The Hawkeyes will get a week off before coming back to town to prepare for the Midlands.
By Courtney Baumann
Winter break is here, practically, but the Iowa wrestling team will not stray from its goal of finishing at the top in the Midlands Tournament.
The Hawkeyes will continue with their workouts over the break, but they will get a few days to go home to spend with family.
Even then, many will continue to practice, whether it is with siblings, old teammates, or on their own.
The hardest part of staying focused over the break is keeping up with nutrition and making sure to stay healthy, fit, and within weight.
“When you have all those cookies out, you just have to say no,” sophomore Brandon Sorensen said. “Maybe you can have one, but [nutrition] is the hardest part.”
The team members will return to Iowa City on Christmas Day to prepare for Midlands, Dec. 29-30.
They will head for Evanston, Illinois, on Dec. 28
Head coach Tom Brands does not worry too much about the wrestlers and the week they have off.
Because he considers nutrition a lifestyle, he trusts that the Hawkeyes will maintain their typical habits rather than letting them fall by the wayside just because they are at home for the holidays.
Until the team heads home, practice will be more relaxed.
Running practice that way helps the student-athletes focus more on their finals, which can add a lot of stress right before the holidays.
“This is a relaxed training phase this week, then next week they’re off, then we get ready for Midlands,” Brands said. “It’s a pretty timeless principle. The formula’s been around a long time.”
Even with the stress that comes with finals, he said, the Hawkeyes are still doing a good job in the wrestling room during practice.
Like nutrition, Brands is putting workouts over break on the shoulders of his wrestlers.
The coaches expect the Hawkeyes to take care of themselves during that time and be ready to go once they get back to Iowa City.
Junior Alex Meyer does not think the responsibility will be a problem.
“The results show if you don’t take care of it,” he said. “Everyone has pretty much bought in, and I think we’ll all be ready to go.”
At Midlands, Iowa will see competition from eight Big Ten teams — No. 9 Rutgers, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 12 Illinois, No. 19 Indiana, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Maryland, and Purdue.
In addition to conference competitors, other ranked teams, such as No. 3 North Carolina State, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 14 Lehigh, and No. 17 Old Dominion, will also be at the tournament.
Although the coaches have thought of going elsewhere for a tournament over the break, they plan on sticking with Midlands for a while.
“We like the tradition [at the Midlands],” Brands said. “It’s a challenging tournament.”
Follow @cbomb12 on Twitter for Iowa wrestling news, analysis, and updates.
