Coach Carter Jordan and the Wolfpack wrestling team have been preparing all week for the raucous environments they will step into when it visits the Virginia Military Institute (2-2) on Friday night, followed by a trip to Virginia (11-4) Saturday night for the team’s first ACC test.
While many schools treasure sports such as football or men’s basketball, VMI puts a special emphasis on its wrestling program. In fact, Jordan said it is one of the most hostile environments the team must compete in all season.
“We have gone up there in the past and wrestled, and it has always been a hostile environment,” Jordan said. “Those Keydet fans are on the mat at all times, and the ‘Rats’, or the first-year guys, are up in the rafters screaming bloody murder. They call it the ‘Thunder dome’, because they have some really steep bleachers right on top of the mats. So our guys better be ready, and that’s what we are trying to prepare them for.”
Though the environment may be the main focus for the Wolfpack (5-3), Jordan said traveling to VMI adds another element for him. Jordan’s father, John Jordan, Jr., was inducted to the Keydet Hall of Fame in 1978 for his great wrestling career during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
“My dad is in the Hall of Fame there at VMI,” Jordan said. “So it is a really big deal for me personally to get to bring our wrestlers into the gym that he wrestled in. And I know that they are going to wrestle us really hard for seven minutes.”
After facing VMI, the wrestling squad will have to make the quick trek to Charlottesville, Va., for its first test in the ACC, which is something that junior Darius Little said is always important.
“Conference matches are always big for us,” Little said. “But we can’t overlook any other competition and wrestle only for wins in the ACC. I sat out this past weekend, so I’m really ready to get back out on the mat and wrestle.”
Redshirt senior Darrion Caldwell, who has gone 6-0 since returning from a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out last season, said he does not plan on overlooking VMI, but knows the matchup with the Cavaliers will be important as the season progresses.
“We are expecting a competitive environment with a lot of guys trying to prove themselves,” Caldwell said. “Guys are going to be going out there to compete for the top spot at the ACC Championships. I feel like we are heading into a dogfight when we go straight into ACC matches, but we’ll see if we are all ready.”
Being prepared for matches in the ACC is crucial, and sometimes all it takes is a few good matches to get a wrestler ready. Caldwell was thankful he was able to return to the mat before the beginning of ACC competition got underway.
“The past few matches that I’ve been in have been very good for me,” Caldwell said. “I’ve missed wrestling so much, and it feels great to get back out there. I feel like wrestling these matches have gotten me back to what I haven’t had while sitting out. I feel like I’m just riding the wave right now.”
Jordan said he has been looking forward to the beginning of ACC matchups all season long to show how much the Pack wrestlers have improved from last season.
“Each time we wrestle we are getting better,” Jordan said. “When our upperclassmen, like Darrius [Little] and Colton [Palmer], continue to show improvement, it can be infectious for the younger guys that we have in the lineup. We have to be patient, and know that we are not only looking forward to this matchup, but know what it means when we wrestle in March.”
