In any sport many rookies hope just to come in and contribute. They rarely expect to make an immediate impact and perform as if they are seasoned veterans.
Freshman Nick Simmons and junior college transfer Ryan L'Amoreaux are excellent examples of the latter. Both are among six MSU wrestlers who will be competing in the NCAA Championships on March 20-22 in Kansas City, Mo. But unlike the other four, this will be Simmons and L'Amoreaux's first time.
Head coach Tom Minkel said neither of the wrestlers' success has been a surprise, and he expected them to be competing this late in the season.
In Simmons first season, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after posting an impressive 24-10 record, including a 15-6 mark in Big Ten matches.
In 2001-02, as a redshirt, Simmons went 25-3 in open tournaments, where he posted 12 pins.
This season has included many highlights, most notably a second-place finish at the MSU Open, along with third-place finishes at the Midlands and Big Ten Championships. But the biggest highlight of his season could still be ahead. An eighth-place finish or better would earn Simmons an All-American status.
"Going to the championships will be a lot different than what I'm used to," Simmons said. "But getting there is just half my plan. Now I want to go out there and win it."
Expectations were high for him upon his arrival to East Lansing.
In his tenure at Williamston High School, Simmons amassed an unblemished record going 211-0 with 178 pins. Much like Simmons, L'Amoreaux was dominant prior to arriving at MSU. In 2000-01 at Muskegon Community College, L'Amoreaux compiled a 22-0 record on his way to a junior college national championship.
He also garnered his fair share of success at the prep level. In his senior season at Clarkston High School, L'Amoreaux tallied a 43-2 record on his way to a state championship. Even with all that success, L'Amoreaux was a little shell-shocked at the level of Division-1 competition.
"The overall level of competition was better," he said. "The talent level wasn't that far off, but the conditioning of D-1 wrestlers is unbelievable."
At the Big Ten Championships, L'Amoreaux finished sixth in the 141-pound division.
And while most would expect the "newbies" to be preparing as much as possible, L'Amoreaux, as well as his other teammates, are taking a more relaxed approach.
"We're just pulling back now," he said. "We've been going hard the last six months, so we're just trying to peak."
