is excited, he is also keeping his team on track.
“We’re focused on week-to-week and what our competition is,” Howard said. “The first week was about that tournament, last week was about our dual meet against RIT, this week it’s about the New York State Championships. Once we get through that, we’ll turn our focus and attention to this event.”
The team may be keeping its sights on the immediate road in front of them, but the event is still a chance for some wrestlers to show their true potential. That expectation will motivate them going forward.
Howard said that the event will be positive motivation in the coming week.
“I know some of the guys who are injured or banged up a little bit, they want to get back in the lineup,” Howard said. “This is circled on their calendar, so this is something they want to be in the line up for. I have seen a change in that respect as far as guys pushing through injuries.”
For some, the event is not about getting back in the line up. For senior Joe Gorsuch, this marks his final season with Oswego State wrestling and he is ready to make the most of this chance.
“I think it’s one of the best opportunites we’ve had,” Gorsuch said. “Grapple at the Garden is such a huge event…to have the opportunity to go there and compete at such a high level, we have a dual meet against a D I team, we have a dual meet against another D III team. I think it’s a good chance to display our talent and ability to compete at such a high level.”
Gorsuch believes the opportunity to compete against Div. I and Div. III teams at Madison Square Garden will allow them to test their abilities as the season continues.
The teams Oswego State are competing against are Div. I opponent Franklin & Marshall College and Div. III Muhlenberg College, both located in Pennsylvania.
Despite Franklin & Marshall being a Div. I program, Howard is optimistic about his team’s ability during the meet, especially after this weekend’s New York State Championships.
“That includes all of the schools in New York state that have a wrestling program so there will be several Div. I programs there,” Howard said. “They’ll have exposure to those high level athletes this weekend, so to take the mat against Franklin & Marshall a week later, I think we’ll get that out of our system at the state tournament.”
Gorsuch and sophomore Troy Seymour are confident that the high level competition will only strengthen the team going forward. With the season lasting until March, Seymour believes it is important that the team peaks at the right time.
The momentum that the event brings to Oswego State is a factor in what could be the team’s success moving forward.
However, Gorsuch and Seymour are adamant that Howard’s week-by-week approach is key to coming out on top.
“I think if we stay on our regular training regimen we should be fine and we should be able to get a good see of where we really are,” Seymour said.
“Considering the Grapple isn’t near the end of the year, it’s a good point in the season to get to experience a high level of competition,” Gorsuch said. “We get that excitement and it keeps us motivated on our track.”
No matter the outcome of Grapple at the Garden, Howard will ensure his team is ready for what lies ahead this season.
“We’ll regroup again, whatever the outcome is we want to wrestle at a competitive level,” Howard said. “So we’ll see what that brings us as far as wins and losses go and then we’ll focus on the next event. When you can challenge yourself in an atmosphere like Madison Square Garden, it can only benefit us.”
