LeClere must make most of his chance

IOWA CITY - Dan's the man, at least for now.

University of Iowa senior wrestler Dan LeClere is the current 141-pound starter, and it's his job until it's wrestled away.

The 2008 national qualifier takes the mat today as the Hawkeyes open their dual schedule with the Iowa City Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes face Coe, Cornell, Iowa Lakes Community College, SIU-Edwardsville and UNC-Pembroke, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Here is added information on available parking and schedule of events.

LeClere lost a wrestle-off to Montell Marion on Nov. 7, however, Marion and 2008 133-pound NCAA runner-up Joe Slaton are sitting out for undisclosed reasons.

The wrestle-offs are a gauge to see where the wrestlers stand, but don't necessarily determine how things will eventually play out.

“They mean a lot because it shows you where you're at in the pecking order at your weight class,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said at a media day news conference. “It gives you the opportunity to shake off some rust, but it really doesn't mean anything because, if you look at Dan LeClere he's the No. 1 guy for whatever reason. He's got a job to do. If he has a job to do and doesn't look back, you know.”

The 141-pound weight might be the toughest and deepest class in the room. He knows that will benefit only him.

“I can only look at it as a positive,” LeClere said of the competition. “It'll make me better when I get that spot and it's not coming down to who is eligible and who is not.”

LeClere is fully capable of being the top man at that weight. As a sophomore, he went 22-11, qualifying for the national meet after placing fifth at the Big Ten tournament. LeClere was hampered by injury last year, posting a 7-1 collegiate record.

A boost of confidence will come along with the lineup spot, if he has it later in the season.

“I (will have) earned it. It's my spot,” LeClere said. “It's just going to make me that much more prepared for competition.”

All three are expected to wrestle at the Midlands, hosted by Northwestern at the end of December. That tournament will answer some questions about lineup spots.

“He's going to be head-to-head with Slaton and Marion at the Midlands,” Brands said. “The Midlands will be a big proving ground where we're at at those weight classes.”

The competition in the Hawkeyes wrestling room has grown and the entire team benefits from the highly-contested battles.

“The stakes are high,” Brands said about starting spots. “It's the No. 1 team in America. You want to make the team and you want to do well and you want to represent the weight class and win the weight class. We're deep in some weight classes and that's a good thing.”