Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 14, 1991 TAG: 9103140075
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Winslow is spending his spring break in Iowa. As in "Iowa City, Iowa - America's collegiate wrestling capital."
Winslow, a 150-pound wrestler for the Hokies, finished second in Winslow the eastern regional tournament and earned a spot in the NCAA national wrestling tournament, which begins today at the University of Iowa.
"I was hoping to go to nationals," said Winslow, who didn't make any plans for the week in case he qualified for the tournament.
"At the beginning of the year, I made a sign [about nationals] and put it on my wall. Every day, I would see that sign and look at it for a long time."
Winslow lost to Nick Gorone of Old Dominion in the eastern regional finals 5-3 at Liberty University in Lynchburg on March 2.
The winner of that match gained an automatic berth in the national tournament. Thus, Winslow had to wait until the coaches met to select the six "wild card" entries to the national tournament to see if he would be packing his bags for Iowa or other destinations over spring break.
On Saturday night after the regional tournament, Coach Jerry Cheynet "told us he had to stay behind to meet with the other coaches," said Winslow. "We told him to call one of the wrestlers' apartments who had an answering machine. Then on the way back, we stopped and called the [wrestlers'] apartment. I found out I was going. It was pretty exciting the on the way back."
How Winslow fares will in part depend on his draw. The field will include between 32 and 38 wrestlers - the exact number won't be known until the draw is made final right before the beginning of the tournament.
"In order for him to do well, he'll have to gain some confidence [at the tournament]," said Cheynet.
"He'll have to get a good draw right off the bat. A good match could make for a good tournament."
Cheynet feels Winslow has the potential to reach All-American status - accorded to the top eight finishers in the tournament - sometime during his collegiate career because of his footwork.
"The higher level you go, the better people are on their feet," said Cheynet. "They're good mat wrestlers too. But you've got to be strong on your feet. And of the wrestlers on our team, he's the quickest, best on his feet."
To help him reach that plateau, Cheynet had Winslow run for a couple of days to recover from the regional tournament. Then, regular workouts resumed.
"A lot of the guys [from the team] came over to practice with me," said Winslow, whose favorite move is the single-leg takedown. "They `beat me up' too - once or twice. They really want me to do well in the nationals."
Winslow is 20-7-1, with victories in six of his last nine matches. He has recorded two falls, a technical fall and four major decisions.
In his two-year career, Winslow has won 36 matches.
The tournament runs through Saturday. The top eight wrestlers - the All-Americans - will be determined in matches today and Friday.
Saturday will feature the championship matches, as well as the third-, fifth- and seventh-place bouts.
by CNB