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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 26, Digital 2

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106 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED we got a lot of that done in the first class." It's building toward big goals for the Boilermakers. Year 1 was a good step in the Ersland Era, with Purdue sending eight to the NCAA Championships for only the third time in program history, and the most in the last dozen years. The Boilermakers also spent seven weeks ranked in the top 25, checking in at No. 23 in the final USA Today/NWCA coaches poll. Purdue was 10-8 in dual meets overall, 3-6 in the Big Ten, an improved mark over the 6-8 and 1-7 of the previous year. But the Boilermakers scored only 4.5 points at the na- tional meet (for 42nd place) and were 10th at the Big Ten Championships, showing Ersland that though the program was improved, it still had a ways to go. Five of the eight NCAA qualifiers graduated — the three returnees are seniors Danny Sabattelo, Chad Welch and Doug Welch — and though the nine rookies won't be asked to replace the lost production, they'll be asked to push others who could. "I'm trying to make it so there's nowhere to hide in the room," Ersland said. "They need to be making people bet- ter, so even if you're not starting as a freshman, you need to challenge these guys and force them to be better, oper- ate at a high level every day. I want kids to feel like when they come to compete (at meets) on Friday and Sunday, it's not that big a deal: 'I've had my toughest tests in (practice) and I'm prepared and, therefore, confident.'" It's that kind of atmosphere that attracted highly touted athletes like Ford and Limmex. They want to work. "None of the best guys in the country are normal, they're not everyday people," Ford said. "They all are a little bit cra- zy, if you want to use that word. Most people don't want to work out twice a day six or seven times a week, or do extra stuff on your own. Most don't want to do that, that's not what they think about when considering their everyday routine, but if you want to be the best, it's what you have to do: 'I've got to be here. I've got to be doing this.'" Limmex agrees. The Ada, Mich., native sensed that sort of character is what Ersland was looking for during the recruiting process. And because of it, Limmex felt a con- nection with Purdue's staff — Ersland and assistants Zach Tanelli and Tyrel Todd — because they were relatable and fun, capable of a joke. "But also guys I wanted to work hard for," Limmex said. "… When coaches first started recruiting me, they were fresh and had just taken the job, so I could tell that they had a lot of energy and were very excited and very motivat- ed to turn the team around and get us going, make some improvement. I knew they were going to work hard and do whatever they could to help us succeed." Early returns on the Freshman 9 have been good. In the preseason, they've built camaraderie, hanging out off the mat but building toward the same goal on it. "Some of us were ranked, some weren't," Ford said, "but we all have the mentality that we're tough as nails, have to keep going, have to keep going. We all love working hard, we can't go a day without working out pretty much. It's kind of hard when you're at home sitting on the couch wondering, 'Man, what could I be doing right now?' I think that (Ersland) definitely showed that's what he wanted from me and all of us when he was recruiting us." In time, Ersland is going to be asking a lot more of this first class, pushing them to not only be great practice competition for upperclassmen but to excel against other competition in the Big Ten. It's the kind of environment he saw as a wrestler at powerful Iowa and as an assistant at Nebraska. "In four years, I want to look back and see a lot of firsts: Big Ten champions, national champions, multiple national champions, top-five team rankings, perennially being in there among the best teams in the country," Ersland said. "That's where we're trying to go in the next four years and we think we've got a great head start. "It's what I call the transformation of Purdue wrestling, the ability to do a lot of these things for the first time. And we're looking for kids who want to be a part of that. Coming from Iowa, I've been part of a winning tradition and that was fun, but maybe some of the more enjoyable aspects I've had in coaching have been building something from scratch and watching it totally transform, and I think that's the opportunity we have at Purdue and I'm extremely excit- ed about the transformation that's going to take place the next couple years." j "I think this group, they have a passion for wrestling, so they bring an energy and attitude to the room." Coach Tony Ersland

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