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Shorter grapplers feeding off strong start to 2011-12 season
By Jim O'Hara
ROME – The Shorter University wrestling team has assumed the role more associated with a veteran program than one in just its second year of existence.
That’s exactly what head coach Josh Henson envisioned for his Hawks, who, after making a huge splash in the national NAIA pool in their inaugural season last year, are using the opening months of the 2011-12 season to make sure they are making all the right moves.
“It’s been a good start,” Henson said about the Hawks, who are ranked No. 17 in this week’s national poll and host sixth-ranked Lindsey Wilson on Sunday in the Hawks’ first home match of the season. “The first part of the season is about working out the kinks. It’s a long season and this [break for exams] was a perfect fit for us. Right now we want to make sure we’re working on the right techniques that can help win matches against anybody.”
From this point of the season on, Shorter begins the final drive toward the NAIA Wrestling National Championships in the spring.
“Wrestling is a postseason-driven sport,” Henson explained. “The whole season is geared toward preparing you for the national tournament.”
Shorter’s depth this season is something that sets it apart from many other programs, not to mention any of the country’s second-year squads.
“Wrestling is such a physical sport – in matches and at practice – you have to juggle the lineup,” said Henson. “We have quality depth and that makes a huge difference knowing the length of the season.”
The two Hawks who have gotten the new year off to a solid start represent the blend of what will make Shorter a contender at season’s end – experience and youth.
Senior Raleigh Abbott provides the veteran touch. The native of Powder Springs, who last season became SU’s first-ever ranked wrestler, powered the Hawks to a fourth place finish in last year’s Mid-South Conference Championships and an impressive 20th-place finish at the national tournament.
This season, Abbott, who transferred to Shorter after starting his career at Newberry College, is ranked No. 5 nationally in the 174-pound weight class and has compiled a strong 10-1 record. Making that mark even more impressive is the fact that as Henson juggles his lineup, Abbott has been asked to compete at 184 at times.
“He’s done well,” Henson said of Abbott. “He’s a little smaller when he moves up, but when you do that you gain something conditioning-wise. It’s definitely improved him, especially in the second and third periods when most matches are decided.”
Representing the young blood that has added to the Hawks’ strengths is freshman Wally Figaro, who arrived at Shorter from Brandon, Fla., where he earned Junior All-American honors. Already this year, Figaro is ranked No. 6 at 165 pounds and has a 7-1 record. Like Abbott, Figaro has been asked to wrestle up a class.
“He’s been competing really well this year,” Henson said of the first-year Hawk.
Following Sunday’s showdown with Lindsey Wilson, Shorter will close out its 2011 portion of the schedule with a visit conference power Cumberland (Tenn.) on Dec. 14. Following Christmas break, the Hawks return to action on Jan. 10 with a trip to Spartanburg Methodist in South Carolina.
That’s when the early-season work turns into the fine-tuning that leads into the drive to the post-season and the much-needed team chemistry.
“You always want to try and develop it,” Henson said of the team’s makeup. “There needs to be a good energy in the wrestling room and we’ve had it this year.
“We’ve got more talent on the roster this year and we’re training them harder. They’ve responded and have done a good job.”
