Back-to-back?

National Champions look to repeat

Winning a national championship is one of the most difficult roads traveled in the world of sports. There is a small list of things that are more challenging, but on the top of that list is repeating as champions.

Victorious — Flames wrestling. Photo credit: Jessie Rogers

Victorious — Flames wrestling. Photo credit: Jessie Rogers

The Liberty University Club wrestling team won its first National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) National Championship March 12, 2015. The team had finished third-place as a team twice and was the runner-up in 2014, according to Club Sports.

“We had the talent last year to the point where if we didn’t win a national championship I should have been fired,” Head Coach Jesse Castro said. “When you prepare for a championship for 12 months, to be able to reap the rewards of hard labor is always rewarding.”

The Flames had two wrestlers bring home the individual state titles for their weight class in 2015. Ryan Diehl captured his second straight NCWA national championship in the 141-pound class and was named “Most Outstanding Wrestler” after picking up a decision (11-1) win in the finals per NCWA. Josh Llopez also won an individual national championship in the 174-pound class for the Flames. Nine of the 17 wrestlers the Flames brought to the tournament achieved All-American status, per Club Sports.

The Flames have their work cut out for them because both Diehl and Llopez are no longer on the team. Diehl transferred up to a higher division program joining the Big Ten’s Maryland Terrapins, according to the University of Maryland athletics website.

“We’re working with a very young team this year,” Castro said. “We’re rebuilding, (2015) was rewarding but we see the reality behind what we’re dealing with now.”

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There are currently 13 freshman on the Flames roster and seven sophomores which means over half of the roster have a year or less of experience wrestling at the college level.

“There is a winning mindset here,” Castro said. “The legacy that a team (leaves) says a lot. It tells the team that follows them that it can be done. Hard work pays off and it can be done. We’ve been here before.”

Castro emphasized to the young wrestlers on the team to take advantage of the legacy last year’s team left. Confidence is one of the most important things he wants the team to have. Going into every dual or invitational all the teams are going to give the Flames their best because they are champions. Castro and his coaching staff want to make the team excited for that.

Day is a sports reporter.

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