Wrestling Looks Forward to Season With New Coach
by Jacy Johnston
Concordia wrestling has returned to the mat with new leadership this season under coach Andrew Nicola with high expectations for the coming season.
Nicola joined the staff in early October with the departure of four-year coach Dana Vote in September. Nicola and his seven-year-old boxer moved to Nebraska from Southern California. Nicola was the former wrestling coach at California Baptist University, whose current team is ranked No. 13 in NCAA II.
“It’s been very busy; it’s been a hectic schedule,” Nicola said. “It’s more than just wrestling. As a new employee, it is a lot of HR stuff, a lot of recruiting stuff…and then, just trying to put the time in with the guys.”
“(The transition) has been very smooth,” senior wrestler Ceron Francisco said. “We had a lot of guys who were ready for leadership positions. So once he came in, we just jumped on board and followed.”
The start to the season has brought intense training for the team, as well as outside practice time for the athletes.
“There was a very talented team here before I got here, but I think that the difference now is that they’ve had some successes that they know they can build off of,” Nicola said. “Now they know it’s time to say ‘Is it worth the sacrifice to put the extra time in?’ Everybody is practicing from 3-5 at night.”
Going into the pre-season, Concordia boasted a No. 8 national ranking as a team and No. 1 ranking in the GPAC. Nicola views these rankings as a positive motivator for the wrestlers on the team in search of national titles.
“The expectations of the rankings are fun, but all that means for me in terms of rankings is it’s good for me for recruiting,” Nicola said, “But to the guys, the rankings are just the rest of the country appreciating the work you do. It’s not a target on your back, it’s a ‘wow Concordia looks pretty good.’”
The team’s high level of training paid off at the Grand View Open. Francisco and senior Ken Burkhardt Jr. both won their respective weight classes with victories over Division I opponents.
“We train pretty hard so my expectations are high for us to be successful,” Francisco said, “Especially with the level of training that coach Nicola has brought to the program. I wasn’t surprised, I was just very proud of the number of guys that were able to be successful.”
In addition to Francisco and Burkhardt’s high rankings, senior Kodie Cole boasts a No. 1 ranking in the NAIA. Eleven Concordia wrestlers are ranked regionally, and eight nationally. The Bulldogs look forward to the next four months of competition that will culminate at the NAIA nationals from March 3-4.
