Nov. 16, 2007

By Bradley Young
UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Tar Heel wrestler Vincent Ramirez still thinks about the disappointing end to last season. In fact, he still has the program from last year's ACC Championships hanging in his room to prove it. Although Ramirez claimed the runner-up crown in the 149-pound division, the team placed third in the ACCs after claiming the crown for two consecutive years. It serves as a bad memory for Ramirez, but also as a new, focused motivation for this season.

Ramirez, a junior 149-pound grappler from Durham, N.C., has collected numerous accolades. Ramirez is a two-time All-ACC selection, two-time conference runner-up, an ACC wrestler of the week and an NCAA qualifier. Nevertheless, Ramirez is only looking forward. This season he is hoping to finally capture, what he considers, his first "successful" season as a Tar Heel.

"Those seasons were not successful," Ramirez says. "Being taken down twice, two years in a row is not successful for me." So with the team's third-place finish and his runner-up showing at the ACCs still looming over his head, Ramirez began what would be a difficult offseason.

At the completion of last season, Ramirez couldn't sleep for a week after the ACC Championships. He had to get back and keep wrestling. "Usually you take a break, but I went straight into freestyle and kept wrestling. I wasn't happy with the way I ended it. I had to get ready for this year." Unfortunately, this increase in heavy training led to an offseason plagued by injury for the All-ACC grappler.

Ramirez broke his ankle but is expected to return to the mat this weekend. "(The injury) has affected me. Before we even stepped on the mat, we were lifting and running every day for a month. So you get that base, you get that foundation so that when you get to the wrestling room you're halfway there and you just put everything together, but I have had to work around that." Ramirez added that although he was limited, he continued to lift and train his upper body, as well as be a much-needed vocal leader for his young teammates.

The Tar Heel wrestlers lost three seniors last year, but Ramirez does not see it as limiting the team. "You definitely notice when those guys are gone, but I think that it is kind of a good thing; it is kind of a changing of the guard. Our class is really taking on the load." Ramirez considers it a "new generation" for the team. He says everyone is chipping in and helping everyone with whatever is needed. With the increased presence of his teammates and the revitalized training by his coaches, the Ramirez-led generation hopes to start off on the right foot.

"The coaches have provided a more clear-cut, organized backbone," says Ramirez. They have a calendar that states what workouts to do and when, to prevent confusion. The aspect of the revised coaching style that has Ramirez so energized is the mental advantage they're providing the teammates. "They're giving us this edge. The thought is that you're working out when you know your opponent isn't. You're running at 9:30 at night and you just picture your opponent sleeping. You know that you are doing that much extra." This mental edge is leading the team into the beginning of the season, a season that Ramirez holds high expectations for.

"My expectations are very high," he says. "You never want to end a season like last year, but I feel like it has really lit a fire under a lot of people. I expect us to be ACC champions. I expect us to have five people at nationals and have two or three All-Americas."

Not only is he excited about the season, but also about the high-caliber preseason schedule the coaches put together that includes action against wrestling-minded midwest teams. "It's about time we get to bust heads with somebody that is tough," Ramirez says. "Get ready. This season is going to be great."

The team began their season last weekend at the Michigan State Open with a complete and impressive showing. The Tar Heel wrestlers will face off against Purdue and Michigan State on Saturday when they host the ACC/Big 10 Clash at the Eddie Smith Field House beginning at noon.