Seniors hope to lead NU to glory By Sarah Dose Staff Reporter If the Nebraska wrestling team ever plans to win a national championship, this is the year to do it. The Husker grapplers, who return four seniors to the team this season, are ranked fifth in the nation, and are ever-confident in their ability to come home with an NCAA trophy. "I know how talented this team is, and I know their experience," NU Coach Tim Neumann said. Neumann said many factors are needed to ensure this year's success, but the team can't get caught up in winning. "We need to keep the same focus all season," he said. "We need to go one day at a time, come to training to learn something new every day, and not get stale or bored. The key is to keep learning." Neumann said the Huskers have plenty of reasons to be confident and are capable of doing anything they set their minds to. But he also says they have their weaknesses. "A lot of the guys have some weight to cut," he said. "Ryan Tobin has to get down to 190. But I think that weakness will work for us. It will help him become mentally disciplined. If we keep everything in focus, we can be prepared for pitfalls." But each wrestler also has his own goals. Senior Ryan Tobin said he is confident in his ability to win an individual medal at the NCAA tournament. "We need to work harder than anyone else in the country, stay healthy, and of course a little luck never hurts," he said. "If we perform well at tournaments and put all those other things together, we will have the right combination." Last year, Tobin and senior Temoer Terry sat out to wait for the rest of the Huskers to mature. This season they return in full force to lead an extremely talented Husker squad. "It was hard to start for three years and then sit out a year," Tobin said. "But I'm glad to be back; I just want to do my part for the team." But Tobin isn't necessarily out of the loop. Last season he posted a 17-0 record at 220 pounds, or heavyweight, in open tournaments. He has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the 190-pound national championship. Terry, who also redshirted last season as a junior, returns as one of the preseason favorites to win an NCAA championship at 158 pounds. "I want to stay healthy this season," he said. "At the first meet I want to make sure my injuries are healed up. I don't want to put myself in a position to get hurt." Terry had reconstructive shoulder surgery in August 1996. Because he's had a full year to recover, Terry said he's confident in his own ability to win, as well as the team's ability to win. "As a team, we're just as good as or better than anyone else," he said. The third senior on the squad is Brad Canoyer. Last season, Canoyer jumped two weight classes to 134 pounds and just missed All-America honors. Canoyer has been named the Huskers' Most Dedicated Wrestler the past two seasons, and continues to work hard for the upcoming season. "We all need to find out what areas we need to work on most," he said. It's all one big practice until March. There really shouldn't be any surprises." Rounding off the senior leadership is Jeramie Welder, who weighs in at 126 pounds. He is confident in the Huskers' talent and experience on the mats. "We are a national championship team," he said. "It all just depends on everyone's attitudes. If everyone stays positive, we'll get what we want out of the season." Welder said the first meet is very important in that they need to see how far along they are. "It's hard to see how good you are when you wrestle the same guys every day," he said. The Huskers kick off the season Nov. 14 in Laramie, Wyo.