NCAA FEATURE: Freshman No. 3 seed Kellen Russell of Michigan starts off strong
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by Gary Abbott
For freshmen, the first NCAA Championships is a major step in their career, the first try at "The Big Show." Every year, there are a few super freshmen who have high expectations. This year, the top seeded freshman in the tournament is Kellen Russell of Michigan, the No. 3 seed at 141 pounds.
Russell has one of the best pedigrees of any of the newcomers. He was a star at Blair Academy, one of the nation's best prep program that pumps out Div. I stars every year. Russell was a Junior National freestyle champion and a National High School folkstyle champion, in addition to his dominance of the Prep Nationals in high school.
On his first day at the NCAA Championships, Russell did not wrestle like a rookie. He opened with a solid 5-0 win over Rick Rappo of Penn, then defeated Levi Jones of Boise State by an 11-2 major decision.
"I wrestled real well this match," said Russell after putting away Jones. "In my first match, I was a little slow on the offense. In this match, I was on the offense right away and throughout the match."
This did not surprise Michigan head coach Joe McFarland, who can't say enough about his young star. McFarland starts by praising Russell's poise, then he keeps adding to the list of impressive things about this young man.
"He carries himself well. He has a lot of confidence in himself. He hates to lose. He has a great attitude. He does all the right things. He is a good person. He was well adjusted right when he got onto campus. Coach (Jeff Buxton) did a great job with him at Blair Academy. His parents are great people. It is all positive. He makes great decisions. He works hard. He does well in the classroom. He wants to be great," said McFarland.
Russell spent some time early in the season with a No. 1 ranking, but had a stretch where he dropped a number of matches. Some of them were to athletes he had beaten early in the season. McFarland does not make excuses for the losses, but has an explanation.
"He was sick for awhile. He fought through a tough respiratory infection. It affected him for a few weeks. He is feeling better now. He wrestled through the adversity and never complained. He looks good now. I like how he is wrestling now," said McFarland.
At the Big Ten meet, Russell made a big step towards success at the national tournament, winning the title and boosting his record to 25-5. It seems to have carried over into the first day at the NCAA championships.
"I wrestled pretty good. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. I took it as if it was the same as competing in the Big Ten," said Russell.
Russell seems as focused and intense as any of the other competitors who have been to the NCAA tournament before.
"I have wrestled as lot of people who have done very well as freshmen and sophomores here. I know the tradition here. My goal was to be an NCAA All-American. My goals have changed lately. I am here to win this," he said.
Russell feels that the Michigan program has been a good fit for him. He says that the quality of his workout partners has helped him to quickly improve his game at the national level.
"I work out with Josh (Churella) every day. His brother Ryan also works out with me. Even (coach Joe) McFarland, I can roll with him also," said Russell.
McFarland, himself a World silver medalist as a competitor, knows he has something special in Russell from the times they have worked out.
"He has great hips. He has great mat awareness. He can scramble well. The more you scramble with him, the more often he comes out on top. He has a great feel for wrestling. He does things you just can't teach," said McFarland.
Day two of his NCAA Championships career begins Friday morning in the quarterfinals against J Jaggers of Ohio State, one of the athletes with a win over Russell this year.
Although he shows no signs of the freshman jitters that have plagued first-year wrestlers with high seeds in the past, Russell knows that anything can happen at the NCAA Championships.
"I feel real strong right now. I hope to keep it going strong the next few days," said Russell.
McFarland also has confidence that Russell can handle the stress of the NCAA Championships and the special challenges that all freshmen face in this environment.
"He can believe in himself. He knows that he can beat all the guys in his weight. He has already beaten them, or he feels that he can do it. I believe that he could win this," said McFarland.
Russell has one of the best pedigrees of any of the newcomers. He was a star at Blair Academy, one of the nation's best prep program that pumps out Div. I stars every year. Russell was a Junior National freestyle champion and a National High School folkstyle champion, in addition to his dominance of the Prep Nationals in high school.
On his first day at the NCAA Championships, Russell did not wrestle like a rookie. He opened with a solid 5-0 win over Rick Rappo of Penn, then defeated Levi Jones of Boise State by an 11-2 major decision.
"I wrestled real well this match," said Russell after putting away Jones. "In my first match, I was a little slow on the offense. In this match, I was on the offense right away and throughout the match."
This did not surprise Michigan head coach Joe McFarland, who can't say enough about his young star. McFarland starts by praising Russell's poise, then he keeps adding to the list of impressive things about this young man.
"He carries himself well. He has a lot of confidence in himself. He hates to lose. He has a great attitude. He does all the right things. He is a good person. He was well adjusted right when he got onto campus. Coach (Jeff Buxton) did a great job with him at Blair Academy. His parents are great people. It is all positive. He makes great decisions. He works hard. He does well in the classroom. He wants to be great," said McFarland.
Russell spent some time early in the season with a No. 1 ranking, but had a stretch where he dropped a number of matches. Some of them were to athletes he had beaten early in the season. McFarland does not make excuses for the losses, but has an explanation.
"He was sick for awhile. He fought through a tough respiratory infection. It affected him for a few weeks. He is feeling better now. He wrestled through the adversity and never complained. He looks good now. I like how he is wrestling now," said McFarland.
At the Big Ten meet, Russell made a big step towards success at the national tournament, winning the title and boosting his record to 25-5. It seems to have carried over into the first day at the NCAA championships.
"I wrestled pretty good. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. I took it as if it was the same as competing in the Big Ten," said Russell.
Russell seems as focused and intense as any of the other competitors who have been to the NCAA tournament before.
"I have wrestled as lot of people who have done very well as freshmen and sophomores here. I know the tradition here. My goal was to be an NCAA All-American. My goals have changed lately. I am here to win this," he said.
Russell feels that the Michigan program has been a good fit for him. He says that the quality of his workout partners has helped him to quickly improve his game at the national level.
"I work out with Josh (Churella) every day. His brother Ryan also works out with me. Even (coach Joe) McFarland, I can roll with him also," said Russell.
McFarland, himself a World silver medalist as a competitor, knows he has something special in Russell from the times they have worked out.
"He has great hips. He has great mat awareness. He can scramble well. The more you scramble with him, the more often he comes out on top. He has a great feel for wrestling. He does things you just can't teach," said McFarland.
Day two of his NCAA Championships career begins Friday morning in the quarterfinals against J Jaggers of Ohio State, one of the athletes with a win over Russell this year.
Although he shows no signs of the freshman jitters that have plagued first-year wrestlers with high seeds in the past, Russell knows that anything can happen at the NCAA Championships.
"I feel real strong right now. I hope to keep it going strong the next few days," said Russell.
McFarland also has confidence that Russell can handle the stress of the NCAA Championships and the special challenges that all freshmen face in this environment.
"He can believe in himself. He knows that he can beat all the guys in his weight. He has already beaten them, or he feels that he can do it. I believe that he could win this," said McFarland.
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