University of Minnesota Athletics
Heavy with Confidence
3/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
By Joey Erickson, Gopher Athletics communications
Last season did not end the way Nick Wanzek would have liked. A redshirt freshman wrestling at 165 pounds, he lost all three of his matches at the Big Ten tournament and just barely missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships. By that point, an up and down first year in the starting lineup had taken its toll, both physically and mentally.
"I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. With all the seniors [on our team], I just wanted to do so well for them and for the coaches, for my family and everything like that," Wanzek said. "There were such high expectations. I let those expectations get to me."
Coming into his sophomore season, Wanzek moved up a weight, going from 165 to 174. At the lower weight class, he had been cutting more weight, a process that impacted him in multiple ways.
"It was quite a big cut and that affected me a lot mentally," Wanzek recalled. "I would also get hurt a lot more."
Wanzek transitioned nicely into his new, heavier weight class. While he learned his opponents may pose a bigger physical challenge at 174, the transition has helped him remove some of the mental roadblocks that stymied him last season.
"This year's been nice, not having to worry about my weight too much. It's been more fun than last year. I've just been able to concentrate on getting better and not worry about my weight," Wanzek said.
Another factor contributing to his on-mat success this season is the experience he gained as a starter last year, even if those results weren't always what he wanted.
A self-described perfectionist, Wanzek believes he and his coaches used that experience to identify what he needs to do to prepare for each match and focused on those points, down to the smallest details.
"Even from last year, I've become a whole lot more mature. Maturity plays a big part in [preparation]," Wanzek said. "Each match this year I've fine-tuned things [with] what I feel like works in my pre-match warm-up, pre-practice [and] what I need to do to keep my weight down. I've almost perfected that so that I have full confidence going on the mat."
That confidence has shown through often this winter, helping Wanzek peak in recent weeks as the regular season concluded, giving him momentum heading into the conference tournament.
Entering the Big Ten Championships this weekend, Wanzek has won four straight matches, including an upset over No. 4 Zac Brunson from Illinois. His performances in February have attracted national attention. He recently appeared in the top 20 in every major poll, his first ranking at his new weight.
His late-season surge has Wanzek feeling good heading into the tournament.
"Winning keeps me excited," Wanzek said. "Winning is always more fun, and I think whoever's having more fun and has more confidence is probably going to win that match. Going into Big Tens, I think those last four, especially that Illinois [win], were a really good confidence booster for the end of the year, knowing I can wrestle with anybody in the country."
Wanzek also draws confidence from competing against some of the toughest 174-pounders in the Big Ten during the season. He has faced off against four of the top six wrestlers at 174 in the conference - all of them ranked nationally. Those matches gave him the opportunity to make his mark in their minds.
"Every time that I wrestle somebody, even if I lose, coaches talk about it all the time, to make a statement so they remember you," Wanzek said. "Start putting doubts in their minds during the year. That's why those matches are so important. With that being said, even though I've faced a lot of the guys, every match is a new match. In D-I, anything can happen. Going into Big Tens I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing."
Having the confidence to match up with anyone can go a long way in determining who gets their hand raised at the end of the match.
"Everybody is really close, ability-wise, in D-I sports. It's really about who shows up that day and who has the most confidence in their ability. This past month has been a great month for me to build that confidence," Wanzek said.
The string of wins and resulting confidence led Wanzek to set a simple expectation for how he will do in the postseason.
"My final expectation is to win," Wanzek said. "I've had a lot of losses on the year, I'm not going to lie about it ... [but] I'm heading in the right direction."
The confidence now exuded so naturally by Wanzek sits in stark contrast to his mentality at this time last year, when he was burned out and teased by nagging self-doubt. He hopes that same positive change will show in his match results.
"This year is the complete opposite [of last year]. Apples to oranges. I'm super excited to get to the tournament and do what I know I can do," Wanzek said.
Players Mentioned
