Monarch wrestlers crave sweeter rewards for '08-09 season

Tough crowd.

Old Dominion's wrestling team posted the highest national ranking in school history, qualified a school-record six wrestlers for the NCAA tournament and had its first All-American in 13 years last season.

Not bad, huh?

"We did pretty well, but then we choked," returning All-American James Nicholson said of the Monarchs, who went 17-3 in 2007-08.

A second-place finish in the CAA tournament and a less-than-stellar run at the NCAAs (they finished tied for 35th) - by their own standards - still sting. And despite Nicholson's success, he includes himself in that blunt assessment.

"Technically, I choked, too," said Nicholson, who finished eighth at the NCAA meet. "One of my goals is to be a national champion. I fell short."

So rule out complacency as an issue for the 2008-09 Monarchs. All indications suggest that with a host of talented wrestlers - and their new facility in which to train - this might be a season that leaves even the wrestlers satisfied.

It all starts with Nicholson (35-10 last season), a redshirt sophomore whom coach Steve Martin calls a clone of his in-your-face, ultra-aggressive style. Nicholson cracked that Martin is an "acquired taste." But he also said his coach's encyclopedic knowledge of the sport and take-no-prisoners style provides the perfect fuel for his own intensity.

"He's the first one I've had who has totally bought in," Martin said of Nicholson, who enters the season No. 4 nationally at 125 pounds. " We're going to build around him."

Also returning for the 19th-ranked Monarchs is redshirt junior Chris Brown, a former Great Bridge High star who's ranked

No. 9 in the nation at 165. Brown has 70 victories for ODU in two seasons.

Senior Ryan Williams (141 pounds) and junior Kyle Hutter (133) also are national top-20 wrestlers. Williams is two wins shy of 100 for his career. Kaylen Baxter (149) and transfer Eric Decker (174) are ranked among the top two in their weight classes in the CAA.

With three conference champions and two runners-up returning, Martin expressed confidence the Monarchs can wrest the CAA title from seven-time defending champ Hofstra on March 6-7 at Oscar Smith High.

That's one of the highlights of another typically rough schedule, which starts Sunday and eventually will pit the team against No. 5 Missouri, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 14 Central Michigan and No. 20 Oklahoma. The Monarchs also will host No. 25 Northern Iowa.

The Monarchs will hone their skills in a new wrestling facility, which includes a workout area that can house nearly three mats, customized locker rooms and coaches offices. Last year, Martin said the team conducted many of its workouts at Granby High School.

Martin called it among the finest in the country, and said it already has dazzled recruits.

But Nicholson preferred to let others rave about the complex.

"It's nice to have a place to call home," he said. "But honestly, where you work out doesn't really matter. It's what you do when you get out there.' "