ODU’s Edwards has to score to settle vs. Iowa State
Written By: Greg Arnold
Staff Writer
Old Dominion University’s wrestling team has more than a few new faces. Amongst them is senior Te Edwards, who has something to prove this Sunday as ODU takes on Iowa State University. After his loss last year to redshirt junior Chris Spangler of Iowa State, he is ready for another chance.
Last season, Edwards wrestled for Arizona State University. He wrestled well, but not up to his full potential. He has come to ODU to regain his focus, focus that was distracted at ASU by “palm trees and girls,” as Edwards put it. This is his last chance at getting to the podium at the National Championships. Luckily for Edwards, ODU wrestling’s head coach Steve Martin can help him with his focus.
“Coach Martin…he’s crazy,” Edwards said humorously. “I mean crazy in a good way. He pushes me when I think I can’t go anymore.” So far this season, it seems to be working, Edwards is 5-0 and recently won the Hokie Open at his weight class. Edwards is currently ranked eighth in the nation at his weight class of 174. His goals for the season, however, are to achieve much more. “It’s a stepping stone,” he said of his current ranking, “For now, I’ll take it.”
His match-up this Sunday, against Spangler, will not only help him work his way up in ranking, it will also show how focused he is. Last season, while with ASU, he had a match against Iowa State. It happened to be just days after he suffered a heartbreaking loss to now graduate Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska University. Edwards had been looking forward to the match against Burroughs, who was ranked high and would eventually win the National Championship last season.
He struggled a bit after the loss. “I was just down and cutting weight wrong and I was sick that week,” Edwards said. “I wasn’t feeling good at all. And I had this kid Spangler, he was a back-up, fighting for a spot.” Edwards trained to go against a ranked wrestler, but Nebraska put in Spangler instead. “It was kind of an insult,” Edwards continued. “They put Spangler in, and I was so determined not to lose, I warmed up for thirty minutes straight. Sprints and sprawls, and I got so tired. I went out there and my body shut down. He pinned me and did his celebration, and Iowa State was celebrating. I was so angry.”
Spangler has done much more than earn a starting role with Iowa State since last year. He is currently ranked seventh in the nation, just one spot ahead of Edwards. Edwards needs this win to move up the ranks. “Coaches have told me every year, you could be this good,” Edwards said of his ranking. “I never had it click, and did what it took to be there. So now, I am actually doing the right thing, just to have that achievement from working hard, it feels nice.”
Edwards wants to show Spangler what he is made of; luckily, he will be doing it at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Sunday at 1 p.m. As a team, Iowa State is nationally ranked 21. A young and unproven ODU will get its chance to show the wrestling community it has what it takes to win.
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