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Sunday?s Best: 2 Weeks Until Duke Opens 2016-17 Season
10/23/2016 9:59:00 PM | Wrestling
Looking Ahead to the 2016-17 Season
Sunday's Best is back with a second installment. In these pieces, GoDuke.com will break down Duke wrestling heading into the Hokie Open Nov. 6. It will look into the probable lineup each week as well as take a peek into storylines to follow throughout the 2016-17.
Breaking Down Duke's Lineup at 125, 133 and 141
149 – Xaviel Ramos
Ramos moves up two weight classes to a more comfortable 149 pounds for 2016-17. He wrestled in 11 matches last season, going 8-3 overall. The Hopatcong, N.J., native captured his first tournament title at the Newberry Open and took third at the Wolfpack Open.
“Xavi at 149 is working extremely hard for us,” said head coach Glen Lanham. “He's a senior and I think he can be a guy who has a big impact for us.”
157 – Connor Bass
Bass returns to the Duke lineup at 157 pounds after going 7-8 in duals last season. The Yorkville, Ill., native finished 17-14 overall and went 2-3 against ACC foes in duals. Bass captured the Hokie Open title to start his 2015-16 season with a bang and turned in a memorable pin at North Carolina to help Duke upset the Tar Heels. The senior has great potential at being an NCAA qualifier with changes in the weight in the ACC. Only Max Rohskopf of NC State is in the InterMat preseason rankings.
“[Connor] Bass, with his weight class moving around, I feel like he can be an NCAA qualifier,” Lanham said. “I've worked out with him and he feels awesome.”
165 – Jake Faust
A returning NCAA qualifier at 165 pounds and ranked in all of the preseason polls, Faust looks to build on his excellent junior season. Faust posted a 19-10 overall record and went 5-2 against top 20 opponents as he maintained a spot in the top 20 for much of the season. He is the top ranked ACC wrestler at the weight class and Lanham looks for him to be able to make a run in the NCAA postseason event.
“I think Faust can not only qualifier for NCAAs but he has the ability to get on the podium for us,” Lanham said about the senior leader.
Duke Wrestling by the Numbers
5 - Newcomers to the Duke lineup this season at 133, 149m 174, 184 and 197
4 – Home duals for the Blue Devils this season – No. 13 Wisconsin, Appalachian State, Virginia and No. 19 North Carolina
2 – Top 20 opponents Duke will face to start its dual season in November – No. 15 Oregon State and No. 13 Wisconsin
9 – Different Big Ten – the most dominant wrestling conference in the nation – opponents Duke has wrestled under head coach Glen Lanham, seven more than the Blue Devils wrestled against in all of the seasons prior
14 – InterMat preseason ranking of Jake Faust at 165 pounds, the lone ACC wrestler to be ranked by the organization
Kasper Benefits Greatly from Redshirt Season
Redshirt junior Jacob Kasper returns in a Duke singlet after a fantastic redshirt season of wrestling. The Lexington, Ohio spent his year away from Duke training in Colorado Springs with some of the best wrestlers in the United States. He qualified for the Olympic Trials with a top-seven finish at the U.S. Open. Kasper also competed at the Pan-American Championship and took home the top spot at USA Wrestling Beach Nationals. His latest foray landed him in Russia this past September for a tournament versus some of the top freestyle wrestlers in the world. All of this experience on the national and international stage will help in giving an edge on the mat this season when he makes the move to heavyweight. While these events help his technical wrestling, more importantly is the positive effect it has had on the mental side of his wrestling.
Blue Devils Schedule
Duke's dual schedule is a challenging one yet again. The Blue Devils open the year with a pair of top-20 opponents in Oregon State and Wisconsin in Boone, N.C. and at home in Durham, respectively. Those are the lone two duals of 2016 as Duke really hits the ground running in January with the Southern Scuffle and then seven matches in 21 days, culminating with a road trip to preseason No. 6 Virginia Tech. February also is busy in the front half with five duals in 18 days before a rest and taper period for ACC Championships.
Lanham sees the duals as a time each individual wrestler can get better rather than the number in his overall record. The competition against the best in the country prepares the Blue Devils for the national stage in March and will only help Duke climb in the final standings of the NCAA Championships.
“It's all good competition,” Lanham said. “There are a lot of good teams, but my motto has always been it's just practice until the ACCs and NCAAs. I think our guys improve during the year because there isn't a stress to win every dual. I don't even know what my dual record is. At the end of the day, you were 31st at NCAAs, you were 28th at nationals. I know that. I get excited about winning duals and we have some good wins here. You have to have those stepping stones in order for your program to get better, but overall if you asked me if I could go undefeated in duals or have three All-Americans, I'd go 0 and whatever in duals because that's what I judge myself on.”
Check back next Sunday, Oct. 30 for a look at the heavy weights and more heading into the Hokie Open Nov. 6.
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