University of Minnesota Athletics
Off The Mat with Jayson Ness
1/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Takedown Magazine tracked down two-time All-American Jayson Ness, one of the most accomplished wrestlers in all of Division I over the last two years, over the holiday season and spoke with him on a wide range of topics. Ness, a Bloomington, Minn. native, already has 11 pins in 16 matches this season and is looking to match the school record he set a year ago with 20 pins in a single season.
Takedown Magazine (TM): Two years ago, you were one of the youngest wrestlers on a team that won an NCAA Championship. With such a big senior class graduating following last season, you’re now one of the most experienced wrestlers on the team. What has that role change been like for you thus far this season?
Jayson Ness (JN): It’s been a little bit different, but for the most part I really haven’t noticed a big difference. I still do things mostly the same way I’ve done them since freshman year; I go down to the wrestling room every day and try to work hard. I try to do that every practice every morning and every afternoon. I’m really not the most vocal when it comes to leading, so I just try to do everything I can to lead by example. Sometimes, I’ll grab somebody new and let them know that they’re going to come work out with me that day, but I mostly take the same approach that I have each year I’ve been here.
TM: The team has been performing remarkably well this season in the three lightest weight classes. With Zach Sanders starting things off at 125 pounds, yourself at 133 and Mike Thorn at 141, the team seems to have rallied around the success the three of your have been having so far this season. How important will it be this season for you and the Gophers to get off to a fast start at those first three weights?
JN: It’s been nice this year because the three of us have been good friends since we were very young. We’ve been wrestling together for a long time now, so it’s been great to be able to work together, train together and wrestle together this season. We know each other very well, so we’re able to help each other out a lot. Coming into the dual meet season, it’s going to be important that the three of us are able to get the team out on the right foot. We’ll try to get some big leads to get the momentum moving in our favor. We just hope to be able to be that spark plug for the rest of the team we want to be exciting to watch and get the crowd into it at home. If we’re able to do well, hopefully it will carry through.
TM: As a guy that has wrestled at 125 pounds in each of your first two seasons, you’ve been acclimated to a role where you are usually leading off a dual meet and setting the tone for the balance of that meet. With your transition to 133 pounds this season and Zach Sanders taking the reigns at 125 pounds, what will it be like for you not to start off the meet? What challenges will that change present for you?
JN: My first two years, I knew my schedule; I knew exactly how much time I had to prepare. I had a little system going to get ready, but this year I won’t know exactly how much time I’ll have. I might have to move things back a little bit. It will be a little different, but it’s an adjustment I think I’ll be able to make.
TM: You and your teammates performed very well in a third place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas a few weekends ago. How did you feel about how the event went for you personally and for the team?
JN: I think we had a great start out there. There were over 40 teams out in Las Vegas, so it was a tough field and a lot of tough competition. It was a great way to get a tournament under our belts that requires a lot of grinding the same way as the NCAA Tournament does. If you have a tough day the first day, you’ve got to come back the second day prepared mentally and physically. I kind of stumbled during the first match of the second day, but I’m glad it happened at that point instead of later on in the season. It was a good wake-up call for me and a good way for me to get myself prepared for the rest of the season.
TM: This year, you have an opportunity to open the home season on New Year’s Day against Oklahoma State. What do you expect?
JN: I don’t think I’ve ever had a meet on New Year’s Day. We wrestled Arizona State on Jan. 2 two years ago, but this will be different. Oklahoma State is always a tough team that they will be ready to wrestle when they come in here. Plus, it’ll be New Year’s Day; it’s going to be a great way to start the new year.
