The physical ordeal a wrestler’s body goes through during competition is unlike that of any other sport. Weight, nutrition and constant injuries are all aspects that need to be taken into consideration on an unending basis.

Last Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open, more than 250 wrestlers competed in a tournament that took more than nine hours to complete and consisted of more than 700 individual matches. While days like these are uncommon, they can go a long way in conditioning wrestlers for high-level competition.

“It’s a rough day, but it’s a day that you have to prepare for because the NCAA [tournament] is almost three days like this,” said ISU coach Kevin Jackson. “It builds character; it builds toughness. It’s going to give you more confidence when you do get to tournaments like the Midlands and the NCAA tournament.”

Maintaining nutrition leading up to competition day is a primary concern for wrestlers. Diets need to be monitored closely to ensure that wrestlers are meeting weight requirements and are capable of performing at the highest possible level.

On tournament days, staying loose between matches is of utmost importance and involves a number of different steps and strategies.

ISU redshirt sophomore Mikey England, who won the 174-pound title at the Cyclone Open, faces some difficulty with this between matches.

“I have a little bit of a dilemma,” England said. “I love watching wrestling, so I like to see how my teammates are doing. But then I notice, all of a sudden, my legs will start getting real tired, and I’m on my feet too much.

“So I try to get back and lay down as much as I can, but it’s hard to balance the two: between watching my teammates and resting for the next match.”

Injuries, both minor and major, are almost inevitable during tournament days. Despite all the strengthening and precautions that exist, it is still likely that wrestlers will find themselves worn down toward the end of the bracket.

“It doesn’t matter how little you wrestle or how fast your matches are,” said redshirt sophomore Michael Moreno, who took home the 165-pound title Saturday. “You somehow get dinged somewhere that you don’t feel in the match and then by the end of the day you have all these dings and you’re walking around all limpy and bruised up.”

Jackson said the only worrisome injuries that occurred Saturday were suffered by redshirt senior Max Mayfield (149) and redshirt freshman Tyler Swope (Hwt), both of whom were pulled from the tournament due to injuries.