GROWING PROCESS
Illinois avoids chemistry problems by knowing roles
— Illinois coach Mark Johnson
By Mike Finn, W.I.N. Editor
EVANSTON, Ill. — The Illini coach was talking about the second of three Tirapelle brothers who have or are currently wrestling for the Illinois program, which continues to be considered among the nation’s top-five programs after earning its third straight Midlands championship, Dec. 30.
In fact, the Illinois program has become so strong that Tirapelle — an NCAA runner-up in 2003 and fifth-place finisher in 2004 — wasn’t sure if he would continue to wrestle at his normal 157-pound spot in his senior year or move up to 165.
That’s because redshirt freshman Mike Poeta, a former two-time ASICS high school All-American and Junior National champion, was challenging the Illini veteran; a move that would either make Illinois stronger or destroy the team’s chemistry.
“In
most situations it might have (destroyed the chemistry) but (Tirapelle’s) too nice of a guy and too much of a leader,” said Poeta, the native of Highwood, Ill. “No matter the situation, we would still be friendly and I’d still look up to him.”“They both handled it as well as they could handle it,” said Johnson, who considered having the two determine the line-up order with a wrestle-off in the preseason. “When we decided to set our line-up, Mike Poeta handled it with class just like the classy young man that he is. We did what was best for our team. I can’t say enough about both young men because they are both tremendous young men.”
Except for a 6-5 overtime setback to Midlands O.W. Nick Baima of Northern Iowa — in which Poeta led 4-2 in regulation but could not escape in the f
| Alex Tirapelle defeated Iowa's Joe Johnston to remain top-ranked at 157. |
Tirapelle, whose younger brother, Troy, finished seventh at the 2005 Midlands as a redshirt freshman at 149 pounds, ranks eighth on the all-time Illinois win list and is just 17 behind the Illini’s all-time leader: his older brother Adam, a 2001 NCAA champion. He credits the competition within the Illinois wrestling room for his continued success.
“I’m a firm believer that you are only as good as your workout partner,” said Alex Tirapelle. “I feel like I’m a teacher for (Poeta) and he’s a teacher for me. We both have our strengths and help each other.”
(You can read the rest of this article by subscribing to W.I.N. Magazine. Either contact our office at 1-888-305-0606 or subscribe through this website by selecting the “Subscribe” section on our front page.)