NWC WRESTLING HEADS TO QUALIFIERS
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
After having several weeks off from competition to prepare, the Northwest College wrestling team is set to hit the road for the NJCAA Plains District Tournament in Rock Springs on Saturday.
"The attitude has been great. The team has really come together," coach Jim Zeigler said. "I've felt like our preparation has been good. The attitude is good, and I feel like overall the vibe among the group and the workouts has been fantastic."
The Trappers have not been in a competition since the annual Apodaca Duals on Jan. 30-31, an event which Zeigler likes having just before the postseason push.
"Having that signature event at the end of January brought us together. That's what I always hope for," Zeigler said.
At the Plains District Tournament the Trappers will compete against Northeastern Junior College, Otero Junior College, Southeast Community College, Trinidad State and host Western Wyoming Community College.
The amount of qualifiers is set at 70% of competitors in the event dependent on entries, with Zeigler anticipating that anywhere between 37 to 39 wrestlers will qualify for the national tournament next month in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
That means that the top three in all 10 weights qualify, and seven to nine wild cards will qualify depending on entrants.
Six of the Trappers are seeded in the top three and Zeigler expects all of them to qualify, with the hopes of getting everybody qualified by moving up into the top three or securing a wild card position.
"Our goal is to get them all," Zeigler said.
Northwest will be competing against two of the top four ranked teams in the country in Southeast and Western Wyoming — he anticipates both of those squads getting all 10 wrestlers in.
"We're in one of the toughest regions in the country," Zeigler said. "We've gotta take our share of the rest (of the qualifiers)."
Following qualifiers the Trappers will continue practicing until the NJCAA National Championships on March 6-7.