Iowa State wrestlers primed for long-distance showdown with Utah Valley

AMES — Third-ranked Iowa State is coming off a signature dual win over then-No. 3 Arizona State, but all 141-pound Cyclone freshman Casey Swiderski can think about is his “dumb mistake.”

That makes sense — since he lost in sudden victory against the Sun Devils while he battles back from a shoulder injury.

“It’s really hard,” said Swiderski, who tumbled to No. 18 at his weight in the InterMat rankings following a 7-5 setback to No. 22 Jesse Vasquez. “It’s really hard to be on the machines and maintain your weight.

“You almost feel like you’re in there for nothing, because you can’t scrap yet and that’s how it’s gonna be. … So to stay in it is not easy, but I’ve got to stay disciplined. Discipline is going to take you far more than what motivation’s going to do. Motivation is a hoax. I don’t want to hear motivation stuff.”

He might not want to hear it, but he will in advance of the Cyclones’ one-off dual with Utah Valley on Saturday. Swiderski, along with fellow freshman and recent highly-ranked sudden victory victim Paniro Johnson at 149, will likely unlock ISU’s much loftier hopes in March.

He doesn’t rattle. He doesn’t make excuses. He simply wants to be his best when it matters the most and acts accordingly.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect world in college wrestling,” Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser said. “It’s a grind and it’s gonna be tough and sometimes you’re not gonna feel great.

“As you get older, you kind of figure that out and as a coach you’ve got to figure out where are we in the pain/discomfort spectrum and sometimes that’s hard to read because personalities are different. Casey’s kind of quiet. He’s not a complainer, so you really don’t know where he’s at.”

Dresser noted Swiderski’s narrow loss could have come because of a one-month layoff, so rust may have been a factor. No excuses. Just background that Swiderski’s disdainful of.

“We’ve got ‘x’ amount of time left and we’re gonna win,” Swiderski said. “That’s what I want to do and my coaches believe I can do it, I believe I can do it. What’s going on right now doesn’t matter to me. I’m OK.

“I took a couple losses or setbacks I guess you could say, but that was on me. I don’t believe those guys are near what I am and it’s OK. I’m not worried about it.”

Nor is Dresser’s team in general, which is banged up but still building steam toward March.

“What’s their mojo, what’s their body language when they come in the door?” Dresser said. “Is their head down? Are they excited to be there? Are they ready to get better or do they look like they’re hurt, or do they look like they’re beat?

“Right now I’ve seen good. But I’ve got other guys on my squad right now that probably the reason they’re not the guy right now is because of they can’t figure that part out when there’s a little bit of adversity. They come in and feel sorry for themselves a little bit and you’ve got to be ready to go because that’s when you get famous.”

Swiderski will never pity himself. It simply does not compute. But he will adjust, because he yearns to win.

“I’ll take it on the chin and we’re gonna improve,” Swiderski said. “Today, the next day and every other day, so it’s gonna be all right.”

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