By Kim Muench

The Iowa Western Wrestling team is only two years old and is currently ranked 5th on the NJCAA National Poll. Head Coach Josh Watts lead the Reivers to start out strong with a 4-4 record.

The team has acknowledged that they are ranked 5th but have not taken that into play when it comes to the competition.

"The consensus amongst our team is that success is not determined by where you are ranked but by where you finish," said Watts. "We appreciate the ranking and the recognition but our focus is on finishing where we want to be."

Although the team has started out strong, Coach Watts and the team said that it is not all about how you start out the season.

"Our focus is that championships are not won in February but in every minute of every day of preparation," said Watts. "The team has bought into this belief and because of this we are getting the most out of our team on a daily basis."

With the idea of how you finish in mind, the Reivers are working on the fundamentals to prepare themselves for the end goal, the National Championships.

"The team is working hard at fine tuning the technical aspect of each individual's perspective styles and we are working on putting the finishing touches on our cardio," said Watts. "We have high hopes going into the National Championships and the team is focused on working hard to achieve them."

The Reivers are lead by freshman Sean Dulom. Dulom has been versatile for Iowa Western because he has changed weight classes throughout the season based on what was best for the team at the time. Dulom wrestled successfully, pinning his opponent at two weight classes up at 165.

"Sean has demonstrated the importance of 'team' by stepping up when called upon regardless of the weight class or the situation," said Watts. Sean has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches with his sacrifice and his willingness to do whatever he can to help the team. To say the least he has earned the respect."

Dulom and the Reivers will wrestle next at the Grandview Open in Des Moines, IA on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m.