I'm saving my notebook for later this week to preview Friday night's BJC dual (once the craziness of national signing day is finished), but I want to pass along a quick note on the progress of Matt McCutcheon for everyone here.
Wearing a brace on his left knee, McCutcheon was wrestling live (mostly) with David Taylor as part of a club workout today while I was in the room for a few minutes. I had heard a week ago that McCutcheon's goal is to return for this weekend's match against Ohio State. Head coach Cael Sanderson confirmed that McCutcheon has been cleared medically, but he stopped short of saying if McCutcheon will be a go. The coaches and the training staff will continue to monitor him throughout the week and make a final decision closer to match time.
"He's wrestling live today," said Sanderson. "I've been trying to watch him, but he's looking good. He's feeling good, his spirits are high and his attitude is great. So, yeah, we'll see how he progresses between now and Friday."
With only one month remaining until the Big Ten Championships, Sanderson said they won't rush McCutcheon back into action this weekend if there's any hesitation about his recovery from a minor knee injury he suffered against Illinois Jan. 23.
"If he's not ready to go, we're not going wrestle him," Sanderson added. "Obviously our goal is to be the best we can be at the nationals and the Big Ten tournament. You have to do well at the Big Tens to get to the nationals, so that goes hand-in-hand. But we want to win dual meets. Dual meets are very important, but you have to look at the big picture. If he's not ready to go, he's not going to wrestle."
Wearing a brace on his left knee, McCutcheon was wrestling live (mostly) with David Taylor as part of a club workout today while I was in the room for a few minutes. I had heard a week ago that McCutcheon's goal is to return for this weekend's match against Ohio State. Head coach Cael Sanderson confirmed that McCutcheon has been cleared medically, but he stopped short of saying if McCutcheon will be a go. The coaches and the training staff will continue to monitor him throughout the week and make a final decision closer to match time.
"He's wrestling live today," said Sanderson. "I've been trying to watch him, but he's looking good. He's feeling good, his spirits are high and his attitude is great. So, yeah, we'll see how he progresses between now and Friday."
With only one month remaining until the Big Ten Championships, Sanderson said they won't rush McCutcheon back into action this weekend if there's any hesitation about his recovery from a minor knee injury he suffered against Illinois Jan. 23.
"If he's not ready to go, we're not going wrestle him," Sanderson added. "Obviously our goal is to be the best we can be at the nationals and the Big Ten tournament. You have to do well at the Big Tens to get to the nationals, so that goes hand-in-hand. But we want to win dual meets. Dual meets are very important, but you have to look at the big picture. If he's not ready to go, he's not going to wrestle."
