Squad resets after brutal 0-17 season

A 42-3 loss at Homecoming. A 47-0 loss at Senior Night. An 18-30 loss was the best result of the season. Seventeen total losses, no victories. These stats tell the grueling story of the 2006-07 season for the Princeton wrestling team. Fresh from a successful stint at his alma mater Lehigh, first-year head coach Chris Ayres added tough non-league opponents to an already rough Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) schedule, and it proved a difficult adjustment for the team. This year, the Tigers look to pick up the pieces and turn things around.

While they did not earn the scores that normally indicate success, the Tigers still took away some positives from last year. Forced to compete against stiffer competition, the wrestlers toughened up and have become more driven.

"The kids worked hard and probably didn't get the results they deserved last year," Ayres said. "But there already seems to be a greater sense of urgency on the team, so last year was probably a good thing in the long run."

Team culture has also started to change. Last year was a fresh change for the players, and the new coach and new schedule intensified the atmosphere. The adjustment period was taxing, but the team is finally acclimated with the way things work and is starting to believe in itself.

"Guys are trying to do all they can. The team is focused on our vision and believes in it. This was lacking at times last year," Ayres said.

In addition to the lessons learned, change has also come in the form of new faces. Princeton lost seven seniors to graduation last year, but only three of them were starters. There are five new recruits, and Ayres projects that at least three of them will start immediately. This speaks to the caliber of the new freshmen, as the transition from high school to college is an enormous change for wrestlers.

Key players on this year's team include senior 157-pounder Marty Everin and senior captain John Clore, who wrestles at 174 pounds. Last year, these two were bright spots even while the Tigers lost matches. Ayres praised Clore's leadership ability in particular, saying that Clore is one of the best leaders with whom he has ever worked.

While new faces and an emerging sense of confidence will surely aid Princeton's cause this year, the schedule will not. The EIWA — which consists of teams from the Ivy League, service academies and the Patriot League — is no soft conference. Five of the EIWA teams are in the top 25 nationally, and three of those five are from the Ivy League. Two more EIWA teams, Lehigh and Columbia, are on the verge of being ranked as well. The highest-ranked opponent the Tigers will face in league play is Cornell, which earned a No. 9 preseason ranking. The only conferences in the nation harder than the EIWA are the perennially dominant Big 10 and Big 12 conferences.

This season, Princeton may be better prepared for the demanding schedule that lies ahead. The team may be starting to believe that it can win matches. The freshman recruits might look good, and the senior leadership may be solid. But there remains one major change that needs to take place for Princeton to truly become a threat at win dual meets. Last year, none of the wrestlers consistently won on game day, a problem the Tigers are trying to correct.

"We need a competitive leader. Once one person does it, it's usually contagious." Ayres said. "No one broke through last year. We're still waiting on who wants to be great."

So it is up to someone in this year's squad to step up and start winning matches. And while it is too early to guess which player will set the winning example, if someone does, Ayres may be on his way to creating a new winning tradition in Tiger wrestling.