To say the Eastern wrestling squad is young and inexperienced is a drastic understatement.

Head coach Ralph McCausland has been coaching the Panthers longer than the age of his new recruits.

“With such a young team, consistency is a big thing,” McCausland said.

Last year, the Panthers went 2-11 in all dual matches and had 13 competitors finish the year with below .500 records.

The Panthers’ squad was dealt a major blow when senior 197-pound wrestler Ross Bracey suffered a career-ending neck injury over the summer. Bracey was supposed to be the top senior competitor and a team leader.

“Ross Bracey’s loss was a devastating blow but it just means that certain guys will be forced to step up a little quicker than they expected,” McCausland said.

The Eastern wrestling program, which has perennially been ranked in the Top 40 in the nation, will be led by the pair of NCAA Tournament qualifiers junior Pat Dowty at 133 pounds and senior Frank DeFilippis at 157 pounds.

“We expect our upperclassmen to practice everything perfect every time and continue to develop into better performers,” McCausland said.

One of the best signings by McCausland was junior Matt Veach. Veach transferred from Iowa State University, one of the best collegiate programs in the nation that produced national champions and record-breaking wrestlers Dan Gable and Cale Sanderson. Veach will be counted on to produce better numbers at the 165-pound level.

“Everybody has to step up and contribute, Matt is no different,” McCausland said.

One of the pleasant surprises for the Panthers has been the heavyweight sophomore Pete Ziminski who has compiled an 8-4 record in the pair of individual tournaments at Eastern Michigan (fifth place) and Michigan State (eighth place).

“(Pete) was an example of how these individual tournaments can help gain experience before our dual-matches,” McCausland said.

Lantz Arena will host the NCAA Regional Tournament this coming March and McCausland believes focusing on the tournaments format instead of dual-matches will help come regional time.

“I like to focus on the tournaments because there’s no limit on competitors in them,” McCausland said.

The biggest concern for McCausland this season will be getting a competitor at every weight class because the Panthers have failed to have entries at the 141, 149, 157 in their pair of tournaments.

“We’ve had some guys banged up,” McCausland said. “we’ve also had certain problems getting certain guys NCAA certified at their weights.”

For a wrestler to be NCAA certified, he must remain at a given weight for two days.

The Panthers have one week to get every wrestler certified by the NCAA for their home opener dual-match against the Eagles of Eastern Michigan University.

“We’ve got to hustle to get ready for our first match with Eastern Michigan but we just need to keep the intensity all through the week,” McCausland said.