UI, WSU club wrestling teams to face off tonight
Moscow Wrestling Club also hosts youth tournament today at Moscow Middle School
A portion of the Palouse wrestling community will gather in Moscow today for two events that the Moscow Wrestling Club hopes serves as an inspiration to the young competitors and valuable experience for those at the college level.
The Moscow Wrestling Club is hosting a youth tournament at 10 a.m. at Moscow Middle School, then the University of Idaho club team will begin its season with a dual against Washington State at the Barn, a 7,500-square-foot training facility MWC director Shane Needham constructed on his property.
"It's awesome to have it at the Barn," second-year UI coach Joel Sherer said. "This is such a good place to have, especially with a club the size of Moscow Wrestling Club. There are so many kids involved and it helps them see where they can go with the sport."
Sherer, in year his second year as a law student at the University, called the dual "a good opportunity for a team like ours, which is up-and-coming and needs good competition and good support."
Coaching fluctuation has prevented Idaho's program from establishing stability, but Sherer sees duels such as these as a chance for his team to grow in both popularity and skill.
"You can only be as tough as the guy wrestling across from you," Sherer said. "If you just constantly destroy the guy you're not going to get any better. Constantly we're closing that gap every year. It'll be fun for us to do it. We're probably going to have another dual with them (at the end of the year) to see how we've progressed."
Idaho will send out its squad of: Britton Needham (141), Alex Danible (149), Kyle Yates (157), Skylar Wilburn (165), Preston Rhodes (174), Davin Wadsworth (184), Sawyer Shan (197), Jeff Checketts (235) and Matt Derting (heavyweight).
WSU will counter with: Rodolfo Flores (125), Cameron Bennett (133), Randall Chipman (149), Jerdon Helgeson (157), Zach Volk (165), Jason Nicolson (174), Tucker Hanson (184), Alec Palander (197), Mike Huscusson (235) and Xavier Henderson (heavyweight).
Both teams compete in the Northwest Conference of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA), WSU as a Division 1 member, Idaho a Division 2 participant.
