The All-American certificate, one of the most prestigious honors in college sports, was awarded to one of LSU’s newest clubs.
In the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships held March 8-10 in Dallas, junior Joshua Kotter and senior Travis Olinde were crowned All-Americans.
The top-eight wrestlers of each weight class achieve All-American honors.
The third LSU wrestler, senior William Comar, fell one win away from All-American honors after losing a double-overtime match against University of Central Florida’s Brian Pierson.
If both wrestlers have the same amount of points after the third period, a one-minute sudden death overtime takes place in which the first wrestler to score wins. If the score is still a tie after the first overtime, two-30 second periods take place in the second overtime where the wrestler with the most points after time expires is the winner.
Head coach and graduate student Fareed Hawwa said that prior to the NCWA Championships he knew Kotter and Olinde were going to be All-Americans.
“I actually was not surprised at all,” Hawwa said. “I knew the challenge, and I knew what [becoming an All-American] took. I knew they had it.”
The LSU wrestling club began in fall 2004, when juniors Mark Englehardt and Kyle Harris organized a wrestling team at LSU. In spring 2005,Englehardt and Harris began to hold practices at Dutchtown High School as many as four days a week. After a proposal sent forth to Student Government, the club was provided $10,000 for a new mat and the opportunity to become another extracurricular activity at LSU.
Having wrestled for seven years, Kotter competed in the 157-pound weight class in which he finished fifth of 32 participants.
“[Being an All-American] is definitely my first national honor I have ever gotten,” Kotter said. “I won the state championship [at Mandeville High School in 2004] as a senior. I thought about [being an All-American] at the beginning of the season. It was a goal I shot for.”
Olinde competed in the 125- pound weight class, in which he finished seventh of 32 participants.
“I have been wrestling about 10 years, since freshman year of high school,” Olinde said. “I missed it. I always wanted to take [my wrestling] a little bit further. I have always felt I had some unfinished business. [Wrestling at LSU] would be my last opportunity to see what I could do with it.”
Scoring in wrestling consists of two opponents on a mat where specific maneuvers earn a certain amount of points. The most points after one three-minute period and two-two minute periods declares the winner of the match.
“If you are on your feet and take a guy down on the mat, that is two points,” Hawwa said. “[If] one knee is down, and he escapes, that is one point. And if he is down and somehow switches to where he is on top of you, that is a reversal, and that is two points.”
Techniques for victory vary for each wrestler.
Hawwa said Kotter and Olinde have one specific move each match. The week before the NCWA Championships each player would practice their go-to move until it was solid.
“Every wrestler has weaknesses, and depending on your opponent, you can exploit that,” Hawwa said.
Despite Kotter and Olinde’s successes, both noticed weaknesses in their wrestling earlier this month.
Kotter said he felt “gassed out” at times, and his endurance was not where it should have been.
Olinde said his weakness was more of his physical strength that needed tuning.
“I think I was pretty weak for my weight class,” Olinde said. “[Also I need to work on] my conditioning. I need to run a bit more.”
Finishing the season No. 21 out of 67 teams at the NCWA Championships was an achievement for a young team that sent only three wrestlers.
“We finished ranked 21st in [the NCWA Championships], which is ridiculously good considering we only brought three people,” Hawwa said.
Along with training, funding still remains a major issue for team members.
“We are trying to do some fundraising,” Kotter said. “A couple tournaments [Student Government] paid for [the team’s] entrance fees and our plane tickets [to Colorado]. Other than that we have had to pay for our gas, getting to the tournament and a hotel.”
With the season not starting up again till early October, Hawwa is already getting together his ambitions for the coming season.
“I want to be ranked in the top-10 all year,” Hawwa said. “I am looking forward to having a home match at LSU at the PMAC and to have everyone be an All-American.”
—–Contact Chris Ballay at [email protected]