UW-Eau Claire wrestling coach Don Parker told his team before the match that if they wrestled strong, it would give them a better seed heading into the WIAC Conference meet next weekend.
The Blugolds fell short as they took took on No. 17 ranked UW-Stevens Point in the final regular season meet, falling 33-10.
However, two key wins including a pin by senior Derek Sikora gave the Blugolds a fighting chance.
“It felt gratifying to get the pin and six points for the team,” Sikora said, who extended his winning streak to 12 matches with the win.
The other winner for Eau Claire was freshman Andy Miller, who received well deserved praise from his teammates after winning the match 16-2.
Mc Auly was tied with his opponent until the third period before he lost 5-3.
“I wasn’t very happy with the way I wrestled,” he said. “I know he was a tough opponent, but I felt I could’ve done better.”
Both Mc Auly and Sikora, however, said they believed the team wrestled well except for a few miscues.
“There were some matches that I thought we could’ve won if they had stayed off of our backs in the first period,” Sikora said. “We’re in better shape than a lot of teams, and I think that will pay off.”
Going into the WIAC Conference tournament next weekend, Parker feels the team can finish stronger than they did Saturday.
“One of our goals is to finish in the top four in the conference,” he said. “We have a number of guys that can place, and we are in good enough shape to compete with anyone.
Every member of the team has to play their part.”
The team is young and will hit a few bumps in the road as they grow, said Mc Auly.
“We just need to stay focused and not get down on ourselves,” he said. “We have to wrestle like we practice and give it all in the last tournament of the year.”
Parker also believes confidence is something the Blugolds need to build on in order to reach their goal.
“We have to gain enough confidence in ourselves that we can go out and beat anyone,” he said. “We need to avenge a few losses from earlier in the season, and having the conference tournament at home in McPhee is a huge advantage.”
