Sidelined trio deals with staying home

By RYAN HOCKENSMITH
Collegian Staff Writer

They tried to distance themselves from the disappointment. They really tried.

Despite plenty of Nintendo 64, fast food and hanging out with fellow Penn State wrestlers, three Nittany Lion starters, remaining in State College for a variety of reasons, struggled to cope with their team's participation Saturday at the 1999 Cliff Keen/NWCA National Team Duals.

"It's torture," said 165 pounder Alex Leykikh, who didn't make the trip because of a hyper-extended elbow. "It's really hard."

Leykikh, along with heavyweight Mark Janus (injured ankle) and 149 pounder Jamarr Billman (academic inquiry), listened to the No. 5 Lions' matches on the radio Saturday afternoon.

And what they heard wasn't the sweetest of sounds.

Penn State went 1-2, losing to No. 12 Arizona State and No. 6 Oklahoma while defeating No. 13 Northwestern, and did not place.

The disappointing finish was equally as disappointing for the three sidelined wrestlers.

"First of all, it's hard to have to listen to the matches instead of seeing them," Janus said. "Second, it's hard not being there."

"I don't know if one match could have made a huge difference," Billman said. "But I definitely wish I was there."

Despite complimenting their replacements' performances, Janus and Billman felt the results could have been different had they been in Iowa City for the Duals.

"With us there, it's a different story," redshirt junior Janus said. "As a team … yeah, I think we'd have done better."

Billman said the lineup changes, including Dana Weber's insertion into a starting role and Clint Musser bumping up a weight class against Arizona State, could have been avoided had the three sidelined wrestlers been in Iowa.

"(The lineup changes) were some big point swings," the sophomore said. "If us three are there … it would have been a lot different."

The team was also without coach Troy Sunderland. Sunderland stayed home because of the harsh weather and to be with his wife, who gave birth last Wednesday.

"It's double hard to wrestle without some starters and your head coach," Billman said.

Leykikh and Billman, even after the quickest exit from the Duals in Penn State history, still believe in their teammates.

"I'm always confident in them," Leykikh said. "I know they'll always wrestle their hardest."

Billman couldn't find fault with his teammates' showing either.

"They have big hearts … you know they'll give 100 percent," he said. "As long as they did that, that's all you can ask from them."